How To Replace The Struts In a Chevy Prizm/Toyota Corolla

[@Nslinkar]

What a great, in-depth guide. Good work buddy!

[@gabrieli334]

Thank you for posting this! it was useful I have the same car and the struts on it are still the stock ones they're shot lol

[@da_garage383]

Good, I'm glad you found it helpful! That's what I was hoping for when I posted this video.

[@almaralmar86]

Thank you for this. Nice video.

[@MagicHandDrawingandElse]

Hi, great video, what brand of strut are those, can you post a link where to buy it? Thanks. Happy Thanksgiving

[@da_garage383]

Thank you, happy Thanksgiving! The brand is called TrueDrive. Here is the link for the struts for a 1998 Chevy Prism: www.carparts.com/shock-absorber-and-strut-assembly?&vehicle[cylinders]=4&vehicle[liter]=1%2E8&vehicle[submodel]=LSi&vehicle[model]=Prizm&vehicle[make]=Chevrolet&vehicle[year]=1998

[@captainsenileinfo]

so hows your car ride now do it give you a nice ride or a hard ride ?thanks for posting as i need new struts my self as i have a 98 chevy prizm 5 speed.

[@da_garage383]

It's firm and responsive, but not bumpy and hard. It feels like the damping is set appropriately out of the box. It soaks up the bumps without being too jarring or too spongy. I really like them.

[@captainsenileinfo]

i hate the struts i have on my car after i had them put in the car rode hard feel every bump when this was done at the time ,its ben i,d say 5 years now i had them or maybe i,ll just get a toyota camry as i heard they ride better.

[@da_garage383]

@@captainsenileinfo Camry's do ride more comfortably. The suspension is definitely set up more for comfort and a smoother ride over a Corolla or Prizm.

[@captainsenileinfo]

@@da_garage383 well thanks for the info and sharing your thoughts and posting.

[@captainsenileinfo]

do you need to have an alignment done on rear struts if thats all your haveing done.

[@ShippinWithUncleChippin]

How's the car treating you with only two attachment points? Did you have to go back and change anything? What did you do about the two other hex bolts on top of the strut?

[@da_garage383]

Everything has been functioning as it should. I like like these struts - they make the car feel like it's riding new. I haven't noticed any issues or need to change anything. Everything is still tight and secure.

[@nightfangs2910]

​@@da_garage383 did you have to take the brake line apart because the new strut assembly didn't have a slot to attach the brake line through ??? My strut assembly doesn't have a cut slot to slide the brake line in

[@da_garage383]

@@nightfangs2910 That is an option but no, I did not. I cut the opening so it was a slot for the brake line fitting to slide into. Then a zip tie to secure it. I know that may sound bad using a zip tie however they're kind of a standard in mechanics. Auto mechanics use them and we even use them in aviation. The FAA allows it for some applications.

[@nightfangs2910]

@@da_garage383 alright thanks, I'm going to cut the slot in them and zip tie them

[@aznnp77]

I've watched 3 of these videos, and the original strut on your car is the only time I've seen where the brake line bracket has a slit for it to come out without unattaching the brake line. I noticed your new ones didn't have that slit, yet you didn't even mention it in the video. Did you just unattach the brake line and put it back on?

[@da_garage383]

During the removal of the old strut it appears the brakeline bracket had that slit cut into it. The new struts had a tab with a hole in it for the brakeline, but not a slit to slide the brakeline clip back into place. You'd have to either cut a slit to allow the brakeline to slip into the tab or do what I did and zip tie the brakeline clip section to the tab on the strut. I know that doesn't sound fancy, but it works and you don't have to disconnect the brakeline.

[@aznnp77]

@@da_garage383 I think I see it now at 9:53. Disconnecting the brake line isn't that hard, as as long as it's just dripping down it's not really getting air in the system. I would have just bit the bullet and disconnected it and vice gripped the hose. But I probably won't even have the option to zip tie it cuz I assume my originals don't have that slit missing. How many miles did this car have it when you replaced the struts? My prizm has 160K and I dunno if I really need them yet. It rides the same as it did when I got it at 131K.

[@da_garage383]

@@aznnp77 At the time of purchasing this prizm I just urgently needed a car. I got it for $700 as is and it's not in great cosmetic shape. I knew when I got it, it needed some new parts - struts being one of them. It had around 210k miles on the clock when I bought it. I have no information on it's history, but I've had it for a year now and it's been a fantastic little car. No issues.

[@aznnp77]

@@da_garage383 That's funny, I paid $700 for my prizm too. My Dad bought a brand new one in 1998 and drove it til about 220k until he totaled it. By then it had a bad valve gasket leak and a really bad power steering leak. After he totaled the orginal prizm, I had been eyeing this other prizm for several weeks. Dude wanted like 1400 or something. I got him down to 1,000, but when we saw the car it had a big dent in the bumper and the check engine light was on. I passed on it initially, but it was very hard to find a running car for that much, so I offered him $700 too and he accepted. It needed like $300-400 in work, but I did most of it myself. It had 131k miles, and looks like they replaced the valve cover gasket already. Only big problems are the infamous oil burn. It probably burns a quart every 500-600 miles. Also, the car runs lean and gets horrible gas mileage. No check engine lights at the moment though. It gets like +15 to +20 on the fuel trims on a scanner. Haven't been able to figure it out. Gets like 23-24mpg of highway driving. I wholeheartedly agree with you though. If you need a cheap and reliable car to get you around, the 1999-2002 corolla is probably the best vehicle ever despite it's flaws. You can get one for around $1000-1500.

[@da_garage383]

@@aznnp77 That is interesting because it sounds so similar to my car! My steering pump leaks and I went to replace the valve cover gasket but it looks like that was already done not too long ago. It's quite the oil burner so I have to regularly check the oil levels. It runs well though and gets good gas mileage. I get low 30's city and high 30's up to 40mpg highway. Amid it's flaws it's still a good car.

[@carriefrees4961]

I have a 2002 Chevy prism and my car doesn't have that thing in the trunk

[@ypcomchic]

If it has less bolts then you got the wrong ones.

[@da_garage383]

These were made direct fit for the car and fit just like the old ones minus one bolt. I confirmed it several times before buying because they're a little expensive. They've been really nice on the car, rides great and responsive. I've checked them over the months of use and they're fine.

[@Noizy_Boi]

@@da_garage383 There is a three stud and four stud version for the rears. Your brand looks like they made a 4 stud that could also be used as a 3 stud if they had supplied the studs to also install with.

[@marblox9300]

He shows the front old strut - and zips instantly to the new one already installed. Didn't show how it was actually put in. What a useless video.

[@da_garage383]

You didn't watch the video clearly 🤦‍♂️

[@marblox9300]

@@da_garage383 You showed the rear one but on the front one you just skipped it. They are different.

[@buzzcut8551]

Far from useless, it was very informative. You need to grow up.