Hints Regarding Replacement of 2G Front Struts

I am doing it myself. Here is the sites I'm using to get parts, first site is best for mounts and second site is best for strut (fronts) and (rear) shock parts. All KYB parts (some help the fronts are called struts and the rears shocks, read it literally and be done with it unless you want to take the time to understand the differences, which is not necessary to complete this job). I was COMPLETELY DISGUSTED when toyota wanted close to $200 per front strut and $100 per rear, without installation. $600 just for shock replacement, I never even spent that much on my drag car's suspension. Thanks toyota of Orange and Irvine you've left me with another DIY job because your rates aren't even reasonable imho. I called around for monroe shocks but they were only a few bucks cheaper then OEM replacements from toyota. So anyone used these shocks as replacements before?

KYB Shocks GR-2 Series For 2004 Prius
Front Strut Right side: 333388
Front Strut Left side: 333389
Rear Shocks: 341322 (both sides the same)
Front Strut Mount: Sm5215
Rear Shock Mount: Sm5382

Just Suspension | Home (First site mentioned above, best for getting the mounts cheapest)
Put in the make and year and I get their KYB kit for $250, comes with front struts and rear shocks, minus the mounts. Sm5215 front mounts (you need 2 of these) are $55 each, and the rear mounts Sm5382 (two of these as well) are $10 each. The site below has the same KYB Gr-2 shocks for cheaper.

http://www.streetperformance.com/ (Second site mentioned above, cheapest if you buy parts individually here and not as a kit like from the KYB site) Just enter the make, model and year and individually the parts come out cheaper from this site. $191 plus shipping minus the mounts . This is the ticket imho. Shipping rates obviously will very for everyone.

Im sure my springs are fine so I could reuse those. But it might be time for some Eibachs because of the money I have saved from doing this myself. Their kit 8298.140 which I found for $181 shipped ( from http://www.autopartsdealer.com/eiba...edium=cse&utm_campaign=j2p1&utm_content=rank1 ) says it will lower the car 1"-1.5" Anyone who has done this want to chime in? Anyone out their have aftermarket springs installed? My only prerequisite for springs is that my tires are 205's, a tad bit bigger then most, I also run them @ 50psi.




Thanks everyone.

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edit: mrbigh nope; i have only looked into this for the first time today. A simple air bag system should solve your problem, not sure if anyone makes one for our prius though sorry.

 

Have you find springs that will pull the vehicle higher, opposite to H performance replacements?
I'm carrying a load of 350Lbs at all times and the rear of the vehicle is a tad lower....

 

When I did struts on a Lexus and a old Nissan, I used an impact wrench to zip off the nut on the strut shaft. I've never liked those DIY spring compressors. I have access to a wall-mounted one.

Also, I don't know if KYB makes them, but Monroe in the aftermarket makes a "quick strut" assembly - a complete unit with spring for a simple swap. But I never liked Monroe shocks. Again, if you're willing to go aftermarket and want to DIY it can be a option.

 

This is a great resource that helped me this past weekend to R&R my front and rear struts. Thank you for this.
My only addition is that I highly recommend DIYers to lift the front up completely (both right left) at the same time to assist with the removal of the sway bar links. It is a b@$&! to try to unbolt the link when jacked up only on one side. But overall great write up.
Jeremy

 

I'm trying to decide if I need all the parts you ordered. Would you say after looking at the parts you took out you needed to replace them? I've got 110000 miles. Dust boot looks fine. Can't see the bump stop

 

I agree with Patrick, the dust boot and bump stop are part of the front strut assembly. If you are trying to save a few bucks it doesnt work that way. Just order it all and be worry free. Mind your torque specs.

 

I am replacing the struts on my 06 with the touring springs and bars, had to drop the front suspension from the unibody, upper bolts were pristine the two lower bolts I will attach a picture as it must stay moist or hold road salt, but it will be wise to replace them.

 

Wow. Those are nasty. Maybe worth mentioning to Toyota and/or NHTSA.

 

Was not loose but I have to get them before I put it back together, I don't think the one would make torque up.

 

I would definitely send them off to Toyota, with their history as you know it. They may have had a bad batch of bolts from a Chinese supplier or something. What's one more recall? Where do you live, BTW? I think if I lived in a corrosive environment, I'd be tempted to pull the lower bolts on my '05 and have a look at them. Do you remember which sides the bolts came from?

 

They are the rear 2 bolts on the front cradle plate I had them out to remove and replace the front strut bar. The car was bought new and my wife drives it to work and back and it's in a garage at work and home. We live in West Virginia.
Part number is 90119-14125 With a breaker bar the jobs 5 minutes to change them out, when the new ones come in Monday a will coat them in moly and torque them up. I have 4 prius I am changing all mine.

 

I am stewed about these bolts they had to be removed by the Toyota dealer not long ago for the steering recall, the bastards reused this bad bolt!

 

Or, they needed a good bolt for a friend's car and used yours, putting the bad bolt back into your car. Someday, I hope to find a dealer I can trust.

 

I would not hold my breath for that one, as long as they pay flat rate it will never be good. As for a friend getting it probably not but when I went to get one it needed to be ordered that tells me that no one ever gets that bad bolt replaced by Toyota. I checked multiple dealerships including Pittsburgh and In Ohio, none had them.

 

I don't know about flat rate. It seems like a fair way to establish a guideline. A well-trained, sharp tech will make money on flat rate, others not so much, which is fair and encourages developing a competent staff. What isn't fair is not using good parts, charging for work not needed or not done, tie-in selling, and just generally shoddy work.

[cynic]All the more reason for snitching a good one from your car.[/cynic]

 

I don't think it could be changed without dropping the undercarriage, I don't think you could even touch it with your hand unless it's dropped.

 

I looked up the recall using my alldatadiy.com subscription. The procedure for inspecting and/or changing the intermediate shaft does not include dropping any part of the undercarriage. While most of the work is done from the underside of the car, the procedure includes removing the steering shaft cover inside the passenger compartment and using special tools to lift and hold the bellows to expose the intermediate shaft bolts. Other than the cover in the passenger compartment, the only bolt removed during the inspection is the one in the shaft that allows the tech to see if the bolt hole has an indentation or not, and it gets replaced with a new bolt with a blue head.