Rear strut replace

[OBwan]

Greetings. Brand new owner of a 07 ES350. Everything is good but the suspension. Rather than fight the dealer (Carmax) about a difference of opinion on ride quality and the quality of the parts they would use I will probably fix it myself. Have some minor handling issues and a slight vibration felt in the seat (not through the steering wheel)from 45mph and up that does not increase with speed. With 85k on the clock and the original struts I am assuming they are the culprit. Question is a reference for repair information. I have manuals for a Gen 4 Camry and have done extensive repairs on them over the years. But, before I rip into the area for the rear struts does anybody have an excerpt from the manual or DIY for the rears? Fronts should be straight forward. Probably going to use KYBs.

Last two Yotas I bought I ended up replacing the struts just to zero out the components. I was expecting it so not that big a deal.

 

[lenore]

Your Camry experience is probably all you need.  KYB will work well.  My son has an 07 ES350 and the only issue has been front brake vibration.  He has tried many combinations of disks and pads and the vibration has always returned.  Still have not come up with solution.  By the way welcome aboard.  The Camry and ES platform share many of not most components.

[wineluver]

I have a 07 es350 with 155k and recently replaced the front struts, with the rear getting done next few weeks. Turns out i waited to long and all 4 tires were cupped. Driving out off the shop and onto a freeway had vibration coming from front and steering wheel, so replaced the front tires with two good spares ( that were mildly cupped), same brand and model, and vibration gone. Now I have the same issue OBwan had,  a slight vibration felt in the seat (not through the steering wheel)from 45mph and up that does not increase with speed, but goes away around 60mph. Also there when turning at speed, as when entering on-ramps etc. Although the rear tires are also cupped, I left them on until I can replace rear struts, then i will get a new set of four tires. My concern is that I read that the es350 has had front axle issues and I am worried that is what is causing the vibration. A. should i be concerned? B. can putting the car on a lift for visual inspection spot this issue? (concerned an enterprising mechanic will just tell me i need new axles, bad or not. Can you replace just one?) C. if it is an axle any recommendation on after market brand? At this point my plan was to first replace rear struts, then buy new set of Conti Pure Contacts, and if vibration persists, replace one or both axles. Any suggestions would be appreciated as this is getting expensive!

Wineluver 

[OBwan]

Still fighting the vibrations. 85k on the mileage. All four struts were bad. All four swaybar links were worn and replaced. Noticed the rubber mounts were cracked in the control arms. In replacing those I pulled the ends off the driveshafts as I lifted the engine and trans to get the motor mounts off. Replaced the drive shafts with new from NAPA, and found a bad ball joint. Replaced both, put on new Michelins and found a bent rim. Replaced it and vibrations got better but still there. Replaced both inner and outer tie rod ends and it's still there. Got the car aligned and the tech told me the rear suspensions arms were all tight and not an issue. Only thing left was the original brake rotors. Changed them and thought I had it fixed but it still has a slight buzz feel. Going to try a road force balance on the tires and confirm tires are torqued properly. If that doesn't fix it I'll drive it off a cliff.

[lenore]

20 hours ago, wineluver said:

I have a 07 es350 with 155k and recently replaced the front struts, with the rear getting done next few weeks. Turns out i waited to long and all 4 tires were cupped. Driving out off the shop and onto a freeway had vibration coming from front and steering wheel, so replaced the front tires with two good spares ( that were mildly cupped), same brand and model, and vibration gone. Now I have the same issue OBwan had,  a slight vibration felt in the seat (not through the steering wheel)from 45mph and up that does not increase with speed, but goes away around 60mph. Also there when turning at speed, as when entering on-ramps etc. Although the rear tires are also cupped, I left them on until I can replace rear struts, then i will get a new set of four tires. My concern is that I read that the es350 has had front axle issues and I am worried that is what is causing the vibration. A. should i be concerned? B. can putting the car on a lift for visual inspection spot this issue? (concerned an enterprising mechanic will just tell me i need new axles, bad or not. Can you replace just one?) C. if it is an axle any recommendation on after market brand? At this point my plan was to first replace rear struts, then buy new set of Conti Pure Contacts, and if vibration persists, replace one or both axles. Any suggestions would be appreciated as this is getting expensive!

 

Wineluver 

After you perform all of that work make sure to do a four wheel alignment.  Cupping is generally related to alignment issues.  By the way replacing one driveshaft is fine.  I have done that on a RX300 and other cars and had no issues.  They are different from left and right.

 

[OBwan]

I think I have tamed the beast. The Road Force Balance identified a bad tire(new Michelin) on the left front and another bent rim on the left rear. New tire was replaced under warranty and when I put the spare on the ground the vibrations were gone, So it's off to the tire place to get the tires switched on the rims and hopefully it is over.