diamondave

i have a 1996 LS and i have an off and on noise at 70+. sounds about like a fan hitting a plastic house but it doesnt seem to change with engine rpm. also i seem to have an unstable wandering feel on the highway around the same speeds. almost feels like the wind blowing you sideways. i have brand new tires and have checked play in front end. ball joints and wheel bearings seem to be good? i want to eventually replace all the basics but i dont have to money or the time right now. i am wondering if anyone else has had similar issues and if and what they did to fix it? Also does anyone know of a polyurathane bushing kit for the LS? Would like to put all poly bushing in. In the past i have always gotten a better feel with poly. tighter steering and better handling. Just all around a better ride. any help would be greatly appreciated. thanks

timmy0tool

iTrader: (7)

the sound could be your under carriage plastics being dragged out and touching the ground or the tire. usually the winds at that speed push things around and cause noises if not properly secured.

as for the wandering, that is a sign of a bad bushing(s). the rear strut rod bushings tend to deteriorate quickly on our cars. search here and you'll find loads of information about it.

as for poly, lots of people stray away since they tend to give a more harsh ride and be noisy (squeaky) if not greased properly. of course they do give a more tight steering and overall feel.

diamondave

i have never had any experience with struts. how hard would it be to replace those bushings and where would you get them?

timmy0tool

iTrader: (7)

here is the front. rear is similar.
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/ls4...ock-noise.html

timmy0tool

iTrader: (7)

after reading this thread, it could be your front strut rod bushings.
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/ls4...ment-help.html

Hodson

Have you tried getting an alignment? It could be that your front toe is in or out too much, and your car is being pulled easily by small grooves in the road due to it

LScowboyLS

I have the same exact noise and wandering at 70 mph or higher on my '96 - it sounds sort of like some gravel clanging randomly inside an exhaust shield, but there is none. Very hard to track down this mysterious high speed noise that is not in sync with engine speed or vehicle speed but just random, it also doesn't happen when you hit a bump, for example, there is no pattern to it, and it's driving me crazy!

diamondave

they checked my alignment when i had new tires put on and they said it was perfect. the car tracks perfect. you can let go on the wheel and she will go straight as an arrow except the highway speeds and it just wanders. this issue is driving me crazy too!

diamondave

i still havent figured this thing out and it appears to be getting worse. the noise is a constant noise and the wandering is getting worse. It feels very unstable at highway speeds. i am leaning towards the strut bushing because i also the the small clunk when braking that i have heard others talk about. any input would be helpful. thanks

LScowboyLS

would start with strut rod bushings and also inner and outer tie rod ends, both are inexpensive and not difficult, then get an alignment and road force balance at the dealership - these things need to be done anyway for safety's sake, and the car will drive so much better, even if the noise is not cured.

if that doesn't clear things up, then upper control arms (a little pricey) are the other likely candidate

a car tracking straight is no guarantee of correct alignment, though it is a reasonable indicator of the toe portion of alignment

a full 4-wheel alignment should be done after replacing steering/suspension components, especially tie rod ends

Kansas

Who is "they"? A Lexus dealership checked the alignment? Did you ask them to check for worn suspension parts and especially for play in the strut rod bushings?

diamondave

they would be the tire shop that i got my tires from and i checked the play in the front end myself and it is very tight. i am going to replace those strut bushings and probably the tie rod ends

LScowboyLS

I replace my inner and outer tie rod ends every 100K miles whether they technically "need" it or not, because it makes the car have that new car rock hard steering, it makes the car feel like I just bought a new one, one of the most driver smile-inducing repairs you will ever make!

Kansas

The reason I asked is that I have found that repair and tire shops that are not familiar with the gen 2 LS400 have been unable to diagnose suspension problems on my similar 2000 LS400. Strut rods (aka "semi-longitudinal tension rods") are not features that general repair and tire shops see very often.

In the months before the Lexus dealer found that my strut rod bushings were worn out, I took my 00 LS to both a high end specialty wheel shop and one of the largest tire dealers in the Kansas City metro - Shore Tire here in Lenexa KS. I told the service writer at Shore about the severe sloppiness in the front end and supposedly they assigned their best geezer alignment tech to the task. He did another four wheel alignment, found no problems with suspension components. There was still no improvement.

A few weeks later I took my car to the local Lexus dealer. I don't think it took the Lexus dealer tech more than 10 minutes to identify the strut rod bushing problem. An hour later or so I was on my way in a car that felt like new and which I had previously wanted to push over a cliff.

Do yourself a favor and take your car to a Lexus dealer or a repair shop that specializes in Lexus to have your suspension issues diagnosed. Don't just throw parts at it.

diamondave

strut bushing is on the top of the list. i noticed something that is most likely related today. when you hit speed bumps especially if its a series of bumps you hear the same "rattle coming from the front end which sounds like it is coming from the left (drivers side). i also plan to replace motor and trans mounts and tie rod ends. i am having a professional shop go over it for me tomorrow to double check everything and give me there opinion but i already have a list of things to order from sewell Lexus. any other advice is always greatly appreciated.