Camry 97

[Rogerss]

Hello,
I hear a rattling noise from the front suspension side on irregular surface road on my camry 97. Does anybody know what it could be ( bushing, front link). The shocks are knew.
Thanks

[Clubguy]

One of the major causes of rattle or noise in the front suspension of the 97 was or is- not the struts that you replaced, but the strut towers themselves. Toyota issued a mod for the 97 that included a newly designed tower. the originals were defective and the struts would move in the tower mounts. When you hit rough surfaces you can hear the rattles coming from the struts but it is most likly the towers. Toyota replaced mine some time ago now they are pure quiet. PS- Toyota even came up with an even newer tower a few months after the first. If you look under the hood of the 98,99 etc. you can see the new design. You may have other problems other than the one I am stating, but this is the first one to check.
C

[yotatechie04]

Hmm...I have the exact same problem in my '99. Maybe I'm thinking that Toyota didn't really do that great of a job when they "redesigned" the strut tower assembly.

[Clubguy]

As I said Toyota made a newer design some time later from the first. I have done extensive investigating of the front end noise in the 97,98 models and the towers were a major contributor, BUT!!!
There are some complaints by customers of front end noise that has never been resolved. The noises do not present any safety problems but they are there. I belong to Alldata pro auto information site. They list many service bulletins for front end noises but if you did not catch them under warranty you would pay through the nose to have it done now. The major complaints for those years were front end and brakes. Toyota seemed to have dropped the ball for that generation Camry.As far as the oil gelling is concerned --if you change your oil every 3 to 4 thousand miles, valves should be as clean as a whistle. Only those who went 7 to 10 thousand miles or more could have a problem. I change my oil every 3k when I looked at the valves I could have eaten off them. they were super clean. The valve stem seals have a tendency to leak early that causes a smoking problem.
C

[yotatechie04]

I agree, I really don't think the noise has ever been completely resolved. I've heard several complaints about the same front end noise from other people I know who have the same year Camry as I do, and it's all the exact same thing that is wrong with mine. I've never had a problem with "sludge" in the block, I change my oil every 3k and I've recently overhauled the block to replace seals and the valves looked almost brand new.

[rpmglide]

I had the original struts replaced with Gabriels from Pep Boys. I've "noticed" a rattling from the front end on washboard roads as well. I don't remember if they rattled with the originals, but it was time for my 100K lookover. Annoying- yes. Unsafe- no (I think!).

[yotatechie04]

I'm still riding on the original struts all around. They've been rattling for quite some time now, for at least the past year to be exact, but I figure that once I get around to purchasing new strut towers that the problem won't exist anymore. I agree that it's severely annoying, and I also believe that it's safe to have it like that, just a pain in the a$$.

[geodiggr]

Hi all,

Same problem here...so, what are the "strut towers" and where can I find them? I'd like to replace them myself...is it something the backyard mechanic can do? If so, where can I find them at? I'd hate to pay a dealer to do it...

Thanks,
Rick

[ToyotaTech]

not strut towers!! but strut mounts AKA the top of the strut that mount to the body of the vehicle. If u lift the hood u can see where the mounts are there is a nut on the top of the strut this is the strut mount. I would only let the dealer replace these items they are very hard to replace

[yotatechie04]

It would probably be easier for the "backyard mechanic" to replace the whole strut tower instead of disassembling it to replace the strut mount and reinstalling it. But then again, it would be cheaper if you did it yourself, although with the money you would spend on buying a whole strut tower you could have paid the dealer to do the strut mount for you. Tough choice.

[Clubguy]

Yes they are called strut mounts, but Toyota and others do sometimes refer to them as strut towers. same thing. You can see them surounding the strut nuts under hood, they are black. Installation is really for the professional. If you decide to use Toyota or your local mechanic, make sure the part version you get is the latest one. Toyota made two updates on these mounts.

[AJ236]

Good stuff on the strut tower/mount info. I have the same problem (have had it for years). It sucks! Royally even! Let me get straight on something...
Strut TOWER MAKE NOISE-BAD!
backyard mechanic replace strut TOWER-YES
backyard mechanic replace strut MOUNT-NO

Dealer replace strut MOUNT=broke backyard mechanic

is this all correct?

[yotatechie04]

Yes, you are very correct. The strut mount can be done by an experienced "backyard mechanic" although if you've never disassembled a strut tower, don't attempt to do it. Most likely you can find a place that does struts, such as Midas or something, so this way you can eliminate the need for a dealer and save yourself some money. Also, if you have another vehicle, you could take both strut towers out, and bring them to a place such as Midas, and have them change the strut mount then, therefore cutting the cost of labor down. The choice is yours.

[AJ236]

I torqued down on the strut tower nut under the hood. It lessened the annoyance for now, but I can still hear it a little bit, but not nearly as much.
Thanks to all of you for the info.

J

[mrtwo]

I am totally confused. What is strut and what is strut tower? In the Hayes manual, there is strut assembly, which includes shock absorber, shock shaft(?), lower and upper spring supports, coil spring, upper suspension support (strut mounts?) and various rubbers between them. So which is which? Can anyone clear the confusion? Thanks.