Steering pre-tensioner—how do you do it? (I searched)
10-02-06, 10:24 PM
#16
Update -
I got the locknut loose. Had to use a 15" Craftsman adjustable wrench.
Here's the deal, for the record - to clear up the previous posts - the amount that I had to turn the inner fitting was between 1/8" and 1/4". That means, with the original position marked, the original marks are moved apart from each other about 1/8" to 1/4". It is not 3/4 turn (unless your steering gear is ready to fall out), nor 1/2 turn, or measured by a fraction of a turn (I tried 1/4 turn, but the steering wheel wouldn't return to center = too tight). The amount that you need to turn this thing is only a few degrees! It is only enough to take the remaining play out of the steering, without tightening it to the point that the fitting won't turn anymore.
The amazing part is how much difference that little bit makes. My car handles like a sportscar now. As soon as you turn the wheel, it turns with you, resulting in a much more "one with the car" feeling. Also kinda scary that this thingy needs to be adjusted so exactly - apparently, as the steering components wear, and the car gets older, it will be enough to introduce too much play.
I recommend this mod highly to anyone that prefers their car to handle crisply. Lexus obviously puts some play in the steering to make it more forgiving for older luxury drivers. When you start to mod the car for handling, that play has no reason to be there, and should be one of the first things tightened up, especially since it's a free mod.
I got the locknut loose. Had to use a 15" Craftsman adjustable wrench.
Here's the deal, for the record - to clear up the previous posts - the amount that I had to turn the inner fitting was between 1/8" and 1/4". That means, with the original position marked, the original marks are moved apart from each other about 1/8" to 1/4". It is not 3/4 turn (unless your steering gear is ready to fall out), nor 1/2 turn, or measured by a fraction of a turn (I tried 1/4 turn, but the steering wheel wouldn't return to center = too tight). The amount that you need to turn this thing is only a few degrees! It is only enough to take the remaining play out of the steering, without tightening it to the point that the fitting won't turn anymore.
The amazing part is how much difference that little bit makes. My car handles like a sportscar now. As soon as you turn the wheel, it turns with you, resulting in a much more "one with the car" feeling. Also kinda scary that this thingy needs to be adjusted so exactly - apparently, as the steering components wear, and the car gets older, it will be enough to introduce too much play.
I recommend this mod highly to anyone that prefers their car to handle crisply. Lexus obviously puts some play in the steering to make it more forgiving for older luxury drivers. When you start to mod the car for handling, that play has no reason to be there, and should be one of the first things tightened up, especially since it's a free mod.
10-03-06, 02:01 PM
#17
So is there is no factory adjustment for earlier generation GS's like a 98? If there isnt does anyone have any information about the parts needed to swap over to a the newer one without the costs of labor?
This is by far the most annoying flaw of the GS that I have encountered because there does not seem to be a viable fix. It has gotten to the point where I want to return the car to stock or just sell it all together.
Hope you guys can help!
Ken
This is by far the most annoying flaw of the GS that I have encountered because there does not seem to be a viable fix. It has gotten to the point where I want to return the car to stock or just sell it all together.
Hope you guys can help!Ken
10-04-06, 10:44 AM
#19
Lexus Test Driver
Update -
I got the locknut loose. Had to use a 15" Craftsman adjustable wrench.
Here's the deal, for the record - to clear up the previous posts - the amount that I had to turn the inner fitting was between 1/8" and 1/4". That means, with the original position marked, the original marks are moved apart from each other about 1/8" to 1/4". It is not 3/4 turn (unless your steering gear is ready to fall out), nor 1/2 turn, or measured by a fraction of a turn (I tried 1/4 turn, but the steering wheel wouldn't return to center = too tight). The amount that you need to turn this thing is only a few degrees! It is only enough to take the remaining play out of the steering, without tightening it to the point that the fitting won't turn anymore.
The amazing part is how much difference that little bit makes. My car handles like a sportscar now. As soon as you turn the wheel, it turns with you, resulting in a much more "one with the car" feeling. Also kinda scary that this thingy needs to be adjusted so exactly - apparently, as the steering components wear, and the car gets older, it will be enough to introduce too much play.
I recommend this mod highly to anyone that prefers their car to handle crisply. Lexus obviously puts some play in the steering to make it more forgiving for older luxury drivers. When you start to mod the car for handling, that play has no reason to be there, and should be one of the first things tightened up, especially since it's a free mod.
I got the locknut loose. Had to use a 15" Craftsman adjustable wrench.
Here's the deal, for the record - to clear up the previous posts - the amount that I had to turn the inner fitting was between 1/8" and 1/4". That means, with the original position marked, the original marks are moved apart from each other about 1/8" to 1/4". It is not 3/4 turn (unless your steering gear is ready to fall out), nor 1/2 turn, or measured by a fraction of a turn (I tried 1/4 turn, but the steering wheel wouldn't return to center = too tight). The amount that you need to turn this thing is only a few degrees! It is only enough to take the remaining play out of the steering, without tightening it to the point that the fitting won't turn anymore.
The amazing part is how much difference that little bit makes. My car handles like a sportscar now. As soon as you turn the wheel, it turns with you, resulting in a much more "one with the car" feeling. Also kinda scary that this thingy needs to be adjusted so exactly - apparently, as the steering components wear, and the car gets older, it will be enough to introduce too much play.
I recommend this mod highly to anyone that prefers their car to handle crisply. Lexus obviously puts some play in the steering to make it more forgiving for older luxury drivers. When you start to mod the car for handling, that play has no reason to be there, and should be one of the first things tightened up, especially since it's a free mod.
10-04-06, 01:26 PM
#20
since i have a 98 gs400 too, is it possible that i can just bring it to lexus and have them fix it? since its not a 99+ do i still call it the steering pre-tensioner? someone please answer this so i can get this defect fixed!
10-04-06, 07:44 PM
#22
since i have a 98 gs400 too, is it possible that i can just bring it to lexus and have them fix it? since its not a 99+ do i still call it the steering pre-tensioner? someone please answer this so i can get this defect fixed!
This is an excelent writeup, Great job on this one
Engin, did this help the vibrations at highway speeds at all?
1) The vibrations are down at all speeds. The reason is not that the source vibrations are gone, it's that they aren't magnified by the resonance of the steering anymore;
2) There is NO MORE wander. I am not correcting the steering at all, with the back and forth wigglys that we all recognize as driving. I point the car and it goes exactly there;
3) The steering wheel is now driving the wheels completely, instead of partly the other way around;
4) This is the mod that we were all expecting the L-Tuned Steering ECU to do, but it does not. The play in the steering must be removed mechanically, not electrically. The ECU changes the turns ratio. But it is really the combination of the ECU and the tightened pretensioner that everybody wants = tight BMW-like steering;
5) I am very upset that I didn't do this 3 or 4 years ago;
6) Advice on the adjustment: I think you have to find the spot where you've turned the pretensioner down too much and the steering won't return to center. (Don't kill the thing with torque, or you'll risk damage...) Then back it off until the point where the steering just releases back to center. That's the point where it's tight enough - no play - and it's not too tight.
7) I got my wheels re-balanced tonight and they told me that 3 of them were out. I'll do a long drive tomorrow, but for now it feels like it's very smooth.
8) I CANNOT believe I turned this thing as little as I did. The magnitude of the change to the steering is equivalent to the change coilovers make for a suspension.
Jerry
10-05-06, 06:31 PM
#24
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so i called my local Lexus Dealership today to see how much it would cost to upgrade the 98 pre-tensioner to the newer version and I was told that I would have to buy the whole assembly and it would cost over $700.
chinkster -- can you keep us 98 GSers if the dealership is able to fix the problem without replacing parts and how they did it? Thanks.
chinkster -- can you keep us 98 GSers if the dealership is able to fix the problem without replacing parts and how they did it? Thanks.
10-05-06, 08:09 PM
#25
Well, it was 1/8" or 3/16" in my case, but yours may differ slightly. It depends on how loose your steering is, and how worn the steering rack is. Take my advice and find the point where the wheel does not return to center properly (you'll need to carefully test drive it), then back it off just to the point where it returns by itself again.
10-21-06, 03:26 AM
#26
My almost 5 year battle with the steering vibration at highway speeds..
Quick recap: Bought a 98 GS 300 in Jan 02. Car had 42k on it, drove fine. Tires needed replaced, upgraded to factory chrome 16's. Bought Pirelli tires. Car had a the famous "shake" in the steering wheel and front passenger seat (but way more pronounced in the steering wheel) that started in the upper 50 MPH range and seemed to "peak" around 62. It smoothed out around 65/66 MPH.
However, it drove me crazy. I got a few alignments and tire balances, and ended up going back to alloy wheels due to the wheel "slipping" on the chrome. The problem was always worse in the morning/colder weather.
Last year I even did the Daizen bushing upgrade, and the problem seemed to go away for a while. It did come back though, but this time the "peak" was at 70 mph and not 62 as before. It wasn't as bad as before, so I lived with it. Paid the car off, and decided that I'm either going to eliminate the shake once and for all or just sell it and get a new GS. To be honest I couldn't justify the cost of a new GS considering mine was paid for and I had a baby on the way, so I decided once and for all I'm getting rid of the shake!
I bought some 2006 Lexus 17's that were brand new take-off's from a new GS. Hell, I even saved the auction:
Did I overpay for these?
Anyway, had it balanced and the car lined up with a high-speed balancer. Still didn't get rid of the problem.
There's a link about adjusting the pre-tensioner, which I had never done. Actually there's a few links on here, the one I'm referring to has some mis-information compared to what I've found out. Anyway, the thread refers to this picture:
I've read those that said "You have to loosen up the nut first and then tighten the big hex head in the center." and "it tightens by turning it clockwise" and "You need a to mark the nut first and a chisel to tighten the nut"
I had the local NTB tire place adjust mine yesterday. I watched him do it; he had a socket big enough to fit the large "nut" that the screwdriver above is touching, and my car had notches for every 1/8 inch or so. Also, the adjustment to tighten was COUNTER-CLOCKWISE, not clockwise. Nothing else needs to be removed or taken apart, just that big nut needs to be turned. It wasn't 1/8 or 1/4 either - it was slightly more than that.
Also, we adjusted it many times! Probably about 12 times. At first I'd drive my car back into the bay and we'd lift it up and he'd walk under and tighten it slightly, lower the lift, and then I'd test drive it on the highway.
After a few times doing this, he was pretty sure he could get to it without even jacking the car up or putting it on a lift, and he was right.
So, this was a process that took probably 2 hours total; he'd get it a tad too tight where the wheel wouldn't "snap back" very quickly on a turn, or it'd be too loose just like it was before. There's a fine line here, and I don't think there's a hard and fast rule like "between 1/8 and 1/4" or anything like that. He and I narrowed it down to an absolute sweet spot - the steering was much more firm but still very easy to drive (with a finger if you chose to) and the shake was 99% gone.
I've been fighting this almost 5 years with my wallet and much frustration, and I feel pretty good about this being as good as it's going to get. These cars are amazing once you aren't driving them around thinking about what speed you're going and if it's going to start shaking or not. If you can find a nice mechanic with some spare time, I'd suggest you at least try this. I fear had I walked into Lexus (who most Lexus service people haven't heard of this pre-tensioner adjustment) and asked them to adjust it 1/4 to 1/8 of a turn CLOCKWISE I'd have been worse for the wear.
Shawn
However, it drove me crazy. I got a few alignments and tire balances, and ended up going back to alloy wheels due to the wheel "slipping" on the chrome. The problem was always worse in the morning/colder weather.
Last year I even did the Daizen bushing upgrade, and the problem seemed to go away for a while. It did come back though, but this time the "peak" was at 70 mph and not 62 as before. It wasn't as bad as before, so I lived with it. Paid the car off, and decided that I'm either going to eliminate the shake once and for all or just sell it and get a new GS. To be honest I couldn't justify the cost of a new GS considering mine was paid for and I had a baby on the way, so I decided once and for all I'm getting rid of the shake!
I bought some 2006 Lexus 17's that were brand new take-off's from a new GS. Hell, I even saved the auction:
Did I overpay for these?
Anyway, had it balanced and the car lined up with a high-speed balancer. Still didn't get rid of the problem.
There's a link about adjusting the pre-tensioner, which I had never done. Actually there's a few links on here, the one I'm referring to has some mis-information compared to what I've found out. Anyway, the thread refers to this picture:
I've read those that said "You have to loosen up the nut first and then tighten the big hex head in the center." and "it tightens by turning it clockwise" and "You need a to mark the nut first and a chisel to tighten the nut"
I had the local NTB tire place adjust mine yesterday. I watched him do it; he had a socket big enough to fit the large "nut" that the screwdriver above is touching, and my car had notches for every 1/8 inch or so. Also, the adjustment to tighten was COUNTER-CLOCKWISE, not clockwise. Nothing else needs to be removed or taken apart, just that big nut needs to be turned. It wasn't 1/8 or 1/4 either - it was slightly more than that.
Also, we adjusted it many times! Probably about 12 times. At first I'd drive my car back into the bay and we'd lift it up and he'd walk under and tighten it slightly, lower the lift, and then I'd test drive it on the highway.
After a few times doing this, he was pretty sure he could get to it without even jacking the car up or putting it on a lift, and he was right.
So, this was a process that took probably 2 hours total; he'd get it a tad too tight where the wheel wouldn't "snap back" very quickly on a turn, or it'd be too loose just like it was before. There's a fine line here, and I don't think there's a hard and fast rule like "between 1/8 and 1/4" or anything like that. He and I narrowed it down to an absolute sweet spot - the steering was much more firm but still very easy to drive (with a finger if you chose to) and the shake was 99% gone.
I've been fighting this almost 5 years with my wallet and much frustration, and I feel pretty good about this being as good as it's going to get. These cars are amazing once you aren't driving them around thinking about what speed you're going and if it's going to start shaking or not. If you can find a nice mechanic with some spare time, I'd suggest you at least try this. I fear had I walked into Lexus (who most Lexus service people haven't heard of this pre-tensioner adjustment) and asked them to adjust it 1/4 to 1/8 of a turn CLOCKWISE I'd have been worse for the wear.
Shawn
Last edited by sparky3; 10-21-06 at 03:35 AM.
I hope this ememdy lasts for you. Report back if it doesn't
10-21-06, 05:26 AM
#28
Do you remember what size the socket was? and what kind? That's a pretty big fit. I have to agree with you 100%. Just about every member on hear with a 2 Gen GS has experienced the shaky car syndrome at one point or another. The thing that bothers me most is the cold tire problem. It doesn't get that cold here in FL but if the car sits longer than 2 days the tires shake tremendously until they are heated up by driving. After that the car is pretty much ok. I'm going to print this out because i may need this tip in the future... Thanks
Tony
Tony
10-21-06, 08:19 AM
#30
it's the same for a gs3/4/4.3. some early year GS like 1998 don't have this adjustment. I'm not sure about 1999 but my 2000 has it.
I think Rominl said his 1988 didn't have it but he later added this on when he changed his steering rack.
Hmmmm, I always thought turning it CLOCKWISE to tighten, outer nut turning counter clockwise to loosen then turning larger inside bolt CLOCKWISE to firm things up.
I think Rominl said his 1988 didn't have it but he later added this on when he changed his steering rack.
Hmmmm, I always thought turning it CLOCKWISE to tighten, outer nut turning counter clockwise to loosen then turning larger inside bolt CLOCKWISE to firm things up.