Hi guys.
Been searching and researching this for many minutes now.

Is there a guide on the forum on how to replace the rear top shock mounts?
Top damper mounts?
My poor wee Celica gen 6 convertible is clunking from the left rear.
Is there anything that can be done with the old one to refurbish or is it case of only a replacemnet will do?

Thanks.

You'll need an impact gun and two spring compressors, to start off.

You'll start by taking the strut off the car. 3 bolts up top, 2 on the bottom and 1 for the sway bar (which you'll want to replace the endlinks when you do this).
Once it's off, you put the compressors on the spring and tighten it down till it's not touching the top mount anymore. Then take the impact gun to the bolt on the top and it's off. Then just go in reverse order to put it back together.

That is how I would do it. There is a trick I have to doing it without the impact gun though.

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Rears are not under load and do not require spring compressors.

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Well, better to be safe than sorry.

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Won't be less safe nor sorry. The rear springs don't shoot out from their perches like the fronts do, but it's always a good rule of thumb.

I've taken the front and rears apart without spring compressors.... even though I have them.


Rears pretty much just have like 1/2" of preload, which is nothing. The fronts have maybe 1.5" but still not bad. Small kick, nothing dangerous.

I always advocate spring compressors -- I'd rather be bored than get a surprise. It's the unlikely and unanticipated that gets people hurt.

However, for the OP: are you certain it's the strut mount that's causing the clunk? The Celica's rear suspension is notorious for a very specific failure, that of the No. 2 suspension arm outboard bearing, which causes a clunk. The suspension arms are the shorter bars running in pairs from the middle of the chassis laterally to the rear wheels, sometimes referred to as lateral links or (erroneously) as rear control arms. The forward of each pair is the No. 1 arm, while the rearward of each pair -- the one with the threaded toe adjuster on the shaft -- is the No. 2 arm. http://www.6gc.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=35515&st=0 You can test for this by getting the vehicle up on a ramp or lift and manipulating the suspension -- use your ears to trace the noise or hands to trace the vibration. Alternately, you can often get the bearing to react by prying at the bar.

Another common source of clunking -- rathe than creaking or groaning -- is worn out stabilizer bar bushings. These are also a cheap fix, and easy to test since you can disconnect the stabilizer bar from these bushings and then manipulate the suspension.

Strut changer how-to: http://www.turbomr2.com/MR2/HowTo/Suspensi...ringStrut-1.HTM

This post has been edited by Galcobar: Apr 18, 2013 - 7:30 PM

I've shot out the top mount before and lets just say it left a pretty nasty chip on a cement floor that was the size of a half dollar. Imagine if that was you skull!

I used Autozone's loan-a-tool service and got the coil spring compressor tool, but didn't really need it on the rears. Especially to put my TRD springs on. They were pretty loose on the rear struts.