tzxlyd

OldManTan,
Well I got everything replaced but there were some challenges. Unfortunately, during the process of replacing the left LCA bushings I found that the ball joint is trashed -- when I was attempting to remove the castle nut the entire ball joint was spinning. I had to reconnect the ball joint and jack up the car to get the castle nut off of the screw. I replaced the bushings because they were in bad shape but knowing the ball joint is trashed means this is only a temporary fix.

I ended up burning the OEM bushings out of the LCAs and because I had to hacksaw the metal covers out of the LCAs there was no need to clean out all of the rubber. I still think the PSB bushings are not the way to go -- the bushing without the metal (called the Rotational Poly Sleeve or R-PS) makes it extremely difficult to get the LCA installed. That bushing is at least 1/2 inch longer than the similar OEM bushing so getting it into the adjusting cam slot where the LCA fits under the car took me days.

In hindsight I should have compressed that thing with like some very large channel lock grip pliers or put it into a vise for a day or more. Perhaps that is why they don't work on the 97's. I know it is longer because it protrudes out away from the LCA unlike the OEM that does not. For anyone who wants to see what I mean click on the link at the end of this post message and that will take you to ebay -- you can see in the photos how these bushings go into the LCAs. I did not see that photo prior to my purchase because it is for the Supra listing of the same item that I purchased from the manufacturer who offers a Lexus product -- unfortunately the Lexus listing does not have the pictures.

Believe it or not I still have a grinding noise when I make a left turn so the LCA was not the source of that sound. I will have to get back under the car to see what is making that noise when the car is moving and the wheel is turned to the left. However, the ride is definitely better but I do hear a clunking noise when I hit bumps so I am sure those noises are the poly bushings. Now that I know the left ball joint is trashed I will probably get OEM LCAs unless I can find Supra LCAs for less that $400 each.

A couple of things I noticed when looking through the service manual was there is a "Lower Ball Joint Inspection" procedure that says to flip the ball joint stud back and forth 5 times before installing the nut. Then, using a torque wrench, turn the nut continuously one turn each 2-4 seconds and take the torques reading on the 5th turn. Turning torque: [0.5-3.5 N.m (5 - 36 kgf.cm, 5 - 31 in.lbf)]. I take it this is for the new LCA ball joint. Also, I see the repair manual shows how to remove bushings for the UCAs so I take it Lexus sells the UCA bushings -- additionally that same "Ball Joint Inspection" procedure is shown between the sections of UCA removal and the UCA bushing replacement. Does that mean the procedure should be done if the entire CA is being replaced as well as when only the bushings are being replaced?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Toyota-Supra...dWrq~Y&vxp=mtr

oldManTan

it's probably a bearing, like i said in the beginning lol.

tzxlyd

OldManTan,
You could be right. I'm going to take off the fender under guard to see if that does anything because it was wrecked and that right fender has to be replaced. Maybe, some of the screws that were holding it up have fallen out over time and that is causing it to rub against the tire. If that doesn't stop the noise then I am going to the bearing.

tzxlyd

OldManTan,
I am seeing listings for OEM LCAs but for some reason many of the list fitments for 1992-1996 in one price range then a higher price for 1996-2000 and finally a different price for 1992-2000 LCAs -- does that make sense? Isn't the front suspension the same for 1992-2000 SC300/400 1st generation models although they slightly changed the body style in 1997?

tzxlyd

OldManTan,
I forgot to mention that the parts numbers are very different for my vehicle than those listed that I am seeing -- Lexus parts dealer says my parts numbers are 48068-29315 and 48067-29315. The 1997-2000 LCAs I see show parts # 48069-29215 & 48068-29215 and the 1992-1996 LCAs show parts # 48068-29165 & 48069-29165. The parts dealer said their computer does not show any superseded part numbers for the 1997 SC300 -- does any of that make sense to you?

tzxlyd

Update to this post is that I found the grinding noise was the brake dust pan was bent into the rear of the rotor and was causing the noise from the rear. The other noise from the front passenger side was being made from the fender splash shield rubbing against the tire when the front wheels were being turned. I did not have to replace the wheel bearings on the car -- thank goodness.