Rear Struts - Advice Needed

[garrisonboobs]

Originally Posted by ctgriffi

What are the "spring perch isolators" exactly? Do you have a link you could drop in here; I'm not seeing those at parts stores...And, are the "top hats" you mentioned the same thing as strut mounts?

I just need to make sure I've got everything I need on hand to do the job. Appreciate the help.

yea top hats are the same thing as strut mounts. the spring perch isolator is a rubber piece that is between the spring and the strut. looks sort of similar to this

[ctgriffi]

K, that helps...thanks for the photo. Where do I get a set of these from? I'm ordering parts right now from RockAuto but not seeing those for sale anywhere.

[garrisonboobs]

i haven't seen a place that ever sold them. might have to try the dealership

[ctgriffi]

I think I've found a schematic that helps...#9 on the below image, right? Toyota calls that an "insulator," and they run about $14ea.

I'm sure the original ones on my car are rotted to pieces. How important would it be to replace 'em? Probably keeps things quieter back there, right?

[garrisonboobs]

yea its that and not necessary but it would be better to have them. my old ones were pretty rotted but were still holding together. the strut has a groove that keeps it in place and the spring will keep pressure on it. if they're not crumbling up you can just reuse them.

[ctgriffi]

Just got my new KYB struts and boots, so I'm starting the job this weekend. Everything's been soaked in PB Blaster, and I'm hoping I can get 'er done!

[garrisonboobs]

Originally Posted by ctgriffi

Just got my new KYB struts and boots, so I'm starting the job this weekend. Everything's been soaked in PB Blaster, and I'm hoping I can get 'er done!

Yay! Let us know how it goes. Good luck!

[ctgriffi]

Well, the beefy carrier bolts with the 19mm heads came off in like 20 seconds each, thanks to the impact wrench—guess I didn't need to worry about that.

Unfortunately, it looks like you need a 5mm allen (in conjunction with a 14mm box wrench) to disconnect the rear stabilizer from the strut. Everytime I think I've got everything I need...and I was just at the auto store this AM!!

(I'm off to purchase a 5mm allen socket.)

[garrisonboobs]

oo yea i forgot about that part. sorry about that

[ctgriffi]

Allen socket didn't work—the thing got stripped before it ever came loose. I've tried about everything I can think of, but nothing's working.

Two hours working on this bolt and am no closer to removing it. At this point, I don't see how I'd be able to reuse this link, even if it did come loose.

This is the kind of crap that usually happens when I work on Fords...not your finest moment here, Toyota!