Toyota do-it-yourself rack repair

In detail: DIY repair of Toyota struts from a real master for the site my.housecope.com.

Recently, Japanese-made cars, including Toyota (Toyota Corolla), have become very popular among Russian motorists. A striking representative of this brand is the Corolla car, which has a good value for money. If the car is under warranty, there will be no problems with its repair. But what to do if the warranty service is over and the car breaks down.

Image - Toyota do-it-yourself rack repair

After a long operation of the machine, problems with the racks may arise, the repair of which in auto repair shops will not be cheap. Repair of Toyota racks with your own hands will save your budget.

The range of racks for the Corolla is wide enough, but you should choose better and more reliable ones. Cheap racks will fail more often, and accordingly, they will have to be replaced more often. The most optimal solution would be to change all the racks. The best option would be to purchase Tokiсo racks.

Some people prefer koni sport racks, but in this case, the car will turn out to be quite tough. Tokiсo drains are quite soft and do not allow the car to get out of control.

First of all, we install the machine on a lift, or an inspection pit may come up. Then the car must be secured to prevent accidental movement. Replacing the Corolla struts is not much different from a similar operation for machines of the next generations. We open the hood and release the nut on the old rack, otherwise, you will have to do it later, which will be quite problematic to do.

After we remove the wheel, and unscrew the bolts of the brake hoses and ABS. Next, remove the bolts connecting the strut to the trunnion. After that, we move again under the hood and unscrew the nuts that attach the upper cup.

Video (click to play).

We dismantle the rack, after fixing the trunnion.

Next, in a vise, remove the spring, the pallet and the bump stop. We also install new elements by clamping the rack in a vice. The spring is installed in the lower cup and screwed on until it stops. Don't forget to put on the spacer. After installing the spring, replace the upper cup.

The central nut is just getting profitable, it will screw up to the stop on the car itself. The rack is now ready for vehicle mounting. This operation is carried out in the reverse order.

As can be seen from the above, any car enthusiast can replace the racks of a Toyota Corolla, if he has the necessary tools, who knows a little about cars.

Shock absorbers are a kind of consumable for your car. Moreover, the cost of maintaining the suspension in working order is inversely proportional to the quality of the roads. Car owners are constantly looking for ways to save money on the repair and maintenance of their car. We will tell you about self-repair and restoration of the characteristics of the shock absorber struts.

Typical malfunctions of this node are known to everyone:

  • Depressurization of the stem packing. Leads to oil leakage from the rack. It can leak at any time. The characteristics change up to a complete loss of performance.
  • Too free movement of the stem in the pipe. In fact, the strut turns from a shock absorber into a guide for the suspension spring. The malfunction is related to the internal valves.
  • Compression or rebound play. Associated with the development in the rod or cylinder. The consequences are similar to broken valves. The shock absorber does not perform its function in a car, it knocks, rattles and makes other unpleasant sounds, why driving in such a car becomes uncomfortable and dangerous.
  • External damage - dents on the body, cracks in the eyelet. Affects the chassis as a whole and can lead to more serious damage.

If any malfunction is detected, it is necessary to remove the rack and release it from the spring. Dismantling is carried out in the garage, without the use of special tools.

Sometimes the owners of foreign cars, noticing that their racks have leaked, turn to the service station for diagnostics, where they will carry out a check at the stand.

In fact, this is not such an easy task. Before carrying out work, you should carefully study the material and observe safety precautions. First of all, you need to determine whether you have a collapsible shock absorber or not. The monolithic body is not repairable, opening with a grinder and brewing is unacceptable.

If there is a nut or a retaining ring in the place where the stem enters the pipe, such a shock absorber strut can be serviced and repaired.

Image - Toyota do-it-yourself rack repair

This is what a repairable rack looks like.

  • Compressor for supplying compressed air or pump for servicing bicycle shock absorbers.
  • Special connection for compressed air injection.

Image - Toyota do-it-yourself rack repair

Attention! Safety must be taken care of. Work involves high pressure, so eye and hand protection is essential.

  1. The shock absorber is firmly fixed in a vice, the position is vertical. It is necessary to thoroughly clean the part and blow out the piston rod entry point with compressed air. It is disassembled - removing the protective cap of the stem.

Image - Toyota do-it-yourself rack repair

For convenience, the work is carried out in a vice

Image - Toyota do-it-yourself rack repair

Use a pressure gauge for control. The method is suitable for gas and gas-oil racks

You can watch the process in the video.