Prius Front and Rear suspension replacement clarification

If the front struts don't come with the rubber pleated upper insulator, you need to purchase that part as well.

 

Thanks Patrick any suggestions on good places to order that? I think I have seen that referred to as the dust boot or something like that?

 

Well, Toyota dealer parts counters would be one place.

 

I'm in the same boat with 155k on my 2010. The repair shop quoted me about $1400 to replace struts, shocks and align. I can tell it takes the road harder then it used to and I plan to drive it another 150k. I've gotten great mileage out of my tires 65k out of the original Bridgestone, 85k out of the Yokohama replacements and now I have 5k on Michelins. Shops always use premature tire wear as a great concern about suspension. If my tires seem to be wearing well, is there any other harm done to not replace suspension parts?

 

1. Worn suspension parts result in greater braking distances as more of the car's weight will shift to the front in a panic stop.
2. You as well as any passengers get to deal with the rougher than necessary ride.

 

Hmmm.. okay, I was wondering about aftermarket replacements for the dust boot parts, since I am using Monroe OE Spectrum replacement struts. I didn't seem to find Monroe OE Spectrum dust boots that go with the struts. I also didn't find Monroe coil springs. The tire place said they reuse the coil springs but I have read that some people say replace them others say they are fine to reuse. Again thanks for your feedback, any advice from your experience is appreciated.

 

fine to reuse springs unless they're broken or sagging; never seen either in a prius. the dust boots and upper insulator are 1 piece. I bought front "dust boots" online and they were wrong and useless, unless they fit the back. so I'd get em from Toyota if the originals are torn or damaged.

 

Thanks for replies guys, I jacked up the car today and saw that the front dust boots are torn on both sides so I will go pick those parts up at the Toyota dealer.

Can you remove the front strut without taking out the wiper system and cowl? It looks like you can get a wrench in there and just loosen the three nuts?

 

It may be possible for you to remove the strut mount nuts without first removing the cowl tray, but I do not recommend that.

1. It is quite easy to remove the cowl tray and this is something you should get comfortable doing as this provides access to the brake actuator and other parts mounted on the firewall

2. The cowl tray probably needs cleaning anyway

3. You won't be able to properly torque the strut mount nuts without being able to get a torque wrench on the nuts

4. By removing the cowl tray, you can loosen the large center nut on the strut a 1/4 turn while the strut is still in the car. That makes it much easier to take the strut apart after it is out of the car and you have the spring compressors on.

 

Okay, thanks so much Patrick for your response that makes sense.

I posted some photos on the link below of the jacking point on the front, can you tell me if that is a safe and correct location that I am using?

is there an easy way to lift the prius to rotate tires | PriusChat

 

Do it right or pay to have it done properly.

Removing the front cowl tray looks intimidating but it's not. Watch this KYB Europe installation of front Struts on a Gen 2or3 Prius. Monkey see, monkey do, now you'll be able to do it too.

 

Thanks 'exstudent' yes, that video is what gave me the courage to take on this task, it looks pretty straight forward. I think I have been more befuddled about how to jack up the front and exact jacking point than swapping out the struts. LOL

 

It is OK to lift the car at the front cross member as your photos illustrate.

My personal practice is to lift the car on each side, behind the scissors jack lifting points. I use a hydraulic floor jack with wood in the saddle, as your photos illustrate, to spread the load. I place the jackstand at the lifting point, then move to the other side of the car and do the same thing there.

 

Yes, okay I can see how that would feel safer as I had to drive up on wood boards to get the car high enough for me to get the 3 ton jack into that middle cross member area, just seemed not the sturdiest. I like your suggestion, thank you for that.

 

I have compiled my parts, please see pictures below - am I missing anything?

group shot of components for the front driver (left) strut system
top insulator (metal)
Monroe OE Spetrum strut
oem coil spring
oem bumper/stopper
oem dust boot
lower insulator (rubber)
Monroe Strut mount kit

Starting to Assembly it - put lower rubber insulator in place
put coil spring and bumper in place
add dust boot
add top metal insulator
add top mount
put on spring compressor to compress in order to lock down top mount

am I doing this right?

 

If the ends of the coil spring fit into the recesses located in the top and bottom spring seats with the rubber insulators installed to also fit the recesses, and you can get the large nut on the top, then you are probably OK. Check the alignment of the top strut mount - the three studs need to fit into their mating holes in the body. Hold the bottom of the strut in the position that it needs to be in to bolt to the steering knuckle, and make sure the top mount studs are correctly positioned.

Did you buy new coil springs? If so did you notice any difference in uncompressed height between the old vs. new?

Have you tried compressing the old struts to see how much effort is required vs. doing the same on a new strut?

 

I bought ONE new coil because I noticed that driver front side seem to dip lower than the passenger front side. See pictures below:

This is Driver side is at about 25.25" which is 1" lower than the passenger side.


This is the passenger side at about 26.25"

So I decided to buy ONE new coil for the driver side and I have not yet taken the car apart yet. I am just playing with the new parts first to make sure I have all the parts and am not missing anything or procedure.

Thanks for your feedback and questions. Much appreciate it.

I will post my findings about how compressed the coils are or if I over spent on unnecessary coil parts.

I also bought one for the back because I noticed one side about 1 inch lower too.

 

Suspension parts like this should always be replaced in pairs - if you notice one side of the car is lower than the other and believe that to be caused by a bad spring then fit new left and right springs.

Bold part because are you use the difference in ride height is caused by a bad spring?

 

I agree that if the coil springs are to be replaced that should be done in pairs.

It is possible that one side of the car is slightly lower than the other due to uneven distribution of weight. For example the transaxle (on the driver's side) is heavier than the engine (on the passenger side).

If the car is mostly used with only the driver riding in the car, that would over time tend to compress the coil on that side of the car slightly more.

Also, check the front tire tread depth and tire pressure to make sure a variation in depth or tire under inflation is not contributing to the problem.

 

Okay good suggestions - I will get another spring.

I filled both tires to the same psi and was wondering if maybe it might be due to uneven weight distribution.

Yes, the previous owner was using it mostly for him to commute a couple hours a day, so I suspected maybe that was why the driver's side was lower.