jtsai

i have a 97 es that's beginning to make this weird clunking noise especially in cold weather. it sounds like a suspension issue and from searching the forum, the strut mount is most likely to blame. is KYB the oem brand? i figured since i'll be taking the assembly off, is it wise to replace the strut assembly as well as the springs. From the looks of it, it doesn't look like a difficult job to do compare to my audi. so if experts out there don't think its neccessary to replace the strut or springs, i'll wait to replace them. i'm obviously new to the lexus scene, so please forgive me if my questions have been asked a million times.

the best price i've found so far is from autohausaz.com. if any of you have better resources, please let me know.

TIA

lex pilot

front or rear?

jtsai

sorry, front

lexusk8

Welcome to CL

From your testimonial of the problem, it sounds like your springs are not the cause of the problem. If I were you, I would bring the car to an independent service shop with a lift, and have your front wheels removed and inspect your strut assemblies for signs of leakage. If there is, then most likely you'll have to replace the entire strut assembly. While you're planning to do that, you mind as well replace the strut mounts (as they do not cost as much as the strut assemblies). Either get the Toyota OEM strut mounts or KYB brand (you can order that from tirerack.com). Hope this info helps out

jtsai

thanks mr.moderator happy to be here

i just replaced the front rotors and pads this week and from visual inspection, i didn't see much of leakage from the struts. I did however notice the job is not going to be easy with all the rust covered parts Thank you jersey winter.
i guess the best approach would be to replace both the strut mounts and struts since all have to come out anyways and reuse the springs as it seems to not be the cause of the noise.
is there preference for toyota strut mount and KYB brand? is KYB strut ok to use as well?