Parts For Gen 1 With Worn Struts

OK

 

..... I just wanted to see if that sent up any flags.
Good, it'll work then.
Thanks

 

FWIW: you can buy aftermarket front and rear struts with all the springs and new insulators for MUCH less than the price of trying to rebuild existing struts, particularly if the insulators are more than 15 years old... good luck on your project.

 

Thank you, PriusChat - what a resource!
What causes clunking on swerves?

I just changed out the struts on my Gen 1 with 233,000 miles.
I was hearing a soft rattle on the tiniest of road irregularities, and a deeper thump on speed bumps. I was specifically NOT hearing clunking on swerves - I did that test before any of this work.
Further, the Firestone check/assessment guy said struts AND sway bar links.
The old ones (Mevotech? with paper decal that reads W282) were hand-soft. The rubber bellows of the upper insolator had impacted into (inside of!) the bumper. And on disassembly I saw that the lower rubber insolator had worn through in spots.

So that's what I did. I put in KYB brand. I installed the old coil on the new shock with new lower rubber insolator, new KYB bellows and bumper, but I reused the old rubber upper insolators since they were still pliable and had no holes or worn spots (unlike the lower insolator).

Thank you, Dabard051. I wish that I had found the quick struts. The coil compressor that I used couldn't compress AND keep it straight, so reassembly was a PITA.

I put it all back together (after also doing oil/filter change, spark plug change, air filter change and transaxle fluid change and cleaning of TB and MAF). Now there's this clunking sound on swerves and some minor bumps. The soft rattle is gone.

Is it possible that the new links are now sending all of the bump to the sway bar bushings? or some other suspension part?
It is also possible that the reassembly of the strut (with that coil compressor) did not go correctly.

Did I mess up? or do I just have another job ahead of me?

Thank you all,

 

1. What torque specs did you use when installing the new struts?
2. Did you apply multipurpose grease #2 around the top center strut nut?

 

That's the beauty of buying complete assemblies ready to install, everything is new, no dangerous springs to compress and all rubber is new and brand new springs for cheap.
I have a nice spring compressor and don't us it if I can get complete assemblies.
Installation time is cut in half.

 

I torqued everything as per PriusChat or Haynes Manual.
strut to knuckle: 113; strut mount: 29; sway links: 55
That said, I used my deflection rod torque wrench that was new in the late 80s, and at some angles it can be difficult to read AND torque on simultaneously. Also, I put Lith-Ease white lithium multi-purpose grease (also 35 years old) into the top nut using my finger, but I was not convinced that a lot actually got in there.

 

The top center nut should be tightened to 35 ft.-lb.

 

Yes, I knew of the spec. However, due to the disagreeable coil compressor, I held the top plate down onto the keyed base of the top bolt, while my friend tightened it down as far as we could. The nut did (?) bottom out and the bolt showed about 4-5 threads above the nut when we were finished (like the one that came out), but I don't know for CERTAIN that it was tightened down all the way and to torque.

Is there a way to test for this without a complete strut removal? I'd have to find a shop that would charge out just the shop work at their coil compressor - I'm looking into it already. Thanks,

 

Tighten the top center nut with the strut installed. Those nuts should always be tightened after the struts are installed and the car is lowered to the ground.

 

I finally got to those top center nuts. I put a torque wrench on them and they were tight beyond 40 ft-lb.
Is it safe to take them off altogether, and would I then be able to verify that the top plate (below the bearing) is rotated correctly into the key of the shock pin/bolt? If the pin is not rotated into the top plate, is there a solution short of removal and reassembly?
My own prying around underneath didn't find loose tie rods, ball joints, or sway bushings, but I am a newbie at this sort of thing.

 

I would leave the struts alone at this point. If the clunking noise really bothers you, get a professional mechanic to evaluate the vehicle.