Toyota - Solara :: 2005 - Replacing Struts Cause Brake Failure
Jan 26, 2013
I just replaced my Toyota Camry Solara 2005 Front Struts on Thursday to pass State Inspection. On Friday we had a mild snow storm(2 inches) and when taking a turn, the brake didn't work properly and the tires slipped and my car went over the curb and hit a pole. I was going at about 30 mph. My tires are a little old but since they passed the inspection on Thursday I'm guessing that they weren't that bad. My question is did replacing the struts have anything to do with this or was this just my distracted driving...
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I've got a 2001 Toyota Solara, and the driver's side power window has stopped working (in the "up") position. Other windows and powered items in the car work, and there's no sound when I hit the electric switch. From a rough inspection of the apparatus, I don't think that the regulator itself is shot. I'd love to repair this myself...but for this car it will be way more expensive to buy the regulator/motor unit than just the motor online.
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We have a 2005 Camry XLE, with 102,00 miles on it. It has been very well cared for, and only serviced by our Dealer. We would like to keep the vehicle for another 50,000 miles. We have had an assessment of the vehicle done by the Dealer, because our brakes were very soft.
He found a great deal of air in the lines and flushed them out. He also found:
1.) Leaks in the power steering rack, which he graded as a level 8 severity on a 10 point scale. Repair estimate is $1100 to replace and align.
2.) Both front struts are cracked and graded for severity as an 8 on a scale of 10.
What do you think:
A.) Are these safety issues ?
B.) What are the consequences of delay ?
C.) Are these problems indicative of other likely problems ?
D.) Is it better to have a Dealer perform the repairs ?
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I am going to start on the control arms on my 04 V6 Solara this afternoon since the bushings are beyond gone.I have done control arms on my 98 corolla but i didnt have to deal with the stupid motor mounts being in the way.I have done a search and it seems(if i have this right)that i need to
1.Remove Dog Bone
2.Loosen right and left side motor mounts but dont remove the bolts.
3.Jack up the engine just enough to get a wrench on the hidden bolts on each side.
Am i missing anything?I already have the Mevotech control arms with new ball joints already attached.I plan on renting a ball joint removal tool from autozone.
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I'm looking at replacing the struts and shocks in my 04 Prius. Last time I replaced them with some cheap KYBs I found on auto parts warehouse. I was hoping for an improvement over the old worn out parts, but didn't feel an improvement. Well after 5+ years and who knows how many miles I figured it was time to replace them again.
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My son and I were coming down the mountain on I-70 near Georgetown, Colorado in a snowstorm in his toyota 4runner. We had just gone through the Eisenhower Tunnel. There was alot of traffic, and driving conditions were terrible. We were traveling approximately 10 miles per hour when my son told me that his brakes were not working. We downshifted, and then slid into the guardrail on the median (we were in the left lane). Luckily we were not hurt, and we did not hit anyone else. Once the car was towed back to Denver, the brakes worked again. My son is getting the car checked by a mechanic, but why the brakes gave out and how he can avoid that happening in the future? Was it related to the cold weather (approximate 10 degrees)? I did not feel that he was riding the brakes as we descended. The road was icy at the time.
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I drive a 2007 toyota camry. This winter the brake light has come on twice - each time after driving for at least 30 minutes on very slushy, cold conditions. The first time, the brakes were still working fine - I pulled into work, topped off the fluid and the light went off. Flash forward two months later. Same conditions, the light came on and as I was looking for parking, the brakes went out. Pedal was soft, emergency lights went on the car said to "CHECK VSC". I pulled into a parking lot and the brakes were once again working, but the lights were still on.
I had the car towed to a Firestone where they were unable to determine a problem. The next day, all the lights were out on the dash. I had the car towed to the Toyota dealership and not only can they not recreate the issue, but when they pull the numbers from the car, there is no indication that anything has ever been wrong with any system in the vehicle. They told me they've called Toyota Tech and there has never been a report of this issue. They want to release the car back to me, but I do not feel safe driving this car.
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I recently replaced the struts and strut mounts (front and back) on my 1999 Subaru Outback (all wheel drive). Immediately after this was done, the car began making a grinding noise that comes from the front end when I either am coming to a stop (grinding begins happening at 5mph or so) or turning left (happens at any speed). However, if I am traveling along and, upon approaching a stop sign or left corner in the road, shift the car into neutral (it is an automatic transmission) the grinding does not occur. When I replaced the passenger-side strut I did not mark the position of the bolt that is responsible for adjusting the caliber. I did, however, do this for the drivers side.
I really have no clue what is going on here. I replaced the struts because the rear tires were wearing badly on the inside and I was told by a mechanic that the struts were bad (which they were). However, in an effort to save money I am unsure of how to proceed. If I go ahead and have the tires replaced and get a four-wheel alignment and it doesn't solve the issue, I will likely have to mess with the front end (or someone will anyway) which will then require another alignment.
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I went into a shop today and got my corolla checked out and they said that its shock absorbers and struts should be replaced because the oils were leaking and they told me the total estimate of my cost (parts+labors) are about 1300 dollars.
Like, do I need to buy all shock absorbers, struts and strut springs for each of the wheel? (front 2 + rear 2 = total of 4 of each) ??
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I have a 2009 RAV4 and it has only 40,000 miles. Three weeks ago, I took it to a local Toyota dealership for oil change and tire rotation. The service manager told me that it needs the drive belt to be replaced and the oil in the four-wheel drive system needs to be replaced. I accepted his recommendation and have the job done. After paid almost $700, I took the car back. The next week, the engine lost power and did not respond to the gas pedal for a few seconds while I was driving on the highway. This problem occurred on and off while I was driving.
In addition, the brake light was on after I had the car fully parked and the car key was out. I took it back to the dealership. After diagnosed, the service manager told me that the "brake switch" has gone bad and it caused the engine lost power because it has a "break safe system". After paid about $130 to replace the "brake switch", the problem of engine lost power and won't respond to the gas pedal was gone. The next week, however, the engine light was on and the warning light of four-wheel drive was on. I took the car back to the dealership again. After diagnosed, this time they said the O2 sensor has gone bad and it caused the engine light on and the four wheel warning sign on. I took the car back again. So I paid another $450 to have the O2 sensor replaced. Now the car seems to be running normal.
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2005 Prius with 190,000 miles.
I was having intermittent problems with my cruise control but realized it would turn on and off if the wheel was turned 45 degrees. I replaced the spiral cable (with a Toyota OEM) and the cruise worked great! The only problem was that the VSC light was on. There was a fault for a steering wheel position sensor. I attempted to do a zero point calibration and now I have the red Brake, ((!)), ABS, and VSC lights on solid all the time.
I've unhooked the battery for hours several times, tried to clear the codes (no obd codes show up), and tired to clear the ABS fault by pressing the brakes 8 times in 4 seconds while in diagnositc mode and jumping 3 and 14 four times in 8 seconds.
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I've got a 2005 Volvo V50. High Mileage (230000). Timing belt replaced at 200k. Runs really nice, until this evening. Inserted the key and turned over but instead of starting it made whirring robot noises and read "brake failure message" and "immobilizar" after turning key to off position. It's really cold out. 0 degrees. What's the next move?
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The switch on my Solara Convertible is freezing up. How do I change it?
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Both of my FOBs stopped working. I replaced both batteries and they still don't work. Dealer says I have to replace the FOBs, but why would both stop working at the same time. I thought it might either be a programming problem or a sensor problem.
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As a new owner of a '04 Solara that is perfect in every way except cracks in the dash, replacement covers are available and where?
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We purchased a car close to a year ago that at some point had the oil overfilled. We've had the engine cleaned out by the dealership and the car runs much better now but we still see smoke when the car is turned on and occasionally when it idles for more than a few minutes. Is this something that will just be an ongoing cycle or is there something else we should be having checked?
The car is a 2002 Toyota Solara, automatic, 120k miles.
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I was picking my daughter up from school on Friday, drove to the school, parked and left the motor running while waiting on her to come out. The car suddenly dies and won't restart. I thought initially it was a problem of bad cable connections on the batter, but after resolving that, I still couldn't get the car to crank due to a drained battery.
I pulled engine codes and got a 306, misfire on bank 6, pulled and replaced the plug, and put a new battery on the car. Now, when I try to start it, the starter spins fast, RPM goes up to close to 1000, and the motor will eventually start to turn over correctly, but will quit and go back to the fast spinning. It will rotate back and forth between the try to crank and fast spinning continuously. I tried pulling engine codes again and got nothing.
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Since I've owned the car, which i got in December of 2013, the engine light has been on and off. The previous owner, who drove it off the lot in 2004, was a family member who took it to a mechanic multiple times. Multiple mechanics said it was the gas cap. I replaced the gas cap back in February 2014. The engine light still comes on and occasionally goes off.
Here's some information I've gathered driving the car since then
Straight highway mileage tops out at 28 MPG. Only city/town driving yields about 19/20 mpg, so the gas mileage is okay
Last weekend, I drove around on maine roads for the whole weekend, spending about 90% of the driving time doing 50+ on roads. The engine light successfully went off and stayed off for the longest period of time since i've owned the car.
The rust situation on the car is extremely minor, except for some rusted fittings. Frame rust and general surface rust is non existant except on certain pieces that can be replaced (struts, tie rods, ect) However, there is one piece that looks shitty, which is the spacer between the exhaust header out of the engine and the engine block.
The code the car puts out is either a catalytic system failure or catalytic system operating below threshold. There is a new catalytic converter in the last 3 years, so I highly doubt that's at fault (not to mention the engine light manages to stay off for the yearly inspection and it passes emissions no problem).
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My '07 Solara w/40k miles has a burned out tail-light (LED). It had moisture built up in it and probably caused it. I opened the hood to check to see if any fuses might be involved (didn't remove any) and the car wouldn't start after that. It cranks nicely, but acts as if it isn't getting any fuel.
Previously this happened to me and it turned out to be the battery (even though it cranked well). So, I replaced the battery with the one from my other car - no go, so we've eliminated the battery.
Took my voltmeter and I have 12.6 or so at the battery. The tail-lights have around 11.91 volts. Pulled the fuel pump wiring and again, I have 11.91 volts. Hooked a 12v lamp to it and the lamp won't come on, which leads me to a short somewhere?? (I have unplugged the LED tail-light).
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I have a 2002 Toyota Solara SLE 6-cylinder 2-door coupe. 98,000 miles.
I have lots of white smoke at start up. Big time oil consumption. My wife drives car 14 mile round trip each day. Each night, I go out late and start car to burn off oil. There is no smoke in the morning when I do this.
People here have suggested the problem is valve stem seals. Not something I should try to fix myself. I did change the pcv valve.
I took car to mechanic. Told him it might be valve stems. He said he'd have to do the heads. Sounded like it would be expensive.
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I have a 2001 Toyota Solara. Whenever I make a hard right turn the car turns off. When I stop and put it in park I can always crank right back up. I can turn left with no problems. What the problem is.?
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