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Negative camber after strut replacement

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Main Forum' started by tmccord12, Jul 27, 2024.

  1. tmccord12

    tmccord12 New Member

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    Hi all, I replaced the front struts on my 08, and when I went to take it in for an alignment they said the were unable to fully align the vehicle. The front passenger side went ok, but the driver side was -4.6 degrees and they couldn’t get it back into alignment. When simply looking at the vehicle when it’s parked on level ground, you can see the camber clear as day. I’m not sure where I went wrong with the strut install so I’m hoping someone here may have some insight. Thanks!
     

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  2. ChapmanF

    ChapmanF Senior Member

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  3. tmccord12

    tmccord12 New Member

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    Thanks for the info. I read through that post but I’m still having a hard time understanding how a new strut replacement would leave me with -4.6 degrees of camber. Could it possibly be a defective strut? I like the idea of camber adjustment bolts but I don’t think I can get those to get me back to spec
     
  4. ChapmanF

    ChapmanF Senior Member

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    Yeah, 4.6° is pretty far outside that adjustment range, isn't it? Weird.

    What bolts is it assembled with at the moment?

    Anything noticeably weird about the control arm?
     
  5. tmccord12

    tmccord12 New Member

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    Yes, it’s very odd.

    Nothing out of the ordinary with the control arm.

    It’s all original hardware, just a new strut, which leads me to believe it’s an issue with the strut itself (manufacturing defect, incorrect tolerance, etc). Or perhaps the strut hat has some specific orientation/clocking that I didn’t notice at install?
     
  6. dolj

    dolj Senior Member

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    Is the strut an OEM one?

    My thought is that the strut does not conform correctly to the OEM specifications.
     
  7. tmccord12

    tmccord12 New Member

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    No, it’s not OEM and I’m probably dealing with the consequences of that now. I’m trying to get a return set up and I will buy an OEM one to swap it out with.