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Hints Regarding Replacement of 2G Front Struts

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by Patrick Wong, Oct 10, 2009.

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  1. Wheelin1

    Wheelin1 Junior Member

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    Wow did not know that, now I see why they can get to it.
     
    #41 Wheelin1, Apr 12, 2014
  2. Wheelin1

    Wheelin1 Junior Member

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    Does anyone have the torque specs for the cradle and the steering rack, I ordered a Bentley book but I don't have it yet. Thanks. Jim
     
    #42 Wheelin1, Apr 13, 2014
  3. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    Front suspension crossmember subassembly: 116 ft.-lb on the two bolts at the rear; 83 ft.-lb on the two bolts at the front.
    Steering rack to front suspension crossmember: 43 ft.-lb on four bolts
    Steering intermediate shaft and sliding yoke subassembly: 26 ft.-lb on three bolts
     
    #43 Patrick Wong, Apr 13, 2014
  4. Wheelin1

    Wheelin1 Junior Member

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    Thanks, my wife's car will be done today can't wait to try out the touring suspension mod.
     
    #44 Wheelin1, Apr 14, 2014
  5. Wheelin1

    Wheelin1 Junior Member

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    The touring suspension is a great modification and worth the extra effort, replaced all of our Prius carriage bolts on the front lower as I seen corrosion problem with it. Picture of all bolts attached. The two 2004 were worst followed by the 2006 and the 2009 was not bad at all.
     

    Attached Files:

    #45 Wheelin1, May 30, 2014
  6. Wheelin1

    Wheelin1 Junior Member

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    All 4 of my prius bolts.
     

    Attached Files:

    #46 Wheelin1, Jun 2, 2014
  7. mrbigh

    mrbigh Prius Absolutum Dominium

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    Oh man, that really sucks.....
     
    #47 mrbigh, Jun 3, 2014
  8. exstudent

    exstudent Senior Member

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    What a difference 4 new struts make; 127,000 miles on all 4 original struts. Long over due is an understatement. There were never any signs of leakage, bottoming out, unusual tire wear, or hopscotch marks on the tires.

    Timing how long the strut rod's took, to go from full compression, to full extension.
    NEW front: 7 seconds each. OLD right: 57sec. OLD left 18sec.

    Left front strut bolts, with lack of the winter salt/snow. Wire brush to scrape off the little oxidation/corrosion, and like new. The rights not pictured, but were identical to the left before and after cleaning.
    Lower Strut Bolt b4.jpg Lower Strut Bolt AFTER.jpg

    KYB front strut mounts (SM5215, $55 at Amazon) lack the weather stripping of the OEM (48609-13010, $67.31 Left or Right, at Camelback). Cheap work around is weather stripping available at your hardware store. The three bolts that are supplied with the KYB mounts are little different (13mm or 1/2 inch) vs OEM (12mm). The OEM bolts fit onto the KYB mount.
    OEM vs KYB.jpg


    The KYB Europe video shows the front strut installation from beginning to end. LINK. This video gave me confidence to do the fronts, as the cowl disassembly wasn't as bad as I thought. The car he is working on is different than a Gen2 US Prius, but the procedure is the same.
     
    #48 exstudent, Aug 25, 2014
    Yakoma likes this.
  9. Tony D

    Tony D Active Member

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    Do you guys in the US not have the shocks tested by the state tests? Our car that are younger than 10 years have the suspension tested (as well as alot more) every 2 years and cars over 10 every year
     
    #49 Tony D, Aug 25, 2014
  10. mfa-prius

    mfa-prius Old member

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    No inspections at all in Florida for passenger cars or small trucks. Not sure about larger trucks, but eventually I suspect federal regulations and inspections apply.
     
    #50 mfa-prius, Aug 25, 2014
  11. Tony D

    Tony D Active Member

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    Wow!

    Here's a link to what we have here What is inspected in the NCT

    A link all about what our cars go through here including stats . . . . all under State control, albeit carried out by a private company Home
     
    #51 Tony D, Aug 25, 2014
  12. mfa-prius

    mfa-prius Old member

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    Wow! indeed. I think I'd feel safer driving in Ireland.
     
    #52 mfa-prius, Aug 25, 2014
  13. Tony D

    Tony D Active Member

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    The cars are in good condition ...... It's the drivers that should be tested every year! Lol
     
    #53 Tony D, Aug 25, 2014
  14. mfa-prius

    mfa-prius Old member

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    We do test our drivers in Florida. Once, unless a variety of conditions suggest you should be reexamined. The license is good for 8 years (only 6 years if you're over 80), and can be renewed by Web and mail. Also, over 80, you must have your vision tested by an ophthalmologist or optometrist. That's it in a nutshell, but there are additional complications. It is MUCH harder to get your first driver license than it is to register to vote.
     
    #54 mfa-prius, Aug 25, 2014
  15. Logangogarty

    Logangogarty Junior Member

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    I'm a little confused at the difference between a shock absorber and a kyb strut? I realize they do the same thing but which is better? I'm about to order from shocks.com the KYB struts and mounts for front and rear but I wanted to make sure I'm getting the right thing.


     
    #55 Logangogarty, Nov 5, 2014
  16. NortTexSalv04Prius

    NortTexSalv04Prius Active Member

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    Patrick
    Should I replace my front struts over 50000 miles and or look for wear/condition inspection
     
    #56 NortTexSalv04Prius, Nov 5, 2014
  17. NortTexSalv04Prius

    NortTexSalv04Prius Active Member

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    I wish the Texas state inspection was this detail orient. The locals here have difficult with the hybrid/gas cap
     
    #57 NortTexSalv04Prius, Nov 5, 2014
  18. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    With the Prius, the front parts are called struts while the rear parts are called shock absorbers.

    The difference is that the struts pivot at the top and are load bearing while the shock absorbers do not pivot and supposedly do not bear the weight of that corner. In fact with the Prius design, the rear shocks bear the weight of their corners of the vehicle to the same extent as the front struts bear the weight of their corners.

    Well, it always is a good idea to inspect the front struts and rear shocks. A visual inspection does not guarantee the parts are good but if you see substantial fluid leakage that is a reasonable indication that part is bad.

    I don't believe that a good test exists other than removing the strut/shock and compressing by hand, or noticing degradation in vehicle handling. And of course if you are going to the trouble to remove the part you'd might as well replace it.
     
    #58 Patrick Wong, Nov 5, 2014
  19. Logangogarty

    Logangogarty Junior Member

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    Thank you for explaining. Is this everything I need then to replace all my struts/absorbers ?


    48510-49495 Shock Absorber Assembly MSRP $131, Net $99
    48520-49585 Shock Absorber Assembly MSRP $131, Net $99
    48609-13010 Support Subassembly MSRP $87, Net $66 (need qty. 2)
    48158-47010 Front Coil Spring Insulator Lower MSRP $14, Net $10 (need qty. 2)
    48157-02070 Front Coil Spring Insulator Upper MSRP $21, Net $16 (need qty. 2)

    I noticed you said you ordered from Champion Toyota Houston. Are they a major hub and cheaper to order from or should I just order from my local dealer? Do you prefer the OEM struts vs. KYB? I want to order soon and can get everything I need strut wise from shocks.com for 400$ shipping included I believe.
     
    #59 Logangogarty, Nov 5, 2014
  20. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    The parts list is for the front struts only. I wrote another post about how to replace the rear shocks.

    The original equipment parts are made by KYB. I do not have experience with the KYB-branded parts so I could not say whether they are better or worse.

    Champion now has a new name: AutoNation Toyota Gulf Freeway. They are one of the Toyota dealers that sell parts on the web, typically at ~25% discount from MSRP. Depending upon your location, you may find that your local dealers price at MSRP or even above.
    AutoNation Toyota Gulf Freeway Parts
     
    #60 Patrick Wong, Nov 5, 2014
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