Question about rear struts - Toyota Nation Forum : Toyota Car and Truck Forums

JasonK94Z · 09-04-2009, 07:25 PM

I just ordered rear struts for my car off ebay for a great deal. The car has 248k miles and they are shot.

Will changing out the rear struts affect anything with the alignment?

Does anyone have a diagram of the strut assembly?

Is the upper mount portion accesable from the trunk or do I need to remove the back seat?

Can I get away without having to buy new strut mounts or anything else?
I just want to stop the back of this car from bouncing up and down all the time LOL. I'd rather not invest any more money into this car than i have to. The car was purchased for $500 just to take me to work with good mpg.

Thanks everyone for the help.

RobMilkshakes · 09-04-2009, 08:35 PM

remove the seat back to get at the strut tops. its easy so its no biggie.

The strut wont change your alignment

and here's a diagram:
http://www.toyodiy.com/parts/p_U_199...HDKA_4804.html

JasonK94Z · 09-04-2009, 08:39 PM

Appreciate the help! Thanks for the replies in all my posts.

j2b4osan · 09-04-2009, 09:37 PM

mounts would be cheap and a good investment because if the fail it may damage the car. its easy no alignment necessary.

JasonK94Z · 09-05-2009, 07:46 AM

Aargguu! Mounts are $51 a piece. We'll see what the old ones look like next weekend.

Donald · 09-05-2009, 01:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JasonK94Z

I'd rather not invest any more money into this car than i have to. The car was purchased for $500 just to take me to work with good mpg.

Ha-ha-haaa.

You are going to find out sooner or later that you have fallen in love with this car, and start wanting to invest in it.

Remember that I said this when you start thinking about a blacktop or a GZE.

Replacing the rear struts might not affect the alignment, but it could possibly affect the camber very slightly. So, if you dont have the alignment checked, you should keep an eye on your tires to make sure that they are wearing evenly.

The strut mounts seem to hold up very well. I have never had to replace any on any of my Toyotas.

freakinbox · 09-07-2009, 12:03 AM

if he has the fold down rear seats he doesn't have to removed them. On mine there is a small panel you can remove and if you are careful don't have to remove the rear deck either.

JasonK94Z · 09-07-2009, 05:29 PM

It doesn't have fold down seats. The bottom cushions come out though.

retiredat44 · 09-11-2009, 05:39 AM

on the 89 Corolla SR5 there is only about 3 inches between the nuts and the read window for the shock towers ont he rear deck...

but the back are still easier than doing the front struts..

I hope you got a warranty with the ones off eBay..

The Gabriels I got from Auto Zone a few years back took at least 5 years to soften up... they were very hard for a long time,, very stiff..
the originals were 225,000 miles on them and had no dampening at all..

now the car has 350,000 miles..

new struts were about $160 for 4 struts at AutoZone around 1994..
lifetime warranty..

they shop wanted $800 labor for 4 struts...

freakinbox · 09-11-2009, 07:44 AM

on the sr5 I'd say the fronts are easier... no sway bar links to mess with on the front... since mine are siezed in the rear and cheapest I have found is a little over $100 per sway bar link...

JasonK94Z · 09-11-2009, 08:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by freakinbox

on the sr5 I'd say the fronts are easier... no sway bar links to mess with on the front... since mine are siezed in the rear and cheapest I have found is a little over $100 per sway bar link...

Not sure if the Prizm LSi has a sway bar in the rear or not. I did see how much the links are the other day and about crapped myself! What the heck is the reason for such an expensive sway bar end link? On my Camaro Z28 they are $13/pair LOL.

freakinbox · 09-11-2009, 10:46 AM

because the ae92 parts aren't nearly as common as they used to be. The cap and wire set for my car went from $60 for the decent cheap set and they now cost $110, $120 from the dealer.....

I am not sure on the sedan, if it has a rear sway bar or not. Some have said they don't have them and some said they do. But typically on most cars they are cheap because they usually seize up. and are just a small part.

toyotaspeed90 · 09-11-2009, 10:50 PM

the coupes are a pain in the ass..... you have to remove the seat lower cushion, back custions.... then you have to remove the inside C pillar trim... which requires unbolting the seatbelt, removing the lower trim first, then the c pillar trim, removing the 3rd brake light, removing the speakers.... then if you're lucky, you won't break the rear dash-board when it comes out.....

I prefer the cars where you can actually access the rear strut tops.....

ae924d · 09-12-2009, 06:42 AM

i mean if you want to have a car where you can change them easily you'd have to defect to honda...you dont have to take out shit, just pop open your trunk and boom.

RED91SR5 · 09-14-2009, 07:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by toyotaspeed90

the coupes are a pain in the ass..... you have to remove the seat lower cushion, back custions.... then you have to remove the inside C pillar trim... which requires unbolting the seatbelt, removing the lower trim first, then the c pillar trim, removing the 3rd brake light, removing the speakers.... then if you're lucky, you won't break the rear dash-board when it comes out.....

I prefer the cars where you can actually access the rear strut tops.....

I recently did this, what a pain in the ass the coupe struts are!