I went to the Toyota dealer today looking to buy parts to fix this problem once and for all.........but, the parts guy said he never sells any parts for the rear struts. ??? He thought something was probably loose. So, I decided to rent the spring compression tool from Advanced Auto Parts and find out for myself what was going on.....before buying any parts.
For the life of me I don't see what it could be - except for one thing possibly - that top nut on the strut, though self-locking, isn't really secured well /even at factory tightened 36ft lbs, I suspect it could loosen over time....however, I had it all apart before I realized this might be the culprit. So for sure, I will remove the plasticy cap and check the passenger's side nut in the morning - before I take anything apart on that side......
For grins, I am going to replace the rubber insulators -p/n 48257-32060 for the passenger and p/n 489259-32020 for the driver side. They are destroyed anyways - at the bottom - where they cover the exposed strut shafts. And FWIW I do plan to use a dab of Loktite on the big nuts at the top of the strut during reassembly.
I'll keep you posted both as to whether or not the nut is loose on the passenger side and as to whether or not I actually cure the problem. ;-)
Yes, I have already replaced the sway bar mounts - that cured a lot of the noise back there - but did not silence it.
Followup - the nut at the top of the strut on the passenger side was not loose. :-( This really only leaves the rubber insulators....
I do wonder about the struts and their condition compared to new. They are not leaking, however, they don't seem very "stiff" - which I guess is the nature of OEM shocks....???
For what its worth, I had the clunk in the front and back. Put new mounts all around and struts on the front. My mechanic said the back struts were fine and didn't need replaced, just the mounts? Needless to say, noise was still there and I put new struts on the back (didn't have to pay labor to mechanic) which made the noise go away and hasn't been back since. You wont believe how ride and handling will improve with new ones all around!
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Its only a transport to the golf course....
2004 Lexus ES 330
2004 Jeep Liberty Limited
2005 Avalanche Z71 Loaded
For what its worth, I had the clunk in the front and back. Put new mounts all around and struts on the front. My mechanic said the back struts were fine and didn't need replaced, just the mounts? Needless to say, noise was still there and I put new struts on the back (didn't have to pay labor to mechanic) which made the noise go away and hasn't been back since. You wont believe how ride and handling will improve with new ones all around!
Would you mind sharing what brand strut you went with? (I can't tell you the hours I've spent debating with myself over whether or not to replace them, esp now that I have all the tools to tear all the way into it!) :-)
Would you mind sharing what brand strut you went with? (I can't tell you the hours I've spent debating with myself over whether or not to replace them, esp now that I have all the tools to tear all the way into it!) :-)
Sway bar bushings is also a big culprit of clunking/banging in the rear. Have you had these checked out. With that mileage those are most likely bad if they were never replaced.
Sway bar bushings is also a big culprit of clunking/banging in the rear. Have you had these checked out. With that mileage those are most likely bad if they were never replaced.
Yeah, they got replaced last year. (About the same time I did the rack and pinion replacement.)
Today, (@185,000) miles on my 1996 Avalon, I replaced the rear struts and both top and bottom rubber insulators. I used KYB struts. About $300.00 invested in parts in toto. I am not totally convinced the OEM struts were defective. ?? but they were very spongy and easy to move [by hand] up and down.
The ride is now a bit stiffer compared to OEM struts. But I probably need to drive it a few days before I pass final judgement.
The clunking noise appears to be gone. Hopefully it will be cold enough in the morning for them to "sound off" - if they are going to....
LOL I am not sure it was $300 wisely spent...prolly shoulda done it 80k miles ago to really justify the expense. And prolly shoulda done fronts as well. Hmm. I'll post back in a few days if anything changes regards my opinion.
I will be repalcing my rear struts soon.. what kind of a job is this? labor intensive.. it looks as if the rear seat needs to be removed.. what is holding the seat in? anything i need to be aware of before i takle this. I have 200000 miles on mine.
It's an easy job, if you have all the right tools - torque wrench and breaker bar or impact wrench with at least 500 ft lbs. Spring compressor - which can be a little bit dangerous to use if you are not careful.
The rear cushion snaps upwards [at the front] in three places - center, left and right. Then, the squab is bolted in four places at the bottom. After removing the 4 bolts, It will then snap up and out.
Just an FYI update on the driving experience with new rear struts (KYB) - absolutely no body roll when entering exit ramps off the expressway at speed.....
I just received my KYB struts from Auto Parts warehouse.They sent me 2 rear struts with the same part number.When I called them they said that they had made a mistake and in fact they did not carry the rear shocks/struts for my car. The ones that they sent me were4 for non ABS vehicles. When I asked them if the parts that they sent me for the front were for non ABS also, he said yes! In fact they did not sell KYB shocks/struts for my car at all. Now I have to go through the trouble of mailing them all back. I gave them my vin# and KYB part numbers and they still sent the wrong ones. Also, the KYB catalogue does not mention ABS at all. If you could tell me where you got your KYB's
and give me the parts # I would greatly appreciate it.
I just received my KYB struts from Auto Parts warehouse.They sent me 2 rear struts with the same part number.When I called them they said that they had made a mistake and in fact they did not carry the rear shocks/struts for my car. The ones that they sent me were4 for non ABS vehicles. When I asked them if the parts that they sent me for the front were for non ABS also, he said yes! In fact they did not sell KYB shocks/struts for my car at all. Now I have to go through the trouble of mailing them all back. I gave them my vin# and KYB part numbers and they still sent the wrong ones. Also, the KYB catalogue does not mention ABS at all. If you could tell me where you got your KYB's
and give me the parts # I would greatly appreciate it.
John
John:
Mine's a 1996 non-ABS. And I did order my KYB's from in Carson, CA. 800-859-0923. So, I don't think my part numbers will help you.
I have seen OEM shocks (for my car) on the web for $129. At the dealer they are $179.
Let me look around on the web today and I'll see what I can find. I will let you know by the end of the weekend if I come up with anything. Perhaps others who have gone down this path will chime in.
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in Carson, CA. 800-859-0923. So, I don't think my part numbers will help you.
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