vultureskn

All,

First time I am posting, been checking out the forums lately. I have an on going issue with a vibration in the front end. Here is a quick history. I bought the car about 2 weeks ago. It is a 2001 GS 300 with 61000 miles. Overall in very good condition. Problem started when there was a bad pulsing in the in the steering wheel when I hit the brakes. I thought no big deal, so I replaced the front rotors and pads on both sides. Vibration was 10 times better. I still had a vibration at around 60 mph but, it was pretty minor. So, tonight I went and got the tires balanced to make sure that was not the issue. When I left Sam's Club (place that I got the tires balanced) it still vibrated. So, I think I have ruled out the brakes and tire balancing. Here is the weird part, when I first start driving it seems ok. After I am at 60 mph for about a minute it starts to get a vibration in the steering wheel. But after a bit it goes away.

Here are my thoughts:

- All front suspension parts appear to be orginal
- I get a slight creeking sound on the passenger side when I turn to go into the drive way.
- Steering seems to be a little off when vibration is felt. Meaning, I can feel the rack and pinion gear if I turn the steer wheel slightly. I did read on the forum before that people changed there steering bushing. Not sure if that is it or not.


Questions:
- Is it possible that the passenger caliper is bad? I had to use a vise to put the pistons back to fit on the new pads and rotor. Didn't appear to cause any damage. But this was the side that was really bad prior to changing the rotor and pad. I determined this by test driving the car and feeling for heat build up on the rotors. Front passenger was smoking hot and the others were fine.


Any help would be appreciated, thanks in advance!

BDSL

Try wheel alignment.

TheMole

iTrader: (13)

Search about the 2GS balljoint issues. Hopefully its not that, but worth the research.

vultureskn

Thanks for the responses. I will keep searching. I did talk to a mechanic, he said it sounds like a caliper issue.

VVT-i

Ask Sam's Club to measure Road Force Variation if they use Hunter balancer. You may have tires with high road force. The regular balancer with show 0 gr,but the road force may be too high and caused the vibration.

RTIS250

iTrader: (9)

Definitely agree with this... Have your road force checked. On the 2nd generation GS, anything over 15lbs or so will cause a vibration. Also, it can help if you tighten the preload on the steering rack. A dealer has the large allen key that wll fit the rack, but it is possible to do it without the key. There is a lock ring that has to be loosened, and then the center nut needs to be turned in about a 1/4 turn.

kingkirby

iTrader: (1)

maybe tie rods?

StiCk3

iTrader: (5)

I doubt that a place like walmart will have a tire balancing machine that measures Road Force Variation. Take it to a reputable shop like a Discount Tire, Goodyear, etc. Most of them should have a road force machine.

I highly doubt it's steering rack bushings, but it could be a possibility. Check the Power steering lines for any leaks because they will soften up the bushings if left to soak in PS fluid. If not and you have the repair records handy check to see if there were any PS components replaced withing the past year or so. If not that have the ball joints checked as mentioned earlier.

scooter58

iTrader: (2)

just go search and type in vibration issues for 2nd gen GS...

it's a common problem with aftermarket wheels at 60 mph.

guitarmike

I agree that it sounds like a caliper issue if that wheel is getting that much hotter than the others. Aside from that I'd have to agree with the Road Force variance crowd on this one.

vultureskn

All,

Thanks for the help! Turns out it was the front passenger caliper. Got a new one and had the rotor turned to make sure it was not warped. Riding smooth now.

Jeff

GS4_Fiend

iTrader: (22)

Rotors are warped, or pads are wearing unevenly.

TeddyBoy

'98 GS300 (All Stock Everything). Bought Jan '11 with 96K , now (March 2012) has 126K.

You described EXACTLY what my car just started doing (slight creeking sound when making certain sharp turns and steering wheel vibration that comes and goes around 60~65 mph). I was considering getting an aftermarket brake system anyway, along with sway bars and polyurethane bushings, so hopefully the combination of those two will help sturdy up my ride and get rid of the creeking and vibrations.

I will look more into tightening the preload on the steering rack with the Allen Key and the Road Force Variation test. Hopefully there isn't anything severely worn out.

Thanks again for posting this valuable knowledge.

ditch2

upper control arms?

OutlawTita

iTrader: (1)

I fought this battle over a year on my GS and finally corrected it for good by replacing the aftermarket wheels with OEM wheels.