Greeting-I have a 95 LS400 with 74K. I have a similiar problem as Rice, with the harsh noises when driving over potholes and bumps. I would like to hear when folks have replaced their struts, it seems to ride relatively fine. It seems to have a lot of nose dive when braking, however they seem to pass the old bounce test where it doesn't continue to oscilate. Let me know your thought guys. Thanks

 

At 75K miles your struts should be in good shape. If they pass the bounce test, means that they are indeed OK. The noise you are hearing most likely comes from worn bushings in upper control arms and/or strut bars (horizontal pieces that connect lower coltrol arm to body in front). Have your mechanic check all the bushings in front by using a large crow bar to move all the components that have bushings in them. The ones with excessive play are the culprits.
Don't rush to change struts, as this is an expensive proposition and, most likely, will not solve the problem (this was the case with me and I have 135K). Insidentally, my struts also passed the bounce test, which means that they were still in good shape after 130K miles.

 

Thanks for the info, i will update as i am having it into my mechanic in the next week.

 

In addition to the bounce test:

On a freeway at 60+, have a buddy follow and observe how the wheels/suspension are while driving along.

Sometimes the way the shock sounds as it compresses like driving over a speed bump can be an indicator.

 

Your struts are most likely fine as the others have said.
Just so you know, one tall tale sign that you have bad struts in addition to the bounce test is to check the tires for any choppy wear on them. The tires will have high and low spots, they aren't wearing out evenly at all with proper inflation, correct wheel alignment, correct balancing, proper tire rotation. If the tires are choppy then usually it's the result of bad struts.

 

I have a leak in my front a/s system. It only leaks out when the car is normal mode. Someone this forum stated there is a gasket that sits on top that can be replaced, available at the local parts store to solve the problem. Is anyone familiar with this problem? Need help!

 

Gentlemen-To give you an update regarding the suspension noise I was having and the solution. To be more specific on the noise, it only occured going over sharp bumps and slamming on the brakes. Regarding the brakes, going forward only 1-2 mph and then slamming on the brakes would produce a huge, harsh cluncking sound in the front. Took it to my local mechanic and he brought in on the lift and found that the front strut rod's was worn. He called the Lexus dealer and talked to the parts guy, he indicated that this was most likely the problem as they replace a lot of these. Sure enough that solved the problem, the cost for that was $164 for each strut rod and $87 to put both on.

As you may also know I was debating on replacing my front and rear struts. I would describe the ride as floaty but did not have anything to compare it too as it was this way when i bought 1.5 yrs ago with 58K. I decided to have my front and rear struts replaced along with the front and rear strut mounts, expensive but wanted to see how much it improved the ride. I have heard that sometimes if you don't replace the mounts, if they're worn the can make noise. The Lexus front struts cost $183 for 2 and 2 mounts cost $237, the Lexus rear struts cost $163 for 2 and the two mounts cost $267.

Boy what a difference it made in the ride and handling, the front end no longer nose dives when braking and it doesn't feel like a boat lifting out of the water when i accelerate. The overall handling is improved greatly, the car doesn't float anymore and feels much more athletic. The front end actually sits about .5 to .75 inches higher than before, i am sure it may drop a little after while. It was expensive but well worth it! It feels like a new car!
Cheers!

 

Glad to hear the car is now handling the way you like it.