[Guest]

How can I tell whether the struts in a 1986 Corolla sedan are the kind
that can take replacement cartridges or if they're sealed and need to
be replaced in their entirety?

The factory manual shows both types for this car but doesn't give any
information about distinguishing them apart, except by the nut at the
top end of the shaft. Unfortunately that nut was replaced with a plain
one that doesn't match either one shown in the manual.

I'd like to find out about this before I start taking the car apart.

 

[Guest]

Have you found a place that sells just the inserts? I couldn't find any for
my 93 Camry so went with the full struts. On th front lift up the black
rubber dust boot -- if you see threads for the insert then just the insert
can be replaced. Nut at top is no indication.

"larry moe 'n curly" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]
> How can I tell whether the struts in a 1986 Corolla sedan are the kind
> that can take replacement cartridges or if they're sealed and need to
> be replaced in their entirety?
>
> The factory manual shows both types for this car but doesn't give any
> information about distinguishing them apart, except by the nut at the
> top end of the shaft. Unfortunately that nut was replaced with a plain
> one that doesn't match either one shown in the manual.
>
> I'd like to find out about this before I start taking the car apart.
>

 

[Guest]

Hachiroku wrote:

> You can use the replacement cartridges in this car. The strut assy is made
> up of the strut itself, and an oil-filled cartridge inside the strut. The
> cartridge screws into the strut, so it looks like one piece; you unscrew
> the top, remove the oil and the innards and replace with the cartridge.
>
> BE CAREFUL!!!! Everything is under pressure. I doubt it, but you may have
> a gas-filled strut in this car, and it is under a LOT of pressure! Also,
> you do have an adequate spring compressor, right? Not one of those cheap
> ass things that's going to fly off and (if you're lucky...) launch itself out o
> f the side wall of your garage?

> Another thing: This is an '86, and it sounds like this has never been done
> before. On my '85 Celica, the 'cup' about 1/2 way down the strut was
> rusted and let go, dropping the spring onto my tire. Mot fun. You may just
> want to replace the entire strut assy if it looks rusted.

No rust here in the desert, but I have lots of trouble with plastic and
rubber rot from heat, sunlight, and ozone. The struts seem fine but
the rubber mounts that hold them to the chassis are in bad shape. The
Toyota manual gives two very different torque specs for the nut at the
end of the strut shaft -- 13 ft-lbs or 34 ft-lbs, but I can't tell
which to use because the nut on there now is probably a replacement and
doesn't resemble either of those in the diagrams (struts had been
replace by someone else).

 

[Guest]

On Sun, 20 Nov 2005 00:36:13 -0800, larry moe 'n curly wrote:

>
> Hachiroku wrote:
>
>> You can use the replacement cartridges in this car. The strut assy is made
>> up of the strut itself, and an oil-filled cartridge inside the strut. The
>> cartridge screws into the strut, so it looks like one piece; you unscrew
>> the top, remove the oil and the innards and replace with the cartridge.
>>
>> BE CAREFUL!!!! Everything is under pressure. I doubt it, but you may have
>> a gas-filled strut in this car, and it is under a LOT of pressure! Also,
>> you do have an adequate spring compressor, right? Not one of those cheap
>> ass things that's going to fly off and (if you're lucky...) launch itself out o
>> f the side wall of your garage?
>
>> Another thing: This is an '86, and it sounds like this has never been done
>> before. On my '85 Celica, the 'cup' about 1/2 way down the strut was
>> rusted and let go, dropping the spring onto my tire. Mot fun. You may just
>> want to replace the entire strut assy if it looks rusted.
>
> No rust here in the desert, but I have lots of trouble with plastic and
> rubber rot from heat, sunlight, and ozone. The struts seem fine but
> the rubber mounts that hold them to the chassis are in bad shape. The
> Toyota manual gives two very different torque specs for the nut at the
> end of the strut shaft -- 13 ft-lbs or 34 ft-lbs, but I can't tell
> which to use because the nut on there now is probably a replacement and
> doesn't resemble either of those in the diagrams (struts had been
> replace by someone else).


Damn...no rust in the desert. Must be a nice looking car...

As for your comment, you're going to have to call Toyota on this one. I'm
a Gumby...I tighten it until it's tight, and then tighten some more!

--
If a Vegetarian eats vegetables, what does a humanitarian eat?

 

[Guest]

Wolfgang wrote:

> Have you found a place that sells just the inserts? I couldn't find any for
> my 93 Camry so went with the full struts. On the front lift up the black
> rubber dust boot -- if you see threads for the insert then just the insert
> can be replaced. Nut at top is no indication.

I didn't see them at www.napaonline.com but did find them listed at
www.buyautoparts.com (KYB part no. L3005-34933) although don't know if
the information is right. BTW it seems that several websites use the
same parts catalog that they do, including www.autopartsplace.com,
www.autopartswarehouse.com, www.overnightautoparts.com, and it's easier
to navigate than most.

According to my 1986 Corolla manual, one type of strut (probably
sealed, but I'm not sure) has a nut that's flanged at the bottom while
the other type has a nonflanged nut with a nylon lock nut section at
the top that's meant to be tightened a lot more. When you removed the
nut at the end of the shaft, did the shaft extend by itself because of
the gas pressure?

 

[Guest]

Hachiroku wrote:
> On Sat, 19 Nov 2005 01:34:20 -0800, larry moe 'n curly wrote:

> BE CAREFUL!!!! Everything is under pressure. I doubt it, but you may have
> a gas-filled strut in this car, and it is under a LOT of pressure! Also,
> you do have an adequate spring compressor, right? Not one of those cheap
> ass things that's going to fly off and (if you're lucky...) launch itslef
> out of the side wall of your garage?

I did both struts mounts earlier today, and one was so bad that when I
jacked up the car the strut pulled away from the chassis. Funny, but
yesterday it rode and tracked fine on the freeway.

I had a pair of cheapo J.C. Whitney spring compressors but bought
another pair from Harbor Freight, on the assumption that four
compressors would be safer than two. All I can say is that I'm glad I
didn't have to use the Harbor Freight compressors alone because they
make the J.C. Whitney stuff seem heavy-duty in comparison. Their
"safety" hooks are only 3/16" diameter, compared to over 1/4" for
Whitney (and earlier I had changed the latter for some even heavier
ones). Also the double hooks on the harbor Freight don't really fit
coil springs larger than about 4-4.5" in diameter.]