Any helpful tips on how to change out the front air struts? I plan on replacing them in the next few days. Can the air line be removed safely with pliers of some kind?

If anyone is looking to order struts I had good luck with this place. https://carmarka.com/
I ordered new oem front and rear air struts. They didn't charge tax but I did have to pay $60 for US customs. Total after shipping and customs they came out to $575 each. The prices shown on their website are an estimate. They send an email with an exact price once you inquire. The website has either the rears or forwards (can't remember which) incorrectly labeled as control arms or something similar. The part numbers are clearly listed on the website and in the emailed order so I wasn't too concerned about the item label mismatch. All arrived today in 1 nice 80LB wood lined box. Each strut was in a box with a toyota label. Someone else that has ordered an oem strut might be able to confirm these are oem. With Chinese knock off items all over the market I dare to say for certain they are original. They look good to me.

I'm swapping them out to make the car quieter. The left front strut is shot, it rattles like crazy. The other 3 all make some slight noise when driving.

 

Being there done that, both front and rear.

No, you should not use pliers. It is done with just hands. There is a plastic clip on each air line that allows depression of clips inside struts. Check you new struts, you will understand what I mean. In my case, front ones were easy, rear ones were pain due to liners and rust. I used silicon spray to loosen the line because rust was holding on it. Be careful and do not damage the lines, it is not just straight tubing.

 

What is interesting that strut fits only LS600h L.

I got mine on Ebay but they were packed same way.

 

Thank you. I appreciate the tips. It's good to know the plastic clips are done by hand, one less surprise. I'll be ginger with the lines. In regards to mounting is there anything specific to line up? Or just bolt them in. I noticed the mounts spin around.

Nice to know yours were packed the same. It is unfortunate they are specific to the LS600. Selling my 3 used good ones would be easier if they fit both models.

 

I used a fuel line removal tool on my AWD air shocks when I converted to coils. I think I used the 5/16 size or something. The smallest one that came in the set. Mine wouldn’t budge by hand but your car seems nice and rust free so you might manage.

 

Thank you sdls. I have a set of fuel line tools buried in my tool box somewhere. I wouldn't have thought to use them.

 

I believe, the lower part of rear struts needs to be tighten under vehicle load. The only parts I had to remove on my LS460 were rear sway bar links, brake hose mount and ABS sensor wire mount. It was just enough room to remove the rear struts. Front ones are easier in that way but there are other obstacles.


I only was able to find this blurry image. You can barely see (red square) a wider section of the tubing allowing the tube to be locked in place. The right green square highlights locking mechanism and and the left green square shows the clip that allows release of the locking mechanism when aligned correctly.

 

watch out for the PSHTTTTTTTTTT when you pull them out
in addition to what Anfanger wrote, I had to slip a breaker bar and then a cheater pipe on the breaker bar, between the lower control arm and the frame somewhere to pull the suspension down far enough to get the old shocks out and the new ones in. It was harder getting the new coil replacements in since they were taller. And definitely remember to tighten the lower shock mounts when the vehicle is at ride height. I did it by driving on a ramp and getting to the bolts that way.
Also on the front I had to get the tie rod end off the knuckle to get the shocks out.

 

I was just wondering the other day if you purchased from that site and if everything worked out ok. That's definitely cheaper than the Triple Creation struts so I'll most likely go with them for the rears whenever I get around to it. I just pulled my drivers strut back out to make it easier to remove the upper control arms so i could install the Superpro bushings. I could not get the clip that is on the airline to work after repeated attempts but that could be user error so i just used the plastic tip that you get in the pack with the Permetex gasket maker. You slice it down the middle so you can slip it over the airline and then just push it into the strut. It accomplishes the same thing. You will be able to compress the strut some but not all the way, if you disconnect the upper control arms from the knuckle it will be much easier to push the rearward lower control arm down so you can lift the strut off it's perch. Since I was fighting with that control arm when trying to reinstall the strut the first time I just removed the whole knuckle which just made things easier. I had to take the rearward arm off anyway to change the bushing.

 

https://carmarka.com/ looks interesting. I wish, I knew about it earlier. Lower prices are partially due to no Ebay and Paypal fees.

 

Thank you all for the help. I finished swapping out the front struts yesterday. There was some fighting and a few choice words on the first one. The second one while installing the strut I forgot the jack was still holding the knuckle up an inch. For a few minutes I couldn't figure out why the knuckle wouldn't move lower while hanging on it.

The clips on both air lines were easy to remove. The airline on the right came out with a very slight tug. I was only checking to see how snug it was. The left airline I used the fuel line tool trick. Both times the PSHTTTTTTTTTT of the air releasing startled me lol.

In order to remove them I disconnected the steering rod from the knuckle. I also removed the bolts holding the brake and abs sensor wire. On the way out the fat strut got stuck between the upper part of the knuckle and the cars frame. I used a jack to raise the steering knuckle a few inches, this opened up the area where the strut was stuck by 1/4" or so. Then it slid out.

I struggled a bit getting the strut into the lower control arm. Removing one of the upper control arms from the knuckle let the steering knuckle drop another inch. Then it slid in.

The strut actuator solenoid on the top of the right strut was missing the metal brackets that hold it to the strut. I ordered a new one. (Now both fronts will have new struts and actuator solenoids) Someone or a group of people really did a hack job on this car.

The left strut once removed was easy to diagnose as bad. The top mount bearing is shot. It is not smooth at all when rotated. Upon closer inspection I noticed the yellow writing on it. Pretty clear it was a second hand unit, maybe from a junk yard. The right strut while a little leaky (oil residue) is still functional.

When I finished my first strut I released pressure on my jack. I didn't expect the car to fall to the floor. My bumper nearly snagged my jack as I hadn't slid it too far away from the work area. When I did the other strut I turned the car on to let the strut fill with air before fully letting the jack down.

It didn't cross my mind to tighten the strut down at ride height. This morning with the car flat on the ground I cranked the wheel full left and right. I was able to squeeze in there with my impact and redo them. Thank you for that sdls.



Right strut was leaky. Plus the actuator was missing the metal tangs to hold it onto the strut.



Steering tie rod was in the way.



Anfanger luckily this piece has an alignment flange on it. It's not adjustable. I reapplied red loctite to both strut bolts. I wish these had safety wire bolt heads or a cotter pin to install. I can see a lot of issues arise if this bolt came out.



I replaced my pads and rotors while I had the wheel off. The brake wear sensor was missing it's clip. It didn't want to stay glued in so I zip tied it out of the way. These are just a way for dealers to make money imo.



Our pup does a good imitation of me when it's 95f and I'm working.



My new disc on the right side had a slight scratch. I got tired of waiting for the replacement. I installed the scratched rotor with new pads. Of course the next day my replacement arrived.



See that jack under the knuckle. I didn't! lol. Why won't this strut go in the arm!



Yellow writing on bad left strut.



I cleaned my intake and maf sensors while the hood was up. TB was pretty nasty.



The new struts came with markings on them. Pink on this one. The markings point out.

Yellow on this one. The markings point out. They are not symmetrical. The strut does not hang correctly if the yellow/pink is not pointed out.

 

Great job man!

 

Thanks.

Another question.... What is the correct way to install sway bar end links? I figured they just bolt on. However after driving around 50 miles I noticed one looks funny.
The one on the right is at a funny angle. The left one looks normal to me.

Another issue is the end links I installed came loose and started to rattle. It is very possible I didn't tighten them enough to begin with. One thing I noticed about these elcheapo ones is the ball joints in them are extremely tight. Before installing them they were so stiff I couldn't pivot them.

I cranked down the end link nuts even tighter. Hopefully they stay tight this time. If they start to rattle again I will switch to oem or at least a better brand. Currently the car noise level is almost on par with our 460. I still have some wind noise issues from the drivers door to address. If I can get those sorted out I'll be happy. The constant whistle while I drive is a not so subtle reminder I have more work to do.


Right side, at a funny angle. Strut unbolted.



Left side straight.



Right side funny angle. Strut mounted.

 

It looks to me that you need to rotate the links to reduce the angle.

What torque did you use?

 

I didn't use my torque wrench on those. First time around I used a standard wrench until it hurt


The second time on the top I used 2 wrenches doubled up and hung on it. The nuts on the control arm I zipped down. Their hella tight now.