I am the proud new owner of a brand new 1992 LS400 with 182,000 miles. Amazingly well built car I must say. Only real problem is the car wanders rather badly on the highway and makes a groaning and creaking sound when turning at slow speeds. Just got back from my honeymoon and bought the car right before we left so I haven't had time to really look at anything yet. Would worn out shocks or springs make the car wander like that(not air susp btw)? Or does it just possibly need to be aligned? Steering is tight, very little slack but seems way sensitive on the road. Worked on my 'ole beat up chevy truck quite a bit but never much on cars like this. Also does anybody make a repair manual for this car? Haynes nor Chiltons seems to have one.
Thanks in advance for any help; great forum ya'll got going here.

 

your bushings could also be warn. in my es the a-arm bushings are shot so with my lowered suspension the car weaves like an omish basket maker.

 

Does anyone make high performance bushings and other suspension parts for this car? Also what shocks do you recommend-gonna replace those for sure.

 

Daizen makes aftermarket bushings for the fronts only (for now):
http://www.tmengineering.net/suspens...n/make/ls.html

A number of members (including me) have been waiting on the rears to be released, but it keeps getting pushed back.

If you want to keep the Lexus quality ride, then stick with stock shocks. If you want a sportier ride, go with aftermarket spring/shock combos (i.e. Eibach/KYB, H&R/Tokico, etc.).
http://www.tmengineering.net/suspension/index.html

You might also want to check your tires to see if they may be the problem.

Search is your best friend.

 

Start with Daizen sway bar bushings, LS400 (1990-1992) P/N L1-2008 .

They are an inexpensive ($100.00) and quick do it yourself improvement. You in all likelihood have other worn suspensions parts and thats fine. Do yourself a favor & start here and the rest should become clearer.

 

why is it that Daizen STILL doesnt have bushings for my car x.x

 

Welcome to CL.

On a car with this many miles, have the following inspected:

#1: Upper/lower ball joints, strut bar bushings, tie rod ends, upper and lower control arm bushings.

#2 Check your tires for signs of uneven wear patterns.

An alignment is pointless if the bushings have excessive tolerances. They will not be able to dial in the alignement numbers. So don't waste any money doing an alignment first until you rule out suspension bushing wear. If the bushings check out, it is possible there is more +toe and this is causing the highway stability problems. It also could be old tires but a visual inspection is hard so if they have lots of miles, replace them.

The sway bar bushings will have minimal impact on straight line so these can be replaced at leisure. That is not to say it isn't important, they are not likely the cause of highway wandering.

 

Thanks for the help guys; gonna jack her up and start snooping around this weekend. Where do you recommend getting these parts? Does any of the parts stores carry suspension parts for these cars? I know I can't seem to find a manual at any of them.

 

RA40 is right ofcourse, that is the proper path that he described.
I know it well since I followed it myself. You need to first determine if you are on original oem struts.

If you are looking for something you can do in the here & now that is cheap & will make a difference, go back to my plan A. It will improve your ride & noise problems & in no way take you on backwards path.

MY 94 LS has 180,000 miles. It has replaced oem shocks & front upper mounts and Lower ball joints. Also has new motor & tranny mounts. I was about to do the upper ball joints & control arms seeking further improvement until the Daizen Sway Bar Bushings became available. Now I'm quite happy & have at least delayed a major expense in suspension cost.

My father conversely has a 90 LS beyond 220,000 miles and it has had every suspension part replaced w OEM.

Daizen Swaybar Bushings for a 95 model:
LS400 (1995-1997) P/N L2-2008
(Avail. Jan 06)

 

lol, sorry, i should have been more specific, i was taking about the control arm bushings, not the sways. gettin an addco rear bar in the next while and it comes with bushings already. may pick up a set for the front tho.

 

Steering Problem:
It sounds to me like you need a new steering damper. I have a 91 that was way too sensitive on the highway. I replaced the steering damper and it is like a totally different ride. It is much more comfortable to drive on the highway, not as jittery and unstable feeling.

You can get the part from your local dealer. It is part number 45700-50011, should fit 90-94 LS400, maybe others too.

My local dealer wanted $170 for it, but I ordered it online from Park Place Lexus in TX for $119 shipped. Go to http://www.NewLexusParts.com , then type in the part number.

Before you order it, you can make sure that your old one is bad. It looks just like a skinny shock, and it is parallel to the steering rack behind the motor (underneath the car). It is really easy to get to if you jack up the car. There are only two bolts that hold it on, so just remove one of the bolts and move the free end back and forth. There should be strong resistance when you move it. If it moves back and forth real easy, then it is shot. Mine had nearly no resistance left.

Repair Manual:
The only way to go is to get the original manual from the TIS website. This is a website that you buy a subscription to for $10/day and it gives you access to all the Toyota and Lexus technical documents. This includes the entire shop repair manual, technical service bulletins, training manuals, body repair manual, etc. It covers any Toyota, Lexus, or Scion from 1990 to present.

Fair Warning: It took me 4 hours to download and save the repair manual for the LS400. It was in 470 individual .pdf files. Also when I selected "view all" under the repair manual it maxes out at 250 documents. I had to pull up each subsection individually to see all the documents. A true necessity for any DIY Lexus owner.

Toyota/Lexus TIS System:
http://techinfo.lexus.com/

Hint: Go into each subsection and save the source code for that page. You will have the original pathnames and descriptions for each file. Then recreate the same directory structure on your hard drive (folder names/file names). If you take the time to do that, then the hyperlinks inside the repair manual will work. I even made a simple html page for mine that makes it work just like it does on the TIS website.

Hope this helps,

-awhiteguy

 

Any special tools needed for the bushing change? Sounds like a cheap enough upgrade that surely can't hurt.
Keyless entry also doesn't work; tried replacing the battery but no help. Switch is on. I know this isn't the electronics section, but how bad is it to install an aftermarket remote start/keyless entry system? I'm sure the electronics on this car are fairly complex-still haven't found a manual either.

 

Answered about the manual before I even finished asking-that's service right there!!
Thanks for the info; sounds like a pain but I guess that's what I'll have to do. Never thought about the damper-that would be easy fo sho.

 

Steering damper is also a great call. I thought they were much cheaper than that for a 1st generation.?

Don't know if you belong to Sams or Costco (balancing is ususlly cheap at these places) or what Tires your on but Tire quality/condition and a proper balance have everything to do with how your LS rides.

 

Tire pressure will also cause wandering. When I first got it, my 1997 LS400 was all over the road until I dropped tire pressure down to the recommended 29psi. Setting the pressure that low went against all of my past experience but that's what it says in the owners’ manual so I gave it a try. The car is incredibly smooth and straight at 29psi and starts wandering all over the road about 31psi.