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Front Strut oil leak

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by Patrick Wong, Aug 20, 2009.

  1. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    77K miles on my 2004. I decided to change the engine oil and oil filter this morning to prepare for an upcoming road trip. Much to my surprise, I noticed that the RF strut was shiny; it looked like new.

    Upon closer examination, it became evident that the entire strut body was coated in shock absorber oil. Further, some oil was coating the fender liner; apparently some oil got on the tire and was spun up. This failure appears to be a new event because dust had not yet had a chance to build up and cling to the oil on the strut body.

    For those who are familiar with the Toyota TSB that shows various stages of strut/shock oil leakage, my RF strut would qualify for the worst level of leakage.

    Unfortunately I won't be able to replace the front struts for a couple of months due to my starting a new job and associated business travel. I'll post a "how to" when I am able to replace the struts.

    For those who like to change their engine oil without raising up the car, how do you manage to inspect the front suspension, flexible brake lines, axleshafts, etc.?
     
    #1 Patrick Wong, Aug 20, 2009
  2. boppo

    boppo Active Member

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    Patrick,
    Congrads on the new job, I like to change my own oil and do it without raising it but my nephew is into drag racing and he has a lift so I go over to his place and look at her under side.
     
    #2 boppo, Aug 20, 2009
  3. LRKingII

    LRKingII New Member

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    That just sounds...well kinky. :D
     
    #3 LRKingII, Aug 20, 2009
  4. galaxee

    galaxee mostly benevolent

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    wow, "unfortunately" and "new job" in the same sentence? congrats, but let's call it fortunate. :)
     
    #4 galaxee, Aug 20, 2009
  5. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    Thanks very much! The very good news is a new job along with the associated professional challenge and resumption of income.

    The bad news is less time available to work on my cars and I'll also be scaling back PriusChat participation.
     
    #5 Patrick Wong, Aug 20, 2009
  6. Celtic Blue

    Celtic Blue New Member

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    Patrick,

    On previous passenger cars I've blown front struts about every 50k or shorter. As I've related before, the "corner press test" never amounted to anything on the fronts. However, I could see the blown struts in several cases and feel the handling degradation overall. It tended to be a gradual thing rather than sudden. I got some new sets of Tokicos from the manufacturer when this happened within their warranty. I really liked the Tokico's, but they didn't last forever. In their defense I was using stiffer progressive rate springs, beefier anti-sway bars with polyurethane bushings, and the car cornered like it was on rails.

    I still need to replace the shocks/struts on my Tundra (about 70K and they've needed it for awhile)...they look okay but seat-of-the-pants indicates they aren't doing much damping. I would have done them sooner but the rear end failure and screw-over by the Albany, Georgia Toyota dealer (complete lying crooks) spent any expendable funds I would have sent that way.

    Congrats on the job!
     
    #6 Celtic Blue, Aug 21, 2009
  7. BigDeal

    BigDeal Junior Member

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    Now that is unfortunate! You provide a lot of valuable info.
    Most of it I have no idea what you're talking about, but I'm sure the others who understand all the technical stuff will miss your participation.
     
    #7 BigDeal, Aug 21, 2009
  8. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    I'm currently in the Palm Springs, CA area. For fun I called the local dealer in Cathedral City this morning to find out their price for replacing the front struts: $1,100 which includes replacing the struts, the rubber pleated covers (aka top insulator above the coil spring), the top bearings, and front wheel alignment. OMG...

    I just ordered the necessary parts from Champion Toyota, Houston for around $425 including shipping. The parts list includes the parts mentioned above, plus the rubber insulators at the bottom of the coil springs. I'm expecting to save ~$600 by doing the job myself, expecting that the wheel alignment will cost ~$100.
     
    #8 Patrick Wong, Aug 24, 2009
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