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Man, these wore me out. Make sure you pay super close attention to the strut mount. I did, but not close enough as I had to redo it twice to get everything to line up. Oh well, passenger side will be must faster tomorrow.
Used KYB struts and KYB strut mounts. Old units were original and had 104k on them. While they weren't leaking, it was time.
Done. Never again. First of all, I'm not sure if it's mentioned, but make sure you swap this part over as the new mounts don't come with it.
Problem I had was the spring compressor. The threaded piece was close to the mount which pushed the mount over and messed up the mounting alignment. Took two attempts on the passenger side strut which I did today. I ended up having to run the spring compressor the other way and that managed to get it right. Ugh, what a pain. Especially since the lower ball joints I also did only took like 10 minutes per side.
Car rides great though with these pieces. Hopefully they last awhile... if they needed replacing I probably would go to a shop for these.
You're giving me PTSD back when I did mine. I took me more times than I should publicly admit just to clock the front struts correctly. I also rented the same tool from O'Reilly and had the same issue. Next time I'm doing custom Fortune Autos.
So these didn't last and are clunking. Chased the clunk for awhile and the shop I trust used clip microphones to confirm, so I'm just going to replace them with new OEM struts.
There are two part numbers 4851059805 $209 and 4851080131 $177. Called Bell Lexus and they said they need the number that is stamped on the OEM strut to know which one is appropriate to order and that going off the VIN doesn't help. This doesn't help me as my OEM ones are gone. They are both supposed to fit and I'm sure the much cheaper sport ones would fit too. Any ideas on the differences between the two?
So these didn't last and are clunking. Chased the clunk for awhile and the shop I trust used clip microphones to confirm, so I'm just going to replace them with new OEM struts.
There are two part numbers 4851059805 $209 and 4851080131 $177. Called Bell Lexus and they said they need the number that is stamped on the OEM strut to know which one is appropriate to order and that going off the VIN doesn't help. This doesn't help me as my OEM ones are gone. They are both supposed to fit and I'm sure the much cheaper sport ones would fit too. Any ideas on the differences between the two?
I'm inclined to order the one that is $177.
They only lasted about a year?! Where did you get them from?
RA has SACHS brand that I wanted to try, but maybe I need to stick with OEM's.
They only lasted about a year?! Where did you get them from?
RA has SACHS brand that I wanted to try, but maybe I need to stick with OEM's.
Got them from Amazon last November. The KYBs I have in the rear have been fine for years now so I was surprised that the fronts failed so quickly. Will update when the parts arrive. Ordered the $177 struts from Bell Lexus and new strut mounts from Partsouq.
Got them from Amazon last November. The KYBs I have in the rear have been fine for years now so I was surprised that the fronts failed so quickly. Will update when the parts arrive. Ordered the $177 struts from Bell Lexus and new strut mounts from Partsouq.
So, it's weird. The foam piece in that picture did NOT come with the new KYB mounts I used last time. That foam piece is not on the parts diagram either. I ordered new OEM mounts this time (Partsouq) so I'll see if they come with them.
I did like the KYB front struts but they didn't ride quite as nice as the worn OEMs. Will be interesting to see how the new OEM KYBs ride. Thankfully Bell Lexus has a sale right now so the struts were only $350 shipped for both.
Ok, so new OEM upper mounts along with new OEM KYB struts (part number 48510-80131) are installed and my clunking noise went away. I'm not sure what the problem was but it was something to do with either the struts or the mounts I used initially. The mechanic offered to tear them down to try and isolate the failure but I just went ahead and ordered all new parts to be done with it.
It should be noted that the non-OEM KYBs rode pretty good but the actual OEM KYBs ride slightly better and are a bit more composed.
If you're considering doing this, the price difference isn't that much for the struts. As far as the strut mounts, I'm not sure why the ones I ordered from Amazon did not have the foam piece. The ones from PartSouq HAD the foam piece. While they looked new, I wonder if they were a return or if someone took the foam piece and returned them without. Oh well, car rides amazing now.
Ok, so new OEM upper mounts along with new OEM KYB struts (part number 48510-80131) are installed and my clunking noise went away. I'm not sure what the problem was but it was something to do with either the struts or the mounts I used initially. The mechanic offered to tear them down to try and isolate the failure but I just went ahead and ordered all new parts to be done with it.
It should be noted that the non-OEM KYBs rode pretty good but the actual OEM KYBs ride slightly better and are a bit more composed.
If you're considering doing this, the price difference isn't that much for the struts. As far as the strut mounts, I'm not sure why the ones I ordered from Amazon did not have the foam piece. The ones from PartSouq HAD the foam piece. While they looked new, I wonder if they were a return or if someone took the foam piece and returned them without. Oh well, car rides amazing now.
I'm replacing my front struts pretty soon. I took have a slight clunk. Do you have the part numbers for the strut mounts?
I'm replacing my front struts pretty soon. I took have a slight clunk. Do you have the part numbers for the strut mounts?
Of course. You're looking for 4868050110 which are $86.75 each from PartSouq and about $48 in shipping ($222 total). If you order from Bell Lexus, you're at $155 each with free shipping.
I ordered from PartSouq and they were well packed and got from Dubai to Houston in 3 days.
I sold my '01 a while back but I remember the front struts were a PIA for sure. I replaced them with some NOS KYB struts. It all comes down to having a good spring compressor I think.
Maybe a stupid question, but are you supposed to lower the car down before torqueing everything to specs (or at least using a jack to push up control arms, etc.)? I tightened everything while it was still up on jackstands, and it's haunted me to this day. LOL
I sold my '01 a while back but I remember the front struts were a PIA for sure. I replaced them with some NOS KYB struts. It all comes down to having a good spring compressor I think.
Maybe a stupid question, but are you supposed to lower the car down before torqueing everything to specs (or at least using a jack to push up control arms, etc.)? I tightened everything while it was still up on jackstands, and it's haunted me to this day. LOL
Yes, you should pre-load the suspension. I have used the jack to pre-load the suspension since I have no way of getting under the car once it's on the ground.