rclab1

Hello, I have a 2005 SC430.

about 7 months ago, I had to replace my (upper Ball Joint)
"front passenger side Upper Control Link" because
it was loose and it was making a light "clanging" sound. The sound
went away after I got it fixed.

then that same light sounding "clanging" sound came back, and I thought
the "Lower control link" must now be replaced.

I just got my yearly car Inspection done at the Lexus dealership and
I had them check the front suspension. The dealership said,
all was "tight" and my Car passed Inspection. They want me to
come back and pay $125 for a thorough Front suspension "check" ?

The sound only occurs when my car is very slow at under 20mph.
ie.....reversing, 3 point turns,
when I'm pulling out onto the streets,
turning slowly etc....the "clanging" sound only occurs
when the car is very slow.... its the same sound as when
I had to replace my Upper control link on the passenger side.

I know there has been some issues with the a light "bang" thud, clang
sounds with the Brakes? but it seems like a control arm????
or
something????

My car steering wheel does not shake at 55-60 mph,
and my car steering wheel does not shake when I'm braking
from 60 mph to 0 mph.

Anyone else have this issue.

velocity12

Yes. See "random front end knock" thread. I too have had this issue. Once an "adjustment" to the suspension helped for awhile but came back (usually when cold and going slow). Now the dealer's inspection checks out OK. I'm going back again.

rclab1

.....its so bothers me....

when I'm backing out of my garage really slowly,
I can hear a very low toned "rubbing" metal to metal noise.
....I still passed inspection, and the Lexus Dealership said that
all was "tight" in the front suspension, no slop at all.

what the heck is that noise?

....."clang and low toned metal to metal rubbing/screeching noise" ?.....

JerryB

Hi rclab1,

I had my car in the bodyshop some time ago & they said that the car had some strange noise coming from the front brakes when they would move it around in the shop.

I took it to my mechanic, who looked it over and said all was good.

When going slow, it still 'clangs' but I have learned to live with it.

I think that there have been some postings on this being something to do with some clips on the brake system/pads/etc.

Just my thoughts/experience,

Jerry Baumchen

MDames2

iTrader: (1)

My wife's 2003 made a noise that sounds just like what you're describing. It turned out to be the brakes. The dealer put in a shim kit. This completely eliminated the noise. This was more than a year ago. It has not returned. Hope this helps.

rclab1

.....whats odd is that those clanging and low tone rubbing metal sound
happens when I'm NOT pressing on the brakes.....

especially in the morning when I'm backing out of my garage "R",
very slowly and I can those noises from the front suspension area?????

007

I had the same noise you are referencing.. it drove me crazy.. like a CLANK sound metal hitting metal. I would notice it driving slow over small bumps, or going into gear. I eventually realized that it was the rear shock. Try looking at the rear shock. There is a round metal cap "so to speak" that is welded to the shock housing. The shock moves inside this cap. When i hit a bump this loose cap was hitting the spring. I did a cheap fix, that took less than 5 mins. i took some black electrical tape and wrapped the metal cap with it and also wrapped it to what it should have been still welded to. it served no danger doing it this way and if it bounced around again the tape would insulate. I did this nearly a year ago and no problems. silence. Cheaper than replacing the rear shocks!

Bon

Some thoughts . . .

Your brakes have sliding bolts, shims and springs. The shims are there to level the surfaces but if not greased they can/will make rattling noises. The bolts keep the caliper centered properly relative to the disc and if they aren't free to move (and greased) they will allow the pads to drag on the disc. The springs are an assist to ever-so-slightly move the discs back from the rotor, hold the pads tight to the caliper and pistons when the brakes are not applied and to keep the pads free to move within the caliper itself. If any of these parts are not there or free to move properly due to corrosion or lack of lubrication then your brakes will pull, drag or make noises. The rotor itself can also be an issue when it gets wet and rusts. When you begin to move your car you might hear the pads dragging on the rotor rust and it will make a grinding sound as the oxide is wiped off.

And, don't forget your emergency brakes. They're in the rear and are drum brakes. Again, more brake pads and springs. If these brakes are improperly adjusted or are allowed to drag because the emergency brake pedal was accidentally pressed when entering the car then the brake pads will be rather quickly worn off and you'll have metal-to-metal contact that is very ugly sounding for sure. Your emergency brakes don't have very thick brake pads at all since their intended use is only for holding a stationary wheel so a little brake drag is bad.

velocity12

Took the car to the dealer again to try to identify the clanging sound. This time the technician agreed there was, in fact, an odd noise. The only think that they ended up doing was retorqueing the front suspension. So far, this has eliminated the noise but I am not confident it will last given my past experience. On prior visits the suspension was checked and everything was supposedly tight but it came back. I'll keep you informed.

OBP

I used to get a loud click, not a clang, when driving slowly forward after having been in reverse. Lots of people said it was something to do with the clips in my brake pads. I had my pads replaced with new ceramic pads (37k miles so it was time) which came with their own clips. No more sound. I'm a happy camper now.

scdroptop

iTrader: (1)

Good news...keep us posted. I had some annoying problems similar to this with my 02 and they replaced a bunch of stuff (can't remember it was five years ago) and it never came back. They did tighten the p/s rack a couple of times in the process which sounds like what they did with yours as well as the control arms.