advsystems

I've had an on-going problem with the steering-wheel shimmying at verious speed despite haveing the OE tires balanced many times & rotated. I figured I'd wait to see if new tires fixed the problem & recently had S-03 Pole Positions installed & a 4-wheel alignment done. The shimmy did not go away. It is sufficient to shake the passenger seat when unoccupied. I have the L-Tuned spring/shocks & am wondering if something could be loose. I remember a thread about tightening the steering box(?). I'm supposed to take it to the dealer next week. Anyone else have this problem with their GS4?

rominl

iTrader: (4)

what year is your car? where are you? some 98 and 99 models have the steering wheel pretensioner problem and it's a warranty work if you still have it

advsystems

It's a 99, & I am in SF Bay area. I also have the L-Tuned steering ECU.

I found some posts on the pre-tensioner, so I will have the dealer check that out too.

BkLexZ

I got the same problem , the steering shake at 60-75mph. did balance still there. Had this with 16" and 17" rims. Iguess tightening the steering pretensioner is next. What to do if that dont work, I heard it does not always work. How much for tightening the pretensioner im out of warranty. Thanx

rominl

iTrader: (4)

it should be a one hr work, about 80 bucks if i recall. and yes, it might not totally correct the problem, if that's the case.... just like me.... out of luck

///MDex

Is it all the time, or when braking? If braking, your rotors are warped possibly.

Otherwise, you've bent a wheel, or a suspension component is loose, maybe the OEM LCB. It contributes the most stiffness to the front end as an OEM part.

G4Titan

I have this same problem on my 98. I rebalanced the tires and it is fixed the problem. However on really cold days I can feel the shimmy at work until the tires warm up. I guess I could try and get that pretensioner checked out, I have a 3 year 100K certified car, is this kind of fix covered under this, bought the car in Feb 01

elclassico

its a 2000. no pretensioner, hust living with it, no steering ecu either. would that help? he doesnt believe in it, im trying to convence him? any feedback?

rominl

iTrader: (4)

well my 98 has no pretensioner problem too but i do get some shaking ONLY at 60mph. no idea why and dealer can't find out why too.... i don't have ecu but i am going to give it a try. for sure it will tighten things up at high speed, and it's not expensive, so why not

cgatch

iTrader: (3)

Had the same problem after I replaced my original tires. After a couple trips to the tire dealer for balancing and rotation and still experiencing the problem from 60 mph and up, I decided to do some tweaking. Here’s what I’ve done: raise the front of the car giving the front tires around 1/8 to 1/4-inch clearance from the ground. Work on one wheel at a time. Spin the wheel and try to find the part where the tire will touch the ground. Based on my experience there is one spot on the tire that will not clear the ground during the spin. Keep that position (tire touching the ground) then loosen the lugs. Wedge the tire to create a small clearance underneath then re-tighten the lugs. Spin the wheel and see if the tire will touch the ground. Just keep repeating the process (trial and error) until you get the uniform 1/8-inch ground clearance. I know this is not scientific but it worked for me. Do this on both front tires. I have driven my car up to 100 mph and no more shaking. Good luck!

advsystems

Went for a long test ride with a Lexus master-mechanic that I trust. No perceptible shimmy. Made me think.....My commute to the office is <5 miles. I have often read that performance tires (especially my new S-03's develop flat spots overnight that don't go away until the tire heats up. It has been really cold here lately & the problem is always noticable when the car is cold. I wonder if this is it?

He also said that the pretensioner is a 2+ hour job just to check the factory settings & generally should not be messed with.

We will see.....

///MDex

I'm glad its worked for your situation, but it sounds odd to that there would be that much play in the wheel while sitting on the wheel studs.

Not in recent history can I remember the wheel moving much after being hoisted onto the wheel studs.

That sounds funny to me. When I asked my dealer to do it, they didn't even bat an eye; said it would take maybe 30min to tighten a turn or so. I think there was a TSB for MY98, so perhaps that is why they didn't fuss about it.

Who knows. The GS has earned a repurtation as having a finicky front end.

redgs4

I had a similar problem on the stock 17"s with Yoko AVS sports. Despite balancing and rotation it never went away, but it did lesson significantly with one pair of wheels in the back. I have had zero problems with my volks + S03.

Let me qualify that: when I had the stock rims I went to the dealer for the rotation/balance. With my volks I have gone to a small shop with a Hunter balancer. Nobody has mentioned it thus far, but try a shop with a Hunter balancer.

///MDex

You know, when I was chit-chatting the last time I weas in at the dealer about getting my wheels balanced and a 4 wheel alignment, he mentioned to me that they (the dealer) have a HunterSP9000 (I think that is the latest model) and they have a few guys that doo all the work there.

BUT, a good point is made by redgs4. Usually, a dedicated tire/wheel shop will have the higher end equipment, and the trained personnel there to use it.

ajv258

I have the same problem on my 99' GS 300 with 50k miles. I just had the tires rotated and balanced. I hear of some guy having a bearing loose on his back wheel area. (Not to sure) Well I am presently searching for an answer the problem. Its crazy that no one knows how to fix the damn thing.