2001 Toyota Camry Rear Strut Replacement

How to replace the rear struts on a 2001 Japanese Camry.
Struts available here:
SR4035: amzn.to/1OYm4Br
SR4036: amzn.to/1YN7aIO
Check out our new Amazon list of items we use and recommend to others for their vehicles: www.amazon.com/shop/redonkilaus

[@timmcanally9193]

I was able to remove the 2 19mm bolts without an impact tool. I just used my 1/2 inch breaker bar. Please don't scare people away. This is an easy job. My 16 year old daughter did one side while I did the other. Nice way to teach the younger generation.

[@redonKiLaus]

Sounds like your car may have had the shocks changed in the past. Mine has been in the family since new, so I know mine were never done before, and two full grown men with a 3 foot breaker bar didn't get those 19mm bolts loose - in my case, it definitely took an impact. Could also have to do with production factory if yours were in fact never done before - mine was a Japan-made vehicle, but a lot of US delivery Camrys were actually manufactured here as well. Anyway, bottom line is that it may be necessary to have an impact, but perhaps not in every case. Thanks for watching!

[@timmcanally9193]

No loctite here, just stupid mechanics over tightening bolts with an impact wrench. (one side had been removed to replace a bad coil spring) I had to use a 30 inch breaker bar to get that bolt loose. The other side went without a hitch. Still an easy job.

[@nathansoto3544]

Tim McAnally great I don’t have an impact

[@yomamabreathstank3638]

9

[@dbfcrell8300]

KYB is one of the few suspension companies to make application specific struts. For example, I bought some Sensen struts for my 1999 Camry XLE with a 4 cyl 2.2L. The car sits up high in the rear b/c Sensen uses the same rear strut for the 99 Solara which is 300lbs heavier in the rear. Since they take a multi-application approach to offering struts, the Camry sits high as opposed to a Solara needing heavier duty dampening. I have KYBs in the front of my Camry, which the combination has worked out well for me b/c I have a killer angle where my driveway meets the road that I couldn't get over w/o scraping my exhaust otherwise.

[@sterlingstreamliner]

I have read many of the comments. Yes, some of the criticism is valid, but this video is still very helpful. I went looking for guidance on how to change the struts on a 2001 Camry and this video was the best I've seen. I wonder how many of those who posted negative comments have a YT channel and produce and post DIY videos? I'm middle-aged and I like the attention to detail and safety. The fact that approx. 100,000 people have watched this video in less than 3 years says a lot. I appreciate your concern that people work safely. Keep up the good work redonKiLaus.

[@redonKiLaus]

I'm glad you enjoyed the video - I make these for free to help other people, and as you said, the majority of negative comments likely come from individuals who do not have KZbin channels and expect high-budget production quality for free. Thank you for watching, and I hope you find this and my other videos helpful!

[@user-db4fp2tn2w]

While i think you went overkill with the scissor jacks, and also were unnecessarily discouraging for what is really a very easy job, the video quality is good, and you definately know your stuff. thumbs up.

[@colin6215]

you have a great collection of jacks

[@redonKiLaus]

Thanks for watching!

[@TomMack530]

you are the first person i have seen that safety can first , thanks for shearing

[@Am0ungNonMae]

last month i installed all complete strut by my self with just basic tools and put new rear lower control arm and stabilizer bar and sway bar bushing and also got new tires and car runs like new. no more noise. front strut bolt size is 19mm and rear strut bolt size is 21mm. thanks for encouraging safety.

[@redonKiLaus]

Glad to hear your project was a success - thanks for watching!

[@josephdunivan2961]

thank you for the help in this vid .......to those that want too pick it all apart... Grow up...... we don't see you doing a vid too help out the DIY I found it very helpful.. thanks again for taking time out of your day too help us Joseph

[@soyeldiego4878]

Very informative video. Will be working on this project with my son on his 97 Camry.Thanks for posting.

[@redonKiLaus]

Glad to hear the video helped, and thanks for watching!

[@raybutlerjr8190]

Thanks for listing all the tools that you used. I have to do this tomorrow and will not have to get up off the ground a hundred times fetching the necessary tools good job.

[@redonKiLaus]

Good luck on the job, and thanks for watching!

[@jareddrouin7805]

I wish my 01 Gallery Series looked as nice as that one does. Nice video and thanks!

[@redonKiLaus]

Thanks for watching!

[@mikelealamanua9250]

Good video! Thanks for the insight on replacing these struts. I feel that replacing them as units makes for a better ride and being a 1999, springs tend to sag.

[@redonKiLaus]

Glad the video helped. Thanks for watching!

[@HOLDEN427VE]

Great video. Safety was really front and center. Thank you.

[@redonKiLaus]

THanks for watching!

[@JohnBaker3000]

Excellent tutorial! Thank-you!

[@redonKiLaus]

Glad the video helped, and thanks for watching!

[@zamzammrfixit3113]

You’re a grate man with outstanding qualities

[@redonKiLaus]

Thanks, and thanks for watching!

[@ylk1484]

Will KYB SR4035 SR4036 Strut-Plus work for 2000 Lexus ES300 V6 ?

[@ryangauci4617]

Have you good a link for the complete struts?

[@puppygadget3189]

Thanks for the video. Did the car settle down a bit lower after you put a decent amount of miles on the struts? Are they a bit to firm? Or soften a bit after some miles are on them?

[@thrillbylg]

I don’t think I’ve ever seen a safer video OSHA would be happy

[@bigpapatyr0ne732]

OSHA would’ve told this guy to skip some corners to actually get the job done

[@mattnelson9123]

Great video. Not enough jacks though. I never do suspension jobs with less than fifty-seven jacks. Safety first! No but really, appreciate the video mate, cheers.

[@redonKiLaus]

Thanks for watching!

[@JerryPerkinsfitand50online]

I had a long comment with some things that I came across, then it went away. This was a very helpful video. Just a few observations. Anyway, main thing, I could not find the extra long 12 mm for the top bolts, I ended up using offset box end wrench for the back bolts and a short ratcheting wrench for the front and it worked fine (use the offset box to break all of them loose so you don't put too much strain on that ratcheting wrench, assuming you go cheap like I do). Also, I would advise anyone doing this to definitely move the caliper out of the way. Much easier without it there. I had to use my breaker bar to start the 19mm bolts, my impact wrench would not break them loose, even with PB Blaster. The only real difficulty I ran into was maneuvering the new strut in. I ended up putting the bottom in first, taking it down low, then bringing it back up. May not be the best way but it worked for me. Also, if your car has ABS, you have to take out a couple of 10 mm bolts and move that wire the same way the video has you move the brake line.

[@JerryPerkinsfitand50online]

Also, assuming you are doing both sides, examine your struts and the brackets on them for the sway bar link and hoses. They are unique (flipped) for each side and you don't want to get it in before noticing that.

[@redonKiLaus]

@@JerryPerkinsfitand50online Good info - not sure why your previous comment would've gone missing unless KZbin marked it as spam - AI algorithms do that sometimes. Thanks for posting and watching!

[@Dontjudgewaggin]

Very useful, nice step by step

[@redonKiLaus]

Thanks for watching!

[@ricecowboy]

Excellent job.

[@redonKiLaus]

Glad you enjoyed, and thanks for watching!

[@georgemck5709]

Great instructions Thanks

[@redonKiLaus]

Thanks for watching!

[@prestonherrington5775]

You 100% do not have to remove the bottom seat cushion. You just push the cushion down a little and your ratchet and socket will fit onto the 12mm bolt to remove the side panel, that reveals the strut mount bolts.

[@redonKiLaus]

I can definitely see that being possible. Removing the bottom cushion does give you a great opportunity to clean underneath, though - you'd be surprised how much spare change and dirt accumulates down there over the years! Thanks for watching!

[@massesbulet]

I have 2001 with rear drum brake system you think i can swap it with disk brake system

[@redonKiLaus]

That's probably possible, but it would also involve swapping parts like hubs, control arms, axles, etc...not worth it on an old car. Thanks for watching!

[@TravelNut72]

that car is like it was driven off the lot its immaculate !

[@redonKiLaus]

It was immaculate, but unfortunately was totaled a year and a half ago. Thanks for watching!

[@kamalabbady6778]

thank you for taking safety very seriously

[@redonKiLaus]

Thanks for watching!

[@lemonstealinghorsdoeuvre]

Is there some way to just raise the suspension a touch? There is a dip I keep skidding on when I leave the driveway. It was fine but the streets got repaved and now I scuff the plastic thing unde the bumper.

[@redonKiLaus]

These pre-loaded struts I used actually did lift the car a bit. That's really the only way, most folks actually want to lower their cars. Thanks for watching!

[@lemonstealinghorsdoeuvre]

@@redonKiLaus thanks for responding. I did notice there are almost _-150_ videos on how to raise my camry. And probably eleventy‐billion videos on how to drop it🤦🏻‍♀️ I ordered some beefy truck tires, went to the tire shop, and they said they would not install them for some liability issue. They fit the wheels but the rednecks there made fun of my choices like they had some secret inside knowledge of tire dimensions. Goldang it. And then my rims didn't fit the ('95) ranger when I wanted to swap em so I could change them back after installing the tires on the truck. The Toyota rims were too tight on the center lug thing, and the truck had (I wanna say) Ford escorting size wheels and tires when it was stock. I swapped 'em out for some all seasons in the same width and inner diameter. I'm not looking to install new coilovers, but I don't see another option, thank you for not making fun of me trying to lift a camry.

[@henryserra4746]

Assembled in the USA with Chinese parts, fantastic, it is not the same assembled as manufactured in

[@afara2000]

I agree about getting an impact gun to break 19mm bolts loose with penetrating oil applied beforehand but 200+ ft-lbs of torque for 19mm bolt and nuts is higher than recommended. My Chilton service manual says 145 ft-lbs used nut and 188 ft-lbs new nut for rear struts and 156 ft-lbs for front struts. Also, 30 ft-lbs for 14mm stabilizer link nuts.

[@redonKiLaus]

I'm definitely not recommending 200lbs when reinstalling, I mentioned that number because that's my guesstimate of what these were torqued to by whomever was the last to install them. You definitely want to adhere to factory specs for these suspension components. Thanks for watching!

[@afara2000]

@@redonKiLaus I just replaced all four struts including sway bar links and bushings. Your tool recommendation was right on. I did use a breaker bar, cordless impact gun, double box end ratcheting wrenches and 5mm hex socket and Allen wrenches. Fortunately I didn't have to cut sway bar links. Thanks for making this video.

[@robertobrien2826]

just heard a pop and rear passenger side dropped down two inches, is it a strut or more damage2000 toyota camry

[@redonKiLaus]

It could be any number of things, a close inspection is really necessary to know for sure. Could be a spring/strut issue, mounting point broken, control arm/balljoint issue, etc.

[@rjbush]

So the hex socket on the sway bar stripped. How do I get it loose?

[@redonKiLaus]

That's going to be quite difficult without destroying the end link. I generally end up using a pair of vice grips to wrangle a stripped end link off, but worst case scenario you may need to cut it. I would recommend purchasing new end links if you are at any mileage over 100k, and they are fairly cheap parts. Hope that helps, and thanks for watching!

[@sterlingba7074]

Nothing seemed wrong with the struts visually nor did he mention the fault in the old pair. But good video on removing them

[@sdnative2387]

Should the rear springs on a car that old be replaced as well?

[@redonKiLaus]

Springs wear out with driving (mileage), not so much age. If you have lots of miles on your car, then probably, yes. Thanks for watching!

[@theone-wq9lp]

accidently bought 2003 shocks. anyone know if they will fit a 2004 Camry?

[@redonKiLaus]

They are of the same generation so my guess would be yes, but you can cross reference the part number for an 03 and 04 Camry to see if they match. Thanks for watching!

[@charlesross1682]

My 01camry has drums on rear?

[@rgt8309]

Why is there so much space between the wheel and body? My car sits much lower than shown here, about maybe an inch of space above the tire. And that was after changing my struts with Monroe quick struts. Why the difference?

[@redonKiLaus]

That's just where this car sat. The KYB struts did raise it a bit, but it sat rather high from factory as well. Not sure why the difference, I'm not an expert on Camrys by any means. Thanks for watching!

[@wendualx9251]

What brand impact driver did you use?

[@redonKiLaus]

It's Kobalt brand - Lowe's in-house brand. Thanks for watching!

[@carlosedwardos]

Most of this looks pretty good, but a couple of HUGE mistakes - You can't just go and re-engineer the direction of bolts, Toyota put them in that direction FOR A REASON - SAFETY! - Put those bottom strut bolts back in the correct orientation! - Also, you don't GUESS at torques "with a couple of zips of an impact driver" - you torque them to 200 ft lbs. or whatever the torque spec is in the factory service manual, with an appropriate size torque wrench!

[@adolfhilter]

Thanks for sharing, is the strut still good after 4 years of driving? Thanks

[@redonKiLaus]

Can't say - the vehicle was crashed and totaled shortly after these parts were replaced. They had well under 1 year of usage and were good at that point, but that doesn't give us much of an idea of viability long-term, unfortunately. Thanks for watching!

[@thedeathwobblechannel6539]

mine are 19 years and SHOT TO HELL

[@zaneherrington8868]

I put these same struts on my 99 Camry 4 years ago, all 4. KYB Strut Plus. Still riding like new. No issues out of them.

[@Patriotvb]

I have to replace the rear subframe on mine as well as the struts. I am thinking it would be a lot easier to remove the subframe and get these in while it’s out?

[@redonKiLaus]

More than likely - thanks for watching!

[@vag4lvevo22]

Do you think the struts for the 2001 toyota camry are the same as 2001 lexus es300.

[@redonKiLaus]

They may be, you'd need to check parts catalogs though. Knowing Lexus vehicles, despite the fact that the ES is essentially a luxury Camry, the struts are probably valved differently and thus carry a different P/N. Thanks for watching!

[@vag4lvevo22]

redonKiLaus ohhh ok. Thanks for the info 🙏

[@The.Dude.Abides.]

Would an alignment need to be done after completing this job?

[@redonKiLaus]

Yes, it absolutely would. Thanks for watching!

[@bigpapatyr0ne732]

No it wouldn’t at all. There’s nothing about the struts that will mess up your alignment. These are direct fit replacements. You put them in and you’re good to go.

[@curtdawg4560]

The fucking king of jack stands here

[@4u2nv503]

Assembled in the USA don't mean jack. Where are the actual parts made at?

[@robran53]

I had the exact car, year and color scheme.

[@redonKiLaus]

Nice, thanks for watching!

[@fair2middlin]

Just got done with the Rear! YAY ME!

[@lukekendall2484]

I need you to show the steps

[@angelisone]

Reply with your email here, if you still need help

[@shiafriedman2425]

thanks

[@redonKiLaus]

Thanks for watching!

[@roltyd22]

Spray the hardware with pb blaster or any cheap penetrating spray couple times a day or 2 before doing the repair,makes it a piece of cake with bar and socket

[@markbaker5167]

Obviously not a rust belt car. I need to replace my struts but the rust is so bad I dread attempting it.

[@trippplefive]

this must be the cleanest 2001 Camry on the planet. my poor Corolla is rusting thanks to the Canadian weather.

[@redonKiLaus]

Living in Texas and Arizona its whole life helps. Thanks for watching!

[@podatrb3360]

These are some of the most rust resistant cars around.

[@samsam-si6zj]

Easy job but he made it too complicated, you do not need impact driver , you just need 25 inch breaker bar and 10 to 19 ranches and ratchet set and a hex key and the most important part that he miss the torque ranch and jack and jack stands. Very simple and easy job .

[@johnhunter5490]

Gruss Gott !!!

[@ericackerman1162]

I think they over did it with the jacks

[@redonKiLaus]

Nah, it was underdone if anything. JK. Thanks for watching!

[@jaredb2142]

Safety safety safety! Jesus, are you a mechanic or a mother?

[@stevemorris3751]

there is nothing difficult about it even a person with half a brain can do it

[@josephrobinson5452]

Notice at 8:39 he said I'll be right back and when he came back the whole time was out. We didn't even see how he did it and he did this so many times in this sorry good for nothing video.

[@jasonmcnamara2079]

over dialogued like most vids and if you dont know why they torque those bolts up so tight and you just decided to do your own thing then dont touch cars but thanks for showing how to access bolts inside on strut tower

[@redonKiLaus]

We do know why the bolts are torqued as they are since they do follow traditional, size and application specific automotive torque specification standards, but the comment I made on how tight they were was moreso referring to the fact that they were overtorqued either at the factory or by the last individual to service the suspension, as they were far over spec. Thanks for watching!

[@vag4lvevo22]

5:34. HHaha you meant impact socket.

[@rob810reelone8]

The jackstand is stronger than them jacks

[@redonKiLaus]

True. Thanks for watching!

[@tchleet]

overkill on the jacks

[@funknode]

Why doesn't anyone have a car with rust?

[@sumacmt]

As a retired pro mechanic my question is why would you make a video using expensive specialty tools when not required? Terrible.

[@2012EvoXGSR]

Tf? Lol he can use whatever tools he damn well pleases! Wow lol

[@andycrowley6442]

Damn it every part that is unique to this car, like removing the caliper, you did not show.....how frustrating. He went through every simple process with a fine tooth comb. 😖

[@bigpapatyr0ne732]

You don’t need to remove the calipers lol dude did double the work he needed to replace them

[@jotu173]

Said with the utmost respect... but being blunt in hopes that you take it constructively as I truly want to know about the subject in the title of this and your other (front strut) video. In short... GET TO THE POINT! When you make a "how to" video, stick to WHAT YOUR TITLE SAYS THE VIDEO IS ABOUT and do not ramble for 99% of the video talking about (and then repeating many times) useless, long winded, associated details. 80% of the videos problems lie in the fact that you have very little to ZERO footage of actually installing or taking the strut out. Just useless nearly summaries of what you did or are going to do! If you have no one to hold the camera while to tape while you work, then please invest in a cheap tripod! If you want to make a rambling video about safety, and preparation to do a job, and your vast experience and part numbers and Japanese vintages... no problem... just please do us all a favor and TITLE IT ACCURATELY!!!

[@aznightstalker]

SMH, poor old guy wasn't smart enough to not do the job the fast, smart and easy way. Work smarter not harder.

[@paulthieu2636]

So many mistakes in the thumb nail that want safe

[@lastcall4686]

Way too much dialogue and extra details to sort through to get to the actual project it's really not that complicated

[@fabfrenchies1974]

83 ftlbs is the torque spec, not 200, those are going to snap off bud!

[@mingyang1922]

No! It's 188 ftlbs for new nut; 145 ftlbs for reused nut.

[@williamsolano2571]

🙉🙈🤔😴

[@anilramjohn2444]

you are doing the wrong job you should be working behind a desk where it's safer.

[@PharaohFluidity]

You don't "take loose" a nut or bolt.. You loosen or take out.

[@redonKiLaus]

I guess that's a bit of growing up in Texas showing in my vocabulary - be right back, gotta go take loose a bolt. Thanks for watching!

[@rednblkchevelle]

Dqmn...too many jacks

[@utmost-F16]

Reduce talking.

[@alancheung6159]

You're done very things and talked. Move your video out please ! talk too much than done 😤👎

[@sammmyds39]

Too much taking

[@pichingitohondureno1960]

Z👎🏻👎🏻👎🏻👎🏻

[@shiafriedman2425]

thanks

[@hausburn]

VIN stands for Vehicle Identification Number