2003 Toyota Camry Suspension Issues

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engineer20

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Jun 22, 2014
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Michigan, USA
So as stated in my earlier struggling forum, I figure that Belle Tire lied to me after a 15 minute inspection. I'll take it to another Belle Tire this weekend.

We mentioned struts and how it's hard to DIY if it's not a quick strut, which is why I finally learned the shop I had it done at uses a quickstrut, as long as I have the receipt and send it to monroe and tell them my part number, they'll send it to me, given I send them the old struts, so I dont' have to do it at a shop, in this case, if it's a quick strut, you don't have to worrya bout a spring compressor and it will be much easier to install right? And it's for the rear, and while I"m there, I'll replace the rear stab links and bushings with moog ones. And I'm hearing a funny noise, can't tell if it's a wheel bearing or not, but maybe I'l replace the control arm bushings, I bought 2 from advance auto for only 25 after a speedperks coupon, and a shop can press them in at 25 each . is taht a good deal, and even if my control arm bushing isn't bad, at nearly 170k, that's not a bad idea to do, right since the oem ones may be worn after 13 years? Will the moogs last long, or is it not a good idea to use them sand keep the old oem ones in, since the moogs may go bad really quickly? what do you suggest about that? Thanks.

And how are craftsman ratchets? Only 11.99 for that with a small set of sockets at ace hardware now till the end of march, shoudl I get it or no? Thanks.
 
Take a deep breath. Quick struts will save time for sure.

Do you have a good socket set along with impact guns or breaker bars? I've only done struts once on a 98 Sienna. I was happy I had air tools to remove the large bolts holding the front knuckle to the strut.

Doing it with just a socket set will be harder to do and you'll feel it the next day.

The rear parts can be changed too if you can do it for cheap.
 
Last edited:
Quote:
if it's a quick strut, you don't have to worrya bout a spring compressor and it will be much easier to install right?


Correct

Quote:
And it's for the rear, and while I"m there, I'll replace the rear stab links and bushings with moog ones. And I'm hearing a funny noise, can't tell if it's a wheel bearing or not, but maybe I'l replace the control arm bushings, I bought 2 from advance auto for only 25 after a speedperks coupon, and a shop can press them in at 25 each . is taht a good deal, and even if my control arm bushing isn't bad, at nearly 170k, that's not a bad idea to do, right since the oem ones may be worn after 13 years?


It is not a good deal if you don't need it, no matter how much you pay for it. Look, you are doing what is typically called "throwing parts at it", for a tolerable problem. Bushing and wheel bearing sounds so different you should be able to tell them apart. It won't kill you or damage your car, but you may not need it, that's all.

Quote:
Will the moogs last long, or is it not a good idea to use them sand keep the old oem ones in, since the moogs may go bad really quickly? what do you suggest about that? Thanks.


Moog is one of the better brand.

Quote:
And how are craftsman ratchets? Only 11.99 for that with a small set of sockets at ace hardware now till the end of march, shoudl I get it or no? Thanks.


For home use they are good enough, as are other Chinese made ratchets of various brand (HF?). Do you already have a ratchet and socket set? It does come in handy.

You probably need stronger stuff than 3/8" ratchet for strut replacement. I snap my ACE hardware store brand ratchet when I try to loosen the struts to steering knuckle bolts (17mm I think) with a 3' breaker bar, on Xmas day when all stores were closed. To really do it right if you do not have an impact you will probably need 1/2" ratchet + 6 point socket, deep socket, at the minimum.

I did struts with my dad together, he align the top bolts while I slide the assembly in. I cannot imagine doing it by one self. This is if you do not mess with spring compressor and use quick struts. If you use spring compressor you will likely need another person to help you hold the assembly while you turn ratchet for sure.

Also having 2 people working on it together is a good idea for safety reasons too.
 
Struts can be dangerous if using a spring compressor-there's a lot of stored energy there. If you're inexperienced, a quick strut is a much better idea, especially if your 170K vehicle has weak springs anyway.
 
An uncomfortably high percentage of Camry and other Toyota onwners report that their upper mounts fail on Moog replacement quick struts. If you don't have the skills to change the cartridge itself, be prepared for that. Or consider putting in OEM strut cartridges (KYB) and paying to have it done.

You will need an alignment after changing the front suspension on this car or you will almost certainly ruin your tires.
 
Shocks/strut replacements are not necessary in a car such as yours....
...not unless you regularly pack your car to the roof with passengers, luggage or spare parts for future repairs....
With all the needed repairs you've had, leave good enough alone.
 
Last edited:
Originally Posted By: engineer20
So as stated in my earlier struggling forum, I figure that Belle Tire lied to me after a 15 minute inspection. I'll take it to another Belle Tire this weekend.

We mentioned struts and how it's hard to DIY if it's not a quick strut, which is why I finally learned the shop I had it done at uses a quickstrut, as long as I have the receipt and send it to monroe and tell them my part number, they'll send it to me, given I send them the old struts, so I dont' have to do it at a shop, in this case, if it's a quick strut, you don't have to worrya bout a spring compressor and it will be much easier to install right? And it's for the rear, and while I"m there, I'll replace the rear stab links and bushings with moog ones. And I'm hearing a funny noise, can't tell if it's a wheel bearing or not, but maybe I'l replace the control arm bushings, I bought 2 from advance auto for only 25 after a speedperks coupon, and a shop can press them in at 25 each . is taht a good deal, and even if my control arm bushing isn't bad, at nearly 170k, that's not a bad idea to do, right since the oem ones may be worn after 13 years? Will the moogs last long, or is it not a good idea to use them sand keep the old oem ones in, since the moogs may go bad really quickly? what do you suggest about that? Thanks.

And how are craftsman ratchets? Only 11.99 for that with a small set of sockets at ace hardware now till the end of march, shoudl I get it or no? Thanks.


You are totally on the right track with everything you have asked.
Do all of it, quick struts, new wrenches, new sockets, moogs, coupons. Do all of it.

And yes, everyone that you take your car to lies to you.
All of them want to take all your money, or not be bothered with all the work you want to dump into your cars, at the same time in some cases.

In the mean time, I'm going to go into my garage, and look at the 3 cars and 1 motorcycle that don't need any work, and wish I was in your situation, where I would be constantly surrounded by never ending possible projects of two old cars that may or may not need any of the work done to them that I keep posting on the internet, but not actually doing.

It would be totally fun to completely replace all the front and rear suspension components on my 2015 Porsche Cayman for no real reason. Though, it doesn't make any funny noises that I'm not sure what their source might be.

BC.
 
Quick struts are awesome, as long as you use quality name brand parts like Monroe Quick Strut, Gabriel Ultra readymount, and KYB Strut Plus
smile.gif


All three are currently on rebate.
 
engineer, I feel bad for the tire shop. Do you ever happen to think that you are wasting their time. I bet the employees draw straws to see who will deal with you when you drag the limping camry into the service bay.
 
took the car to belle tire (an honest one, according to a guy who worked at belle tires), the noise is the stabailizer links and bushings, so i'll replace those, NOT the control arm or bushings and he said my ball joint was fine (just did), if that's the case, why did my bushing look funny when i was installing my ball joint? the round bushing?
and the noise was confirmed to be struts, said my struats aren't leaking but the mounts or somehting are leaking, so since my part is warantied, i'll just get the monroe quick struts from monroe and diy it in about a month or so when it won't snow any more, as just yesterday it snowed and salt isn't good for brand new parts, and i'll spray the parts with harbo freight chassis paint to prevent rust
 
Cut-and-paste from yahoo:

Problem with not charging people is ,one it wastes time I've had countless numbers where I've spent time looking into a problem and finding it for the customer to say thanks and walk away to go get the parts and do it their selves.If you cant figure it out on your own you shouldn't be doing it.Being charged even a slight fee, you would be more willing to have the problem fixed having money invested in to it.Or people that want everything looked at because its free,waste your time and decide oh nvm that costs money.Shops that charge are not looking to rip people off, they are there for fair compensation when people seem to think this is a charity business how many people go into a doctors office and expect to get looked at no charge.
 
if u guys say my post from the previous thread, when i was working on the ball joint, i took the knuckle out by accident and nearly removed the front strut, so i roughly know how to do it, with a quick strut, but the rears, you must take the seat out.
i have a 1/2 drive beaker bar as well as an extendable 1/2 inch drive ratchet from harbor freight, i bought the set beucase i need regular 3/8 drive 6 pt sockets, the deep sockets are 6 pt but the regular non deep sockets are 12 pt at harbor freight so even without the ratchet, the sockets alone are good enough
and yes, this craftman, is made in china, unfortunately, but isn't the quality supposed to be similar since it's designed in the US? i remember using the 1/2 drive ratchet as well as my long wrench set i bought at h freight to remove those 2 strut bolts, so I knwo I can do it. I have a roundhead avg 3/8 drive husky ratchet that i've used for a while, but i have a flex head 3/8 long ratchet from h freight i recently bought, that helped me remove the stuck caliper bolt! so being long really helped, but i just also happened to want another 3/8 ratchet (regular) in case the husky one goes out, and it doesn't hurt to have 2, as I saw, u use the hex bit socket instead of a hex key when removing the stabilizer bar, with just the hex key, you can strip it, as i did with the front one when replacing the ball joint, so now I have to cut the old stab link off, and replace it in the front right, but with a hex key and 2 ratchets, you can easily remove it, so having 2 regular 3/8 isn't bad and I can use one as a backup or some jobs require 2 ratchets, and with the strut, you can use a wrench and a ratchet to remove those bolts that connect it with the steering knuckle, or you can use 2 ratchets, or a ratchet and a breaker bar, so it doesn't hurt to have 2
i also inspected my struts, I think the left rear is leaking, the other struts are dry, but my left rear had this greasy residue at that part below the spring, where the strut turns straight, so that's a leaky strut right? it's roughly in the "center" of the overall strut, where the spring basically ends, is where leaks usually occur, right? Thanks.
 
Originally Posted By: engineer20
if u guys say my post from the previous thread, when i was working on the ball joint, i took the knuckle out by accident and nearly removed the front strut, so i roughly know how to do it, with a quick strut, but the rears, you must take the seat out.
i have a 1/2 drive beaker bar as well as an extendable 1/2 inch drive ratchet from harbor freight, i bought the set beucase i need regular 3/8 drive 6 pt sockets, the deep sockets are 6 pt but the regular non deep sockets are 12 pt at harbor freight so even without the ratchet, the sockets alone are good enough
and yes, this craftman, is made in china, unfortunately, but isn't the quality supposed to be similar since it's designed in the US? i remember using the 1/2 drive ratchet as well as my long wrench set i bought at h freight to remove those 2 strut bolts, so I knwo I can do it. I have a roundhead avg 3/8 drive husky ratchet that i've used for a while, but i have a flex head 3/8 long ratchet from h freight i recently bought, that helped me remove the stuck caliper bolt! so being long really helped, but i just also happened to want another 3/8 ratchet (regular) in case the husky one goes out, and it doesn't hurt to have 2, as I saw, u use the hex bit socket instead of a hex key when removing the stabilizer bar, with just the hex key, you can strip it, as i did with the front one when replacing the ball joint, so now I have to cut the old stab link off, and replace it in the front right, but with a hex key and 2 ratchets, you can easily remove it, so having 2 regular 3/8 isn't bad and I can use one as a backup or some jobs require 2 ratchets, and with the strut, you can use a wrench and a ratchet to remove those bolts that connect it with the steering knuckle, or you can use 2 ratchets, or a ratchet and a breaker bar, so it doesn't hurt to have 2
i also inspected my struts, I think the left rear is leaking, the other struts are dry, but my left rear had this greasy residue at that part below the spring, where the strut turns straight, so that's a leaky strut right? it's roughly in the "center" of the overall strut, where the spring basically ends, is where leaks usually occur, right? Thanks.

Statistics from Microsoft Word:
Words: 434
Characters (no spaces): 1,746
Characters (with spaces): 2,179
Paragraphs: 1
 
Originally Posted By: engineer20
craftman, is made in china, unfortunately, but isn't the quality supposed to be similar since it's designed in the US?


No.
The only reason to design something in the US and build it in China is to lower the price of the product, so that the company can make more money. No one in the company really cares if the quality is the same or not, just as long as the profits increase.

Quote:
I think the left rear is leaking, the other struts are dry, but my left rear had this greasy residue at that part below the spring, where the strut turns straight, so that's a leaky strut right? it's roughly in the "center" of the overall strut, where the spring basically ends, is where leaks usually occur, right?


No one can tell you without looking at it directly.
It could be a leaking strut, or someone could have dripped oil onto your strut to make you think you have a leaking strut.

BC.
 
Originally Posted By: engineer20
if u guys say my post from the previous thread, when i was working on the ball joint, i took the knuckle out by accident and nearly removed the front strut, so i roughly know how to do it, with a quick strut, but the rears, you must take the seat out.
i have a 1/2 drive beaker bar as well as an extendable 1/2 inch drive ratchet from harbor freight, i bought the set beucase i need regular 3/8 drive 6 pt sockets, the deep sockets are 6 pt but the regular non deep sockets are 12 pt at harbor freight so even without the ratchet, the sockets alone are good enough
and yes, this craftman, is made in china, unfortunately, but isn't the quality supposed to be similar since it's designed in the US? i remember using the 1/2 drive ratchet as well as my long wrench set i bought at h freight to remove those 2 strut bolts, so I knwo I can do it. I have a roundhead avg 3/8 drive husky ratchet that i've used for a while, but i have a flex head 3/8 long ratchet from h freight i recently bought, that helped me remove the stuck caliper bolt! so being long really helped, but i just also happened to want another 3/8 ratchet (regular) in case the husky one goes out, and it doesn't hurt to have 2, as I saw, u use the hex bit socket instead of a hex key when removing the stabilizer bar, with just the hex key, you can strip it, as i did with the front one when replacing the ball joint, so now I have to cut the old stab link off, and replace it in the front right, but with a hex key and 2 ratchets, you can easily remove it, so having 2 regular 3/8 isn't bad and I can use one as a backup or some jobs require 2 ratchets, and with the strut, you can use a wrench and a ratchet to remove those bolts that connect it with the steering knuckle, or you can use 2 ratchets, or a ratchet and a breaker bar, so it doesn't hurt to have 2
i also inspected my struts, I think the left rear is leaking, the other struts are dry, but my left rear had this greasy residue at that part below the spring, where the strut turns straight, so that's a leaky strut right? it's roughly in the "center" of the overall strut, where the spring basically ends, is where leaks usually occur, right? Thanks.
Reading these huge walls of text from engineer20 makes my eyes go wild. Feels like I'm having a stroke. Anybody else?

2cr0ydk.jpg
 
Originally Posted By: KrisZ
You guys are reading all of his verbal diarrhea?
I do when it's reasonable and not a mile long. When it's a huge wall of text, I usually ignore it and move on, but will sometimes skim it and realize he talks about the same thing over and over again.
 
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