[hokie_sti]

I'm going to replace my fiance's front struts and strut mounts on her 2002 corolla CE. The rears seem fine, but the front bounces up/down continuously when going over speed bumps or just pressing down on the hood.

Does anyone have a quick walk through on how to disassemble and install new struts? I've replaced struts/springs/mounts on my WRX and it was pretty straight forward. Just wondering if there is anything out of the ordinary with the corolla.

What are the torque specs for the top nut on the strut top mount? Bolts at the knuckle? Strut top nuts that hold the strut in the engine bay?

Here's how I image it will go down:

1. Put car on jack stands.
2. Take wheels off.
3. Unbolt strut from knuckle.
4. Unbolt strut mount from within engine bay.
5. Remove strut/spring/mount as an assembly.
6. Put spring compressor on the spring.
7. Remove top nut. (Is this easy to do? How do you prevent the shaft from spinning? Any special tools needed here like a hex key or pass through wrench?)
8. Remove top mount, spring, and the rubber insulators/pads, dust boots.
9. Put everything on the new strut.
10. Reinstall in opposite order.

I'm planning on ordering a pair of new strut mounts and KYB GR2s for the front and reusing the stock springs. Can I transfer the dust boots and other rubber pads over?

Any input appreciated! Thanks!

 

[rollatuner110]

Yes sir, that looks all in order to me. You can reuse the parts as you wish.

 

[hokie_sti]

Cool, thanks. Can you provide any more details about disassembling the strut?

Is it just one nut at the top or is there a nut with hex inside?

How do you torque town the top nut without the strut shaft spinning during reassembly?

I was reading about the Monroe "quick struts" which come preassembled with everything you need. You just need to drill larger holes in the strut tower to accomodate the large strut top bolts. Are these units any good?

 

[Buurin]

Cool, thanks. Can you provide any more details about disassembling the strut?

Is it just one nut at the top or is there a nut with hex inside?

How do you torque town the top nut without the strut shaft spinning during reassembly?

I was reading about the Monroe "quick struts" which come preassembled with everything you need. You just need to drill larger holes in the strut tower to accomodate the large strut top bolts. Are these units any good?

Factory repair manual says not to reuse the top nut. There is some kind of insert that prevents the nut from shaking itself off. When I did mine there is a flat landing where you should be able to slip a wrench in to hold it in place. Just be careful - DO NOT TOUCH THE POLISHED PORTION OF THE SHAFT WITH ANY TOOL.

I have not tried anything Monroe - they are OEM replacement at best. I am a fan of Tokicos as are many others here. But you don't need to go there if OEM is all you need.

 

[hokie_sti]

Factory repair manual says not to reuse the top nut. There is some kind of insert that prevents the nut from shaking itself off. When I did mine there is a flat landing where you should be able to slip a wrench in to hold it in place. Just be careful - DO NOT TOUCH THE POLISHED PORTION OF THE SHAFT WITH ANY TOOL.

I have not tried anything Monroe - they are OEM replacement at best. I am a fan of Tokicos as are many others here. But you don't need to go there if OEM is all you need.

Thanks! Good to know about the flat landing on the struts.

I am also a fan of Tokicos. I had a set of Tokico DSpecs with some stiffer springs on my WRX and they handled beautifully. The adjustable dampening was fantastic for autocross and track days. However, there wasn't anywhere to grip the shaft on the DSpecs which made torquing down the top nut a bit of a challenge during installation.

I called Advance Auto Parts and they want $228 for the Monroe Quick Strut and $105 for the KYB GR2s. Looks like I can get either online significantly cheaper ... $160 / $80. My gut is telling me that the KYB GR2s are a better strut. I just don't want to get caught having to replace dust boots or spring perch pads during the middle of the install and not have them on hand (which would be solved by getting the Monroe Quck Struts).

 

[rollatuner110]

Kyb Ftw