How To Change the Struts and Strut Mounts on your 1998 Toyota Camry

PLEASE DO NOT ATTEMPT THIS IF DO NOT KNOW WHAT YOU'RE DOING. Your car's suspension is a critical safety component. If you mess up, your car will become dangerous and deadly to you and everyone around you. The following information is for informational purposes only.

This blog post describes how to replace the struts and strut mounts on a 1998 Toyota Camry yourself, but it should apply for Camrys from 1991 to 2001, and probably other models as well. This is not a difficult project, but it does take some time. It took me about half a day to do everything.

To complete this project, you will need an assortment of sockets, wrenches, a breaker bar, a torque wrench, spring compressors, and an allen key.

Struts generally go bad gradually, and at higher mileage. This car has 120k miles, and the struts were leaking oil. The strut mounts in this generation Camry are a known weak point. The symptoms of bad strut mounts are rattling over minor bumps, particular when the car is cold.

I picked up the parts from autopartsarehouse.com. They have pretty good prices for the struts and the strut mounts; I got the KYB brand. The bellows didn't fit though, so I reused the old bellows.

Section 1: Changing the front struts

Step 1: This is the front strut assembly in the car.

Step 2: Remove brake line, unclip ABS sensor wire clip, spray PBlaster on sway-bar endlink nut.

Step 3: Undo the two strut-to-knuckle bolts.

Step 4: Undo the sway-bar endlink nut with an allen key and wrench.

Step 5: Undo the sway-bar endlink nut, done.

Step 6: Undo the three nuts holding the strutmount to the strut tower.

Step 7: Support the brake rotor/knuckle and remove the strut assembly from the car.

Step 8: Close-up of the strut mount and spring seat.

Step 9: Compress the spring with spring compressors.

Step 10: Compress the spring with spring compressors, done.

Step 11: Remove the top strut nut; be careful!

Step 12: Remove the top strut nut; be careful!

Step 13: Remove the strut mount.

Step 14: Separate the strut parts: strut, bump stop, spring seat, spring, bellows, sprint seat.

Step 15: Reassemble the strut assembly with the new strut and strut mount. Reinstall the top strut nut.

Step 16: Make sure to use the correct strut since all 4 are different. Also make sure to orient the strut mount such that the arrow is pointing to the outside of the car.

Step 17: Complete strut assembly with the new strut and strut mount.

Step 18: Insert the strut back into the strut tower, and loosely thread on one of the three nuts to support the strut.

Step 19: Complete strut assembly with the new strut and strut mount.

Step 20: Line up the two strut-to-knuckle holes with a prybar or extension bar and insert the bolts.

Step 21: Thread the nuts onto the strut-to-knuckle bolts, but do not tighten them yet.

Step 22: Tighten the three strut mount nuts to the proper torque specification.

Step 23: Reinstall the sway bar end link to the strut and tighten the nut.

Step 24: Tighten the two strut-to-knuckle bolts to the proper torque specification.

Step 25: Tighten the strut top nut to the proper torque specification.

Section 2: Changing the rear struts

Step 26: Rear strut overview, support the brake drum.

Step 27: I don't remember the details here, but I believe you need to: 1) Fold the seats down, 2) Remove the interior panels on the c-pillars, 3) Tug forward on the rear package shelf to remove it.

Step 28: Remove the seat belt tensioner.

Step 29: Remove the bracket for the brake line.

Step 30: Spray PBlaster on the sway bar end link, and remove the nut.

Step 31: Spray PBlaster on the sway bar end link, and remove the nut, done.

Step 32: Undo the two strut-to-knuckle nuts.

Step 33: Undo the three nuts holding the strut mount to the body.

Step 34: Remove the strut from the car.

Step 35: Compress the string, and undo the top strut nut.

Step 36: Disassemble the strut.

Step 37: Reassemble the strut with the new strut and strut mount. Install the strut top nut.

Step 38: Reassemble the strut with the new strut and strut mount. Install the strut top nut, done.

Step 39: Like the front, hang the strut by one of the three mount nuts.

Step 40: Reinstall the two strut-to-knuckle bolts, sway-bar end link, and brake line. Use the correct torque specifications.

Step 41: Get an alignment!

The alignment is critical to the car's handling and tire wear. After reinstalling the struts, you will lose the previous alignment because there is play in the two strut-to-knuckle bolts. Get an alignment right away or your car may handle funny and wear out its tires quickly.

Fitting a K3 Focus Screen to a D70/D70s

Overview

Over the summer I modified an Nikon K3 focusing screen (meant for an FM3A body) to fit my D70s. This post describes how I modified the focus screen, and how I like the result. According to the Internets, the K3 screen is the same as the normal Katz Eyes screen so you can have the same screen for $30. This project was based on this discussion.

This procedure should work for many different DX format DSLRs such as the Nikon D40, D50, D60, D70, D80, D90, D100, D200, and D300. The only difference might be the dimensions of the screen. You can remove your existing screen and measure it to get the proper dimensions.

Edit: according to comments from Dennis below, the D40, D50, D60, and D70 all share the same screen dimensions. For other cameras, you should measure your original screen before you cut the new one. If you do measure them, please add a comment below with the dimensions; I and other camera hackers would appreciate it!

Materials:
1 x Nikon K3 focus screen from bhphoto.com
1 x Roll of Scotch tape



Tools:
- Utility Knife
- Calipers
- Pliers
- Steel Ruler
- 6-Inch Bastard File

Dimensions

Here are the target dimensions of the D70s focus screen. These figures are not to scale, and the prisms should be pointing at you, out of your computer monitor:


Here's the dimensions of the K3 focusing screen:


Here is the amount to cut off the K3 screen to get the D70s dimensions (close enough).

Cutting the Screen

Stick a layer of scotch tape on both sides of the focus screen. This should help you avoid scratching the focus screen.



Repeat for each of the three sides with big cuts:

Set your calipers to the amount of screen you want to cut off the current side and lock using the caliper's set screw. Slide the calipers along the side of the screen, scoring the tape. Place a ruler against the screen, and score with the utility knife (make two passes). Flip the screen over, and score the opposite side with the knife and ruler. Press the screen against your table, and grab the portion you're trying to cut off with the pliers; snap it off.





For the forth side, score and snap off the tab that says K3. Use a file to remove the .022".

Clean up the edges using the file, and sand paper.






Remove the tape. If there's tape residue, take the sticky side of a fresh piece of tape, stick it lightly to the residue, and pull it off. This should pull off the residue.

Remove the Existing Screen

Take a junky mini-screwdriver and file a notch in the tip. Turn your camera upside down and find the wire bail near the focus screen, by the lens mount.



Use the screw driver with the notch to press the bail towards the film plane and unhook the wire bail. Gently push the bail away from the focus screen.



Let the screen fall out of the camera. You might find a shim like the brass shim pictured. Keep it because it sets the focus screen in the same focal distance as the film plane. You will reuse this shim if your camera has one.



Rotate the screen so that the split prisms stick out towards the top of the camera (towards the penta-prism). Rotate the screen so that the split prisms are closer to the film plane. Drop the new screen into place. Close the wire bail.



Finally, test the focusing screen. Here's my setup: I focused on one hash mark on the ruler using the split prism and exposed a frame. Then I examined the frame, and the focus screen is dead on.

Experiences

I've probably taken a few hundred exposures with the new focus screen. It is much easier to focus with the new screen, but it's not as good as my old FM. The viewfinder is smaller, and darker, but the K3 screen helps.

The K3 also shows the correct depth of field which is great. When I press the DOF preview button, I can actually trust what is in the viewfinder.

One thing is weird about this K3 screen compared to my FM and EM bodies is that the images in the split prisms are out of focus when the subject is out of focus. In my old cameras, the images in the split prisms is always in focus. I prefer the way the old screens work because it's hard to see what's going on in the split prism when it goes out of focus.

In the end, it was worth $30 and the hour or two I spent messing cutting the screen and installing it!