My Superstrut suspension is creaking/knocking?

[alamo]

I have a AE111 BZ-R Levin which has done about 100,000ks. There is a creaking/ knocking sound coming from the drivers side suspension. It only does it at low speeds when breaking or moving foward from a stand still.

I'm getting it checked out soon and I'm wondering if anyone on Toyspeed has had this problem so I could show the mechanic what to check/replace to save time. Also I've been told it sounds like it could be the strut top hat?

Any help would be great.

[Lloyd]

If its supetstrut thats the trouble you can usually see it quite easy when its on a hoist, try moving the wheel on that side as though you were turning it and you can see some play in the joint in the middle of the surperstrut arm (between the arm and the short link arm). If I'm remembering it correctly, thats the joint that needs to be reconditioned or replaced. I think most people will tell you that the reconditioned ones tend to die a lot quicker than genuine replacements though

Either way, a garage should be able to locate the problem.

[alamo]

Does my description sound as though it could be the superstrut joint?

Also how much to replace this joint with a new one and should I do both sides?

[Lloyd]

Haha, wait until you see the price and you decide. The price varies greatly depending on whether the outer end of the arm has a slot/bolt setup or if its threaded. BNT could do the slot type one for under $200 but couldn't get the threaded type which Toyota quoted as over $500 (I'm sure Revhead could sort something out for you though). Recon I think was about $200 for both joints

[GTCRSHR]

did you find out if it was your super strut

[Mr GTZ]

I hope u read this before paying an arm and a leg more than you really have to. 9 times out of 10 its the lower arm joint which has a wishbone joint moulded into it. in around the middle area. Check out revhead he can do them for $185 each which is a Toyota genuine part. I to work at Toyota and the prices have reduced drastically from around $800 odd bucks. Get a Toyota mechanic or sumone you know thats on to it, to verify that it is that particular arm though to be 100% positve.

[Mr Revhead]

unfortunatly 111s are dearer to fix than 101s.

theres not always play... the shaft that connects the two can seize up and make a groaning creaky noise.

imo genuine is the only option. BNT or recons dont last very long

[Mr GTZ]

Yo Revhead I like your style dude, it shows that you have sum experience backing you in the industry. Myself i'm still fairly new to the company. We just had posthaste lose a whole side of a van we had on order for a customer thats spends a shit load of cash with us per month, and theres no more in the country. $&#$% rediculous....!!!

[Mr GTZ]

$&#$% up thing is that he has a 4 day turn around on his cars and coming from japan, no way. But hey shit happens, anyway is that mr2 in your avatar.

[Mr Revhead]

yeah i back what i sell good thing i trust it!

yes that mr2 is my avatar.....

[Mr GTZ]

Sorry dude drugs do that to you time to time. What I ment to ask was is that mr2 in your avatar supercharged. Toyota I trust it's like a chromosome in my gene that runs through my veins, its courier companys that lose half a $&#$% van that I question

[Mr Revhead]

drugs are bad mmmkay

yes its s/c and its mine

[Mr GTZ]

hey what does it take to fit a sc14 to a 4agze

[Mr Revhead]

that requires another thread

have a bit of a search, see if its been covered before

[alamo]

Ok, after much procrastination the time has come to sort out this problem!

I've had two mechanics look at it and they don't know what it is or which part to replace. So who can help me isolate the part?

The creaking/ knocking has got progressively worse and seems to be only the drivers’ side. It started doing it only when the car was cold but now does it all the time. Its louder when moving from a stand still foward but not when reversing. And it even does it now when I start the car for a split second. There’s not much noise at faster speeds 3rd gear or up.

One of the mechanics said it might be a 'dry ball joint' but it would be only trial and error on his behalf to find the problem.

So which part should I order (take a punt on) and get replaced first?

[Mr Revhead]

go to a toyota dealer.

they will have seen this before.
it can take some time to id the joint as noise travels.

[B1NZ]

Ok, having just gone throught this myself, heres what i reccommend:

Take it to a to a Toyota service workshop, or a specialist suspension place (i cant reccommend that enough!

Get genuine parts, BnT suspension arms are utter rubbish, I wore 2 of them out in 3 months of normal driving! The genuine ones are only a matter of about $100 more, so to save yourself some hassle get them!

Depending on what is worn out it will probably cost you somewhere between $500- $1200 to fix. probably closer to the higher end. But if all done properly you should get another 100,000- 200,000 k's out of it

[alamo]

Ha yeah the second lot of mechanics that looked at it were Taupo Toyota! They weren't realy much help!

The car is a a 97 AE111 Levin BZR. What I need to know is which part is it most likely to be?

[Mr Revhead]

all of them

seriosly they are all as prone to failure as the others

[Dirtbag]

I am having the exactly same problem at the moment, creaking and knocking from superstrut, I was told by service manager at Ilam toyota here in chch that it was my lower link arm (the stuff in the box)


Just had the arm to the right of the box recond (the ball joint failed a wof) and the suspo was creaking/squeeking before hand anyway, though a new creak has appeared as i roll off/to a stop.

120 for each side from ilam toyota with stock in palmy or wateva they could ship asap. Would you still reccomend I get it all checked out my a toyota dealership up on hoist kinda thing before I commit to getting the link arms?

my cars ae101 btw