Do you happen to know the torque for the 6 bolts required to replace the control arm?

 

I dont have the info and will not have it for few days.

Salim

 

Why is it necessary to replace the control arm? Certainly not a wear item.

 

Murphy's law set me back an hour or so on the rear strut install today. I didn't have enough light to do the fronts.

My rear passenger sway bar link was frozen solid with rust and pb blaster didn't help. The center 5mm hex stripped out so i ended up drilling it out enough past the frozen threads and hit it with an impact.


Tomorrow, hopefully i wont encounter any rust gremlins to slow progress.

 

Just a tip for removing those pesky swaybar links with miles on them.

Get a wire cup brush attachment for your cordless drill and get all the rust and grime off that you can.
It will make it much more easier to hold your 5mm hex key as well as letting some pb blaster penetrate the threads.

 

Another is patience.

If things are not coming apart with reasonable force, then over stressing will cause problems. Let the penetrates work. Soak and tie a rage and let it sit.

Salim

 

Front struts went in easy today but i have been humbled by the front end clunk. Unbolting things and bolting things back up in order is not rocket science to me..but i am lost beyond the logic of whats damaged and causing the clunk.

I reused my front end strut mounts , when i took them apart.. it was as i expected. A bearing sandwich between two metal parts. Even loosening up and getting the swaybar link out of the picture my passenger front strut mount clunks when i rock the passenger side of the car. The top 19mm nut is threaded down identically as my drivers side which has no problems.
Could my bearing be smashed? nothing seems unusual with the passenger strut mount other than light surface rust.
Does the upper spring seat eventually flex and bend enough to touch the top bearing mounting portion?

Just throwing out possibilities before i pull the trigger and buy an oem mount.
This is such a tease, it is amazing how much ride height i gaine after replacing the sagging struts.

 

Top seat is just one of the many spots that can produce a clunk.

Salim

 

a few hours away from the project to think and cool off helped.
I loosened all top bolts of the passenger strut mount , jacked the front up and loosened and re-torqued the strut shaft bolt...lowered the car then proceeded to tighten the top bolts.

no more strut clunk in the front.

Now time to troubleshoot the rear which have both new mounts with a much simpler design. No bearings involved.

 

All clunks have been resolved. The RX literally feels brand new again!

 

What did you do to the rear to stop the clunking? Same thing?

 

Unfortunately no, i had to drop the strut out, compressed the spring and till there was absolutely no tension against the strut top. Then one quick trigger of my cordless impact on the top nut to seat it literally 1 or 2 threads more.

There is a black rubber or plastic cap in the rear strut towers that prevent any access to the strut shaft nut.
By the looks of it, removal may still not allow you to fit the needed 19mm socket.

One other tip to share is, mark and make sure your outward strut top bolt is aligned with the bottom of the strut where the lower bolts thread. It will make lining up the rear knuckle into the strut bottom much easier.

 

Bushings aren't a wear item?

 

Ok, so i just wanted to summarize my experience and initial opinion about strut mounts as a wearable item.


I'd first like to thank Lexmex's DIY strut replacement thread and Erics99RX diy summary in his front strut replacement thread for more helpful tips and necessary torque specs.
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/rx-...need-help.html

I couldn't find torque specs for the top three nuts for the rear strut tops but i used best judgement assuming they are of a least grade 4.8 strength. Based on 8mm x 1.25 pitch i used 13 ft/lbs as a safe starting assumption.

Use a wire cup brush to brush away all exposed rust on threads you plan to loosen, then use and soak with a penetrant like PB blaster.
A ratcheting 14mm wrench is your best friend when removing your endlinks.
Brush some anti-seize on all exposed threads after you are done tightening to spec to prevent rust and help with removal of fasteners at a later date.

Tools used:

14mm racheting wrench
5mm hex socket
10mm socket - move ABS line
12mm socket - move brake line, rear strut mount bolts
14mm socket - front strut mount bolts
19mm impact socket - lower strut mounting bolts, top strut shaft nut, spring compressor tool
21 mm socket - wheel lugs
breaker bar
cordless impact
your choice of beer or ice cold drink


I used KYB Exel G struts (formally named GR-2), Kyb rear strut mount, reused my OEM Lexus front strut mounts (155k miles)

If my local Toyota dealership had quicker shipping and allowed orders over the phone rather I would have ordered new front strut bearings for reassembly. The fronts strut mounts were exactly what i expected in terms of serviceable.

IMO, the front strut mounts could be used for life of the vehicle, unless visibly bent studs, etc.. It simply has a bearing cup to rest the bearing in underneath it.
The front upper coil seat however, can be a wear item if it is visibly scored from contacting broken bearings and/or the strut mount.

IMO, the rear strut mounts can be used for the life of the vehicle unless the rubber that contacts the spring is cracked. The rear strut bellows however are molded to the mounts and disintegrate over time. A long aftermarket bellow can be used to protect the strut shaft in the case of reuse.

Swaybar links, expecially the rear links can be reused as long as they do not feel loose or noticeable tears in their protective grease boots. The rear swaybar is so wimpy thin on this SUV, the links should last for life of the car.

The durometer of the rubber of the rear oem strut mounts is noticeably much softer than the aftermarket KYB mounts replacements, which will allow some additional force deflection, but i have not yet felt or heard any noises which would make me think the aftermarket KYB's would pose a problem with future miles..even after taking a test drive on some of the most pot holed roads near by. Any initial clunking with use of KYB aftermarket rear strut mounts might be caused by improper installation. Hopefully i won't experience anything unusual.

 

The rear sway links will NOT last the life of the car.

Mine had major play in them and were completely shot at 161k. They probably should have been replaced at 120k to be honest, but I didn't own it then.