witty97

I have a 97 Lexus ES300 that I inherited a year or so ago. Car came to me with 35K miles and in great shape EXCEPT for a noise in the front left suspension that sounds like a box of rocks is sitting right above my front left tire.
I hear it the most when going over bumps at low speeds and when driving at lower speeds (35mph) on uneven surface.
In the summer when it's hot (I live in SC) the noise goes away almost completely once the car is warmed up. It is definitely worse in the winter and before the car is really warmed up.
Car is perfect with exception to that. Any ideas? Could it be worn bushing or rubber that has broken down for lack of driving (car barely had more than 1K miles driven on it per year for the 2 years before I inherited it and only 3-4K per year otherwise. It was literally the car my Grandma drove to the grocery store and to church.)
HELP!!!!

RumpRoast

Welcome Witty,

I've been with the forum for several weeks now and did nothing but read and read and read. It sounds like the problem that you're describing is a very common problem among our vehicles. Some of the "clunking" noise were resolved by replacing the bushings that has worn out over the years, replacing the strut mounts or for some people....both.

We've had several snow storms blow thru here the past week and the noise from my car became unbearable. I drove down an uneven road and sounded like someone took a box of nuts and bolts and dumped it under my hood.

I started with the less expensive fix first and bought swaybar bushing along with endlinks and that cured about 90% of my sound issues. The only thing I hear now is a creaking sound coming from the back when I go over speed bumps.

I'm pretty sure the much more knowledgeable members with similar experiences will chime in soon with more helpful advice. Welcome to the forums

Lexucan

^^ Sounds like your reading has paid off. Yes, I too had the box of rox under the hood and replacing the sway bar bushings cured it.
I also have a "squish squish" sound in the front (driver's side) when going over bumps which (after reading several posts on the subject) leads me to believe that my strut mounts need attention, i.e. lubing them with spray silicone lubricant (which may or may not be just a temporary fix), or replacing them (which would be a more expensive but also a more permanent solution).

witty97

Interesting. So is this something that I can fix myself? I'm fairly mechanically inclined but if it is something I could screw up I'd rather take it to my local Japanese Auto Repair shop.

Thanks for the insight. I'll let y'all know how things turn out.

n2cars

I have a 2000ES. I suffered through the same problem for 2 years - everything was fine in the summer, but once the weather dropped below 50F, the noise came back. After many unsuccessful hours of trying to re-create the problem in the garage, I finally took it in to a trusted independent shop. It turned out to be the upper strut mount bushing. He immediately looked at the top of the mount and noticed that the strut was off-center of the hole and knew what the problem was. He said it was a common problem. I decided to do both sides although only the left side was making noise. $800 and 2 hours later I was back on the road and rattle-free. (Dealer was $1400+).

brian_ka7

Does anyone know if this happens on the '02 and up ES? I hear the same sound in the winter, like a small rattle.

LEX ES300

Hi Witty97,

First of all - welcome to the club! There's plenty of help here. Make sure you use the search tool and you will find loads of helpful information first.

The front rattle is very common on the ES and the Toyota Camry equivalent. Do a search on the internet and you will discover you are not alone!

I am very pleased to say that I have finally fixed mine!

Some members have been able to get away with replacing a few parts here and there but I had to go the whole way! Probably start with the strut mounts and bushings, then move on to more expensive parts.

I went the whole way and replaced quite a few things. Here's a link on how I fixed mine. (I have updated it at the end.)

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=332698

Good luck.

LEX ES300

witty97

Thanks for the info LEX.
The more people I talk to the more I am in agreement that my strut mounts and bushings are shot.
May I ask how much you paid to get both sides replaced? I don't mind going with non-Lexus parts so if I do any idea how much of a discount I can expect??

Again tanks for the insight!