I have a 1994 Toyota Camry with about 140,000 miles on it. The driver-
side rear strut is making some noise. If I push the wheel from the
side while it's jacked up, there is a slight give that causes part of
the racket. It's as though the stut's piston doesn't quite remain in
line with the cylinder. There is also a noise sometimes when the
strut compresses, like it needs to be oiled or greased or something.
I know the struts need to be replaced eventually. I have two
questions, however.
1) If I wait a few months to replace the struts, is there a potential
catastrophe around the corner? Is it possible that the strut will
fail in such a way as to rip the rear wheel off the car? Or will it
just fail and remain in place, drivable, but with no sup****t from the
strut.
2) When I replace the strut, should I replace the springs as well, or
are they probably ok for another 100k miles? I've seen the Monroe
quickstrut, but my impression is that that's just an easy way to
replace the strut without using a spring compressor. Or would I
benefit from replacing the spring?
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