Looking for SC430 poly Control/Castor Arm + Steering Rack Bushing
05-25-13, 09:14 PM
#1
Looking for SC430 poly Control/Castor Arm + Steering Rack Bushing
EDIT: I Ended up recieving the bushings from TM within a week. There is pics on second page along with some info that may be useful to somepeople for future Daizen installations.
Hi Guys,
Im new to the club lexus forum, im sure this topic may have been covered before but I need some help.. Im more into european cars but have bought myself a Japenese for the first time, an 04 sc430 and im extremely dissapointed in the wobbly and wandering ride. I had many shaking issues in the past, so I ended up replacing upper control arms, lower ball joints, inner/outer tie rod ends, alignment/balancing, which helped some what.. also added a front strut bar which made the front end a little tighter and lighter.
Now I have bigger wheels sitting with brand new tires which im not willing to ruin and I also need an alignment BADLY again but before I get it done I need all my front end bushings changed to polyurethane, specially the castor arm bushing.. The problem is that I need this work done asap but TM Engineering did not respond and many suggest not to buy from them. My last option is seems to be FIGS Engineering but he currently only has spherical ones for the castor arm and poly is still under developement as well as the steering rack bushings but not sure if he will be making any for the rest of the front control arms.. and how long it would take
so
1) I do not feel comfortable with metal ones for the castor arm, I would prefer all poly. unless someone knows itll be alright? Or Would you guys know anyone else who has front end polyurethane kit and where I can get them from? ......
2) if there is no one then should I forget the control arms, just take the Figs spherical for castor arm? and steering rack polys from ebay? or any suggested place?
If anyone has experience with Figs Spherical with the sc430 please let me know how they are?
Any help, advice would be really appreciated
Thankyou!
Hi Guys,
Im new to the club lexus forum, im sure this topic may have been covered before but I need some help.. Im more into european cars but have bought myself a Japenese for the first time, an 04 sc430 and im extremely dissapointed in the wobbly and wandering ride. I had many shaking issues in the past, so I ended up replacing upper control arms, lower ball joints, inner/outer tie rod ends, alignment/balancing, which helped some what.. also added a front strut bar which made the front end a little tighter and lighter.
Now I have bigger wheels sitting with brand new tires which im not willing to ruin and I also need an alignment BADLY again but before I get it done I need all my front end bushings changed to polyurethane, specially the castor arm bushing.. The problem is that I need this work done asap but TM Engineering did not respond and many suggest not to buy from them. My last option is seems to be FIGS Engineering but he currently only has spherical ones for the castor arm and poly is still under developement as well as the steering rack bushings but not sure if he will be making any for the rest of the front control arms.. and how long it would take
so
1) I do not feel comfortable with metal ones for the castor arm, I would prefer all poly. unless someone knows itll be alright? Or Would you guys know anyone else who has front end polyurethane kit and where I can get them from? ......
2) if there is no one then should I forget the control arms, just take the Figs spherical for castor arm? and steering rack polys from ebay? or any suggested place?
If anyone has experience with Figs Spherical with the sc430 please let me know how they are?
Any help, advice would be really appreciated
Thankyou!
Last edited by 416tt; 06-18-13 at 10:28 AM.
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AnniesRide (07-09-21)
05-26-13, 02:07 AM
#2
Fig had me wait for 2 weeks, told they were making the complete set and then told me the same thing you were told. about a month ago. was looking in the for sell section and seen just listed a complete set of Tm Engineering for sale got them real quick, just waiting to get my car back to have them installed. I lucked out big time. no one makes them. Tm will not answer you but if you order them they may send them to you thats what I was told I didn't want to take the chance.
forget about the caster bushing. polys are impossible to get just get the stock ones and have them installed.
forget about the caster bushing. polys are impossible to get just get the stock ones and have them installed.
Last edited by bacardi11; 05-26-13 at 08:26 AM.
05-27-13, 03:22 PM
#3
I'm currently considering the FIGS bearing, but I would prefer a polyurethane item from the daily driver aspect.
Does anyone know if this bushing will fit the SC430 tension arm ? I emailed the guys selling it but got no reply.
http://www.l-tunedparts.com/product/?id=3297
TMengineering are well featured in a lot of threads on C.L. Suffice to say I'd buy the Lexus part before dealing with him.
Does anyone know if this bushing will fit the SC430 tension arm ? I emailed the guys selling it but got no reply.
http://www.l-tunedparts.com/product/?id=3297
TMengineering are well featured in a lot of threads on C.L. Suffice to say I'd buy the Lexus part before dealing with him.
05-28-13, 07:14 PM
#4
@bacardi11,
Oh really, hm im assuming it will atleast take some time, I saw castor poly bushings on his website and for 01 to 05 it says pending release, so the whole front end may take a while. I actually saw that, im glad it worked out for you ! Let me know how it goes? do you have any thing else done for better ride? and Im thinking of just giving them a try, im still unsure, gotta make a decision soon tho :/
@v300graham
I was actually considering the Figz bearing also but he doesnt have the rest of front bushings ready yet and I dont think replacing just the castor is a good idea specially with something metal. I mean it would have been alright if rest were poly and then you have the bearing in castor.. but if your going to do it, do it all, that way there wont be chance of something else wearing out and you will have a solid front end.
And I don't think that bushing will fit, doesnt look like it has a bulge seat in there for the original sleeve which is what you want to use.
Sooooo other then that guys,
Im thinking of just giving TM a try... and not messaging him, maybe he will send it. apparantly some people said the more you message the longer he takes lol..
btw if you guys wana feel a difference add a front strut bar makes the front end feel alot lighter and intact!!
Oh really, hm im assuming it will atleast take some time, I saw castor poly bushings on his website and for 01 to 05 it says pending release, so the whole front end may take a while. I actually saw that, im glad it worked out for you
! Let me know how it goes? do you have any thing else done for better ride? and Im thinking of just giving them a try, im still unsure, gotta make a decision soon tho :/@v300graham
I was actually considering the Figz bearing also but he doesnt have the rest of front bushings ready yet and I dont think replacing just the castor is a good idea specially with something metal. I mean it would have been alright if rest were poly and then you have the bearing in castor.. but if your going to do it, do it all, that way there wont be chance of something else wearing out and you will have a solid front end.
And I don't think that bushing will fit, doesnt look like it has a bulge seat in there for the original sleeve which is what you want to use.
Sooooo other then that guys,
Im thinking of just giving TM a try... and not messaging him, maybe he will send it. apparantly some people said the more you message the longer he takes lol..
btw if you guys wana feel a difference add a front strut bar
makes the front end feel alot lighter and intact!!
Last edited by 416tt; 05-28-13 at 07:34 PM.
05-28-13, 07:36 PM
#5
feb of 2012 I ordered and received the steering rack poly bushings. They were shipped in a timely manner. When I received them I questioned the shipping charge and they refunded some of it to me. I was impressed with there service and yet I never really had much communication with them. I just asked about the shipping and they ret some of the cost. I also ordered the daizen waterproof grease and they shipped that as well
05-29-13, 09:02 AM
#6
@ mrblister
Thanks for your reply, I ended up ordering them an hour ago (May 29 11:00 pm). Then after it directed me to there website and says this at the top:
"
Daizen Sport Tuning parts orders placed prior to May 22, 2013 will be refunded shortly. We have had an ongoing issue with the manufacturer which was supposed to be handling these orders directly. We will contact any affected customers if necessary, we apologize for any inconvenience.
Any new orders will not be affected. Please address any questions or new order inquiries to: support@tmengineering.net"
"
But I guess that doesnt affect me... Lets see what happens, thanks for your help guys
Thanks for your reply, I ended up ordering them an hour ago (May 29 11:00 pm). Then after it directed me to there website and says this at the top:
"
Daizen Sport Tuning parts orders placed prior to May 22, 2013 will be refunded shortly. We have had an ongoing issue with the manufacturer which was supposed to be handling these orders directly. We will contact any affected customers if necessary, we apologize for any inconvenience.
Any new orders will not be affected. Please address any questions or new order inquiries to: support@tmengineering.net"
"
But I guess that doesnt affect me... Lets see what happens, thanks for your help guys
05-29-13, 02:49 PM
#7
OK as regards my own wobble issues: 90,000 miles on my SC430 and serviced at Lexus Blackrock in Dublin Ireland with a list of work a mile long done to her to keep her sweet all her life until I got her (with a mild wobble) one year ago.
My engine was vibrating (still) after a plug change. So I ordered and got the Megan harder engine mounts.
Full tracking and camber adjustment after fitting a brand new set of wheels, as the new wheels highlighted what a poor condition the car is in, did not cure the wobble at all. Further investigation was needed.
I have the 55-90 mph speed wobble, and having put in quite a few hours research, I have ordered the replacement greasable OEM+ lower balljoints from MOOG and greasable track rod ends Dayzer from RockAuto.
I have ordered new steering rack mounting bushings, blue polyurethane harder ones.
I have given the rack adjuster a squeeze up which has stopped the wheel vibrating in my hand, and has highlighted that the front wheels are basically doing their own thing, which is a bit scary.
I have ordered the GS430 the ACT537 bushing for the castor arm as I am assured it will work fine and is the same size. I'm apparently the first to do this and will report back on it ASAP.
The OD outside diameter for our castor arm bushings are 65mm by the way.
I need this car to be able to do 140-150mph all day on the clearer sections of the autobahn from time to time, and at the moment she is quite incapable of this. Vibration and harshness issues induced by the harder bushings will be acceptable to me as I did many of these upgrades or similar on my JZS147 Twin Turbo Aristo before and she was a joy to drive afterwards. The epic separate subframe construction of these cars isolates most of this harshness emanating from the hardened suspension bushings.
The biggie here for us is the suitability (or lack thereof) of the ACT537 GS430 castor arm bushing. They are winging their way to me now by airmail. Fingers crossed gentlemen.
The rear suspension awaits my attentions next. It seems fine, but once the front is tight I'm sure some issue will be detectable on the rear axle too.
My engine was vibrating (still) after a plug change. So I ordered and got the Megan harder engine mounts.
Full tracking and camber adjustment after fitting a brand new set of wheels, as the new wheels highlighted what a poor condition the car is in, did not cure the wobble at all. Further investigation was needed.
I have the 55-90 mph speed wobble, and having put in quite a few hours research, I have ordered the replacement greasable OEM+ lower balljoints from MOOG and greasable track rod ends Dayzer from RockAuto.
I have ordered new steering rack mounting bushings, blue polyurethane harder ones.
I have given the rack adjuster a squeeze up which has stopped the wheel vibrating in my hand, and has highlighted that the front wheels are basically doing their own thing, which is a bit scary.
I have ordered the GS430 the ACT537 bushing for the castor arm as I am assured it will work fine and is the same size. I'm apparently the first to do this and will report back on it ASAP.
The OD outside diameter for our castor arm bushings are 65mm by the way.
I need this car to be able to do 140-150mph all day on the clearer sections of the autobahn from time to time, and at the moment she is quite incapable of this. Vibration and harshness issues induced by the harder bushings will be acceptable to me as I did many of these upgrades or similar on my JZS147 Twin Turbo Aristo before and she was a joy to drive afterwards. The epic separate subframe construction of these cars isolates most of this harshness emanating from the hardened suspension bushings.
The biggie here for us is the suitability (or lack thereof) of the ACT537 GS430 castor arm bushing. They are winging their way to me now by airmail. Fingers crossed gentlemen.
The rear suspension awaits my attentions next. It seems fine, but once the front is tight I'm sure some issue will be detectable on the rear axle too.
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AnniesRide (07-09-21)
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06-03-13, 10:08 PM
#8
sorry for the late reply,,
I noticed you are doing some extensive work to correct the drive.. Was your wobble like an up and down or sideway type? I noticed a lot of people said the OEM rims end up like bending or something from the run flats this car originally comes with because I had this up and down wobble...thankfully its much less on my newer wheels but I found the tires to be a little uneven so I ended up changing tires, still not mounted on car as I'm waiting for my bushings.
I completely understand when you say "the wheels are doing there own thing" :S I actually feel that too, the steering is one place while one wheel is pulling me to one side and other somewhere else.. its quite messed up and dangerous.. But I noticed that 245's (9.6 inch) wide tires on 8.5 inch width OEM wheels don't help. From the way I see it, wider tires on smaller width wheels have edge sticking out which put pressure on the steering because your pushing a sharp edge in to turn.. But when I put my bigger wheels with tires slightly stretched to fit, they have a round edge side and the steering feels so much lighter and easier to pull in each direction. Not sure if anyone else has felt this?
and I definitely hope those bushings fit perfectly, I assumed they wouldn't because I thought someone else would have found out long ago :/ but I guess your the first one!! so good luck and please let us know here also!!
and Thanks for all the info and hope the wobble goes!! keep us updated!!
I noticed you are doing some extensive work to correct the drive.. Was your wobble like an up and down or sideway type? I noticed a lot of people said the OEM rims end up like bending or something from the run flats this car originally comes with because I had this up and down wobble...thankfully its much less on my newer wheels but I found the tires to be a little uneven so I ended up changing tires, still not mounted on car as I'm waiting for my bushings.
I completely understand when you say "the wheels are doing there own thing" :S I actually feel that too, the steering is one place while one wheel is pulling me to one side and other somewhere else.. its quite messed up and dangerous.. But I noticed that 245's (9.6 inch) wide tires on 8.5 inch width OEM wheels don't help. From the way I see it, wider tires on smaller width wheels have edge sticking out which put pressure on the steering because your pushing a sharp edge in to turn.. But when I put my bigger wheels with tires slightly stretched to fit, they have a round edge side and the steering feels so much lighter and easier to pull in each direction. Not sure if anyone else has felt this?
and I definitely hope those bushings fit perfectly, I assumed they wouldn't because I thought someone else would have found out long ago :/ but I guess your the first one!! so good luck
and please let us know here also!! and Thanks for all the info and hope the wobble goes!! keep us updated!!
06-04-13, 02:16 PM
#9
OK, fitted the ACT 537 castor arm bushings to the right hand side of my Lexus SC 430. I burnt out the old Lexus bushing, left in the bushing shell, New bushing fitted perfectly and slipped in with relative ease. I've had a lot more trouble with other bushings before and was pleasantly surprised by this one
I will do the left had hand side tomorrow. I have fitted the track rod end and the lower ball joint, but found the rack arm, the piece of steering rack that connects the track rod end to the rack pinion was worn with a slight 1.5mm clonk in it. I'll be ordering these from Rock Auto ASAP that is if they do the new arms for the RHD model car, as mine cruises the RHD roads of Ireland
As for my wobbles Bimmer416, it went through the rack turning the wheel slightly in my hands but not affecting directional stability too much, and also caused the dash board to slightly flex, and the rear view mirror danced a tiny bit too. It really really felt like a mis-balanced wheel or a bent driveshaft etc, but they both verified as fine. It disappears from about 90mph to 120mph-plus and I'm not brave enough to bring the speed up much more in her currently weakened state.
Bimmer416, it's not the wheels. The suspension is basically shot. My new tyres are less affected now that I have about 500 miles on her as she is bending the tyres to her needs, possibly half destroying them, but I need her to be able to work at the moment. Start putting in parts, lots of parts. I would recommend a new steering rack, or one overhauled on an exchange basis by a reputable company too. Rockauto do one for about 2-300 dollars, but you must post back your old one to get the core price deduction back. Check Sewell Lexus for prices too. Their shipping is outrageous for Ireland, so I cannot use them. Great people though.
SO, the big news is that the ACT 537 bushing fits like a glove. I have high expectations of this fixing most of my issues.
I will do the left had hand side tomorrow. I have fitted the track rod end and the lower ball joint, but found the rack arm, the piece of steering rack that connects the track rod end to the rack pinion was worn with a slight 1.5mm clonk in it. I'll be ordering these from Rock Auto ASAP that is if they do the new arms for the RHD model car, as mine cruises the RHD roads of Ireland
As for my wobbles Bimmer416, it went through the rack turning the wheel slightly in my hands but not affecting directional stability too much, and also caused the dash board to slightly flex, and the rear view mirror danced a tiny bit too. It really really felt like a mis-balanced wheel or a bent driveshaft etc, but they both verified as fine. It disappears from about 90mph to 120mph-plus and I'm not brave enough to bring the speed up much more in her currently weakened state.
Bimmer416, it's not the wheels. The suspension is basically shot. My new tyres are less affected now that I have about 500 miles on her as she is bending the tyres to her needs, possibly half destroying them, but I need her to be able to work at the moment. Start putting in parts, lots of parts. I would recommend a new steering rack, or one overhauled on an exchange basis by a reputable company too. Rockauto do one for about 2-300 dollars, but you must post back your old one to get the core price deduction back. Check Sewell Lexus for prices too. Their shipping is outrageous for Ireland, so I cannot use them. Great people though.
SO, the big news is that the ACT 537 bushing fits like a glove. I have high expectations of this fixing most of my issues.
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AnniesRide (07-09-21)
06-10-13, 01:09 PM
#10
So I received the Daizen bushings last week, just haven't had time to start installing, Hopefully this weekend.
@V300Graham
I'm glad it worked out for you! So you ended up keeping the shell in right? In the DIY's I saw, the shell was pressed or cut out, I'm just wondering if I should leave mines in there...
I see what you mean, I actually had a similar feel but I was told it was the previous tires which were uneven its why I bought new ones but haven't mounted them as I really needed the bushings changed. When I'm braking the car pulls to the angles of the road and I can feel the loose steering, quite dangerous actually :/.... But since I got the steering bushings also, I guess that should be corrected....................I also feel that one side the brake works better then other. I actually had the brakes replaced last year but the shake I was having seemed to have ruined the rotors, they make sound when braking, so I may need to change those also :/.. I was told that the pads may be sticking?
Would you recommend upper adjustable control arms as they give ±1º Caster and ±2º camber change, which may make alignment perfect, what do you think? ... To be honest I only just want this car to ride smoothly so I can enjoy it.. anymore work then Ill just get rid of it.. I'm wondering if Lexus corrected these issues in the later years because a car this luxury/expensive to be doing this is quite disappointing, it should have been recalled.
anyhow once I get these installed I will let you guys know what difference it made.. and V300Graham, please let us know if those bushings made any difference for you ! I'm hoping they fixed your problems!
@V300Graham
I'm glad it worked out for you! So you ended up keeping the shell in right? In the DIY's I saw, the shell was pressed or cut out, I'm just wondering if I should leave mines in there...
I see what you mean, I actually had a similar feel but I was told it was the previous tires which were uneven its why I bought new ones but haven't mounted them as I really needed the bushings changed. When I'm braking the car pulls to the angles of the road and I can feel the loose steering, quite dangerous actually :/.... But since I got the steering bushings also, I guess that should be corrected....................I also feel that one side the brake works better then other. I actually had the brakes replaced last year but the shake I was having seemed to have ruined the rotors, they make sound when braking, so I may need to change those also :/.. I was told that the pads may be sticking?
Would you recommend upper adjustable control arms as they give ±1º Caster and ±2º camber change, which may make alignment perfect, what do you think? ... To be honest I only just want this car to ride smoothly so I can enjoy it.. anymore work then Ill just get rid of it.. I'm wondering if Lexus corrected these issues in the later years because a car this luxury/expensive to be doing this is quite disappointing, it should have been recalled.
anyhow once I get these installed I will let you guys know what difference it made.. and V300Graham, please let us know if those bushings made any difference for you ! I'm hoping they fixed your problems!
Last edited by 416tt; 06-10-13 at 01:28 PM.
06-11-13, 03:04 AM
#11
06-12-13, 03:03 AM
#12
I still have shaking. I'm just in from a 4 hour drive in her and she was shaking like Elvis with epilepsy. I will put in a new or reconditioned steering rack now. There is basically nothing else left to change. Suspension is great now and castor arm bushing gives the car a nice feel, the steering rack bushing tightened the rack a bit, but the core issue is sadly unaffected, at least for me.
06-12-13, 02:42 PM
#14
I rang up a steering rack overhaul guy and god bless him he gave me 10 minutes of his time while I went through in great detail what I did. He reckons it's NOT the rack but will look at it if I ask him again.
I found this link this evening, and I might have a little project to do on my car soon. They welded up to a small degree a safety feature in the steering column, and reckon that in a crash the welds would break.
I couldn't care less if they did or not at this stage, I just want her to stop wobbling:
Link: http://ttora.com/forum/showthread.php?t=161689
I am also considering dialing down the ECU assistance via the steering ECU potentiometer mod too, but I'll investigate the steering shaft in detail first.
EDIT. So this is what I'm thinking of welding up. Item 45210.
I think this drawing resembles the steering shaft assy on a SC430, buit it's good enough to give us an idea of the item I'm proposing to weld up:
I found this link this evening, and I might have a little project to do on my car soon. They welded up to a small degree a safety feature in the steering column, and reckon that in a crash the welds would break.
I couldn't care less if they did or not at this stage, I just want her to stop wobbling:
Link: http://ttora.com/forum/showthread.php?t=161689
I am also considering dialing down the ECU assistance via the steering ECU potentiometer mod too, but I'll investigate the steering shaft in detail first.
EDIT. So this is what I'm thinking of welding up. Item 45210.
I think this drawing resembles the steering shaft assy on a SC430, buit it's good enough to give us an idea of the item I'm proposing to weld up:
Last edited by V300Graham; 06-12-13 at 02:58 PM.
06-13-13, 04:27 AM
#15
Currently looking into fitting a set of custom k-Mac adjustable sway bars. This should tighten up the steering further and bring the overall handling to where I want it without killing the ride quality.