98 Camry strut mounts
 

Can anyone tell me how to change the strut mounts on a 98 Camry LE 4 cyl. without taking it to a shop? The dealer is charging a lot of $$$ so I am considering doing it myself. My Camry has 226K miles and it will be the second time I replaced these mounts.

Any techniques and what to watch out for will be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.

RE: 98 Camry strut mounts
 

I don't have experience with a 98, but I just replaced all four struts and springs in my 93. I didn't need to replace the strut mounts on the front, but I did have to remove and reinstall them while replacing the spring and strut. I found it to be fairly simple but a little time consuming as I hadn't done it before. You will need to remove the entire strut/spring/mount assembly. There are two large bolts at the bottom of the strut and maybe a couple other misc items attached to remove (like a brake line or abs wire). Under the hood you'll see the top of the strut with one large bolt in the middle and three others in a triangle around it. You'll need to remove the three in a triangle BUT NOT THE ONE IN THE MIDDLE. That one only gets removed after the unit is removed from the vehicle AND THE SPRING IS COMPRESSED FAR ENOUGH TO TAKE ALL THE PRESSURE OF THE STRUT MOUNT. To do that, you need a spring compressor which I got for free through a loaner program at Advance Auto. You pay the full price up front and then they credit you when you return the tool.

I have no idea what other tools you have or your experience level, but I tackled it with no prior knowledge other than my Haynes manual that I bought on Ebay. You'll obviously need a jack, jackstands, a decent socket set (and possibly a cheater bar extention) and the spring compressor.

I definately reccommend a repair manual for any repair, it's cheap insurance that you don't forget any steps (that I may have left out).

Another option (if available) depending on the current wear of your existing parts, is to buy the entire strut/spring/mount assembly already together. They were available for the rear of my 93 from Monroe, but not the front. Then you get to skip the whole spring compression step and get your "new car ride" back.

I foundall of my parts available at RockAuto.com. They've always been pretty good for me. Your local auto store may also have them (and of course the dealer).

Hope this helps. Good luck.