1993 LS400 85,000 miles- Occasional creaking noise when going over bumps. Would appreciate any thoughts - fixes

 

Most likely culprit would be sway bar bushings, which seem to be a perennial problem for T/L. This will tend to be worse in cold, dry weather (though that would be true for any of the bushings). Usually you can get away with lubricating them for a year or so, but replacement will eventually be necessary for your sanity. Pretty cheap, even so.

 

Vas is das "T/L"?

Do you get the "creak" when going over speed bumps (both wheels moving in synch), or when only one wheel hits a bump? Or does it creak the same either way?

 

I will venture a guess.

T/L = Toyota/Lexus.



sj

 

Excellent guess. I'll change my abbreviation to Toy/Lex from here on but it somehow seems a little..............less dignified.

 

In answer to PERRYinLA question: it has creaked when backing out of the driveway (slight bump) and also on the road which I think is a one side bump. Could you give me your thoughts for both situations ?

 

Well, I'm no expert, but this is discussed a lot on the SC400/300 forums, and probably the LS forums as well. Search for "eaking" and "bushing"- there's lots of good info.

My own SC creaks, but only when both wheels move in unison (like on speed bumps), which probably means the sway bar bushings.