1. Home
  2. General Toyota Forum
  3. 91 Camry... Does this symptom indicate bad strut springs?

91 Camry... Does this symptom indicate bad strut springs?

I have a 91 Camry LE with almost 190k miles on it. Recently, the car has been bottoming when going from driveways to street or vice versa... depending on the dip involved. It had never done that before. I looked at my shop manual and found that I could take a measurement to find if the car is riding too low (an indication that the springs, or something else, is not operating correctly). Anyway, the manual showed that I could take a measurement from the bottom side of the lower suspension arm to the ground. The manual indicated that the measurement should be 8.78 inches. Mine read 6.5 inches on both sides of the car. My question is.. "Is there something else I should be checking which could cause this problem?" If there is nothing else, I would assume that the problem resides in the springs. I would appreciate some thought son this.

Al Kondo

Reply to
Al Kondo
Loading thread data ...

If the front struts are original, then they are probably worn. New struts probably will not raise the suspension 2 inches so you have to decide whether it is worth it to you to replace the springs.

Reply to
Ray O

Probably not the strut springs, but rather the struts themselves.

A strut is essentially just a spring and shock that are assembled together into what looks like a single unit. The fact is, the shock portion of the strut can be removed from the spring and replaced with a new one. If the springs are broken, you will see it immediately when you take the strut off.

Reply to
Jeff Strickland

Replace your front struts. Springs are probably OK, unless obviously broken. At 190,000, the strut insulators ( the rubber piece on top that includes a bearing) should be replaced too. Have your rear shocks / struts looked at too, as these are also due for relacement.

Stewart DIBBS

Reply to
Stewart DIBBS

MotorsForum website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.