'97 Camry Struts Clonking. What to tell mechanic.

[joopa]

Ok,
So I just replaced my '91 Civic for a 1997 Camry for cheap. I know there has been problems with the strut mounts. And I do get the "wheel falling off" sound from mine as well, only when driving on bumpy roads. Both from front and rear.

I have to get the car inspected anyway and want my mechanic to check it out.

How can I show him that it is the mounts that is truly loose, so he doesn't automatically suggest changing the struts.

Can the mounts be tightened down?

If he does change the struts, will he automatically fix the strut mounts?

Would the sway bar matter much? It appears to be a cheap fix, but is it worth it?

The car has 107KM on it when should I expect the tranny to die?

Lots of questions, thanks a lot.

J

[Toysrme]

So tighten the strut mounting bolts & nuts if you think they're loose, it doesn't take a mechanic to do that!
The car has front & rear sway bars stock. Once in a blue moon someone will have a sway bar mount, or end link loosen enough for them to clunk around when you go over a bump.


That being said, rear sway bars can do a lot.
TRD, or Whiteline. I love my Whiteline - good luck getting them out of Australia now!
Front sway bars don't do a lot, but gen4 Camry's have small FSB's compaired to older gen3's so it can be worth it to upgrade if you do actual racing.
Strut tower braces don't do anything for handling, they do bump into the engine when it rocks around.

[burchard]

Originally Posted by Toysrme

So tighten the strut mounting bolts & nuts if you think they're loose, it doesn't take a mechanic to do that!
The car has front & rear sway bars stock. Once in a blue moon someone will have a sway bar mount, or end link loosen enough for them to clunk around when you go over a bump.


That being said, rear sway bars can do a lot.
TRD, or Whiteline. I love my Whiteline - good luck getting them out of Australia now!
Front sway bars don't do a lot, but gen4 Camry's have small FSB's compaired to older gen3's so it can be worth it to upgrade if you do actual racing.
Strut tower braces don't do anything for handling, they do bump into the engine when it rocks around.

Sway bar links and sway bar bushings tend to cause that kind of clunk noise.