hey guys im new to this site. i just picked up a good condition 99 rx with 69k on it. everything seems good on the car but the steerign wheel makes a noise that sounds like a mix between a seal barking to the embarassing noise leather makes when you sit on it. i tried wd40 behind the wheel but that hasnt helped. my friend has an 01 and he said his makes that noise from time to time. any suggestions?

 

Mine was doing the same thing. It turned out to be a wiring harness under the wheel. I think they are big $, but I would think you could tape it up to get it out of the way or keep it from moving around.

 

If it is wiring harness, then I would strongly suggest to get in there and fix it. Insulation will give.


BTW: I have not messed too much with RX, Lexus has done a superb job on GS to tie down the harnesses. This eliminates rattles as well as long term reliability issues [wiring issues plague BMW .. or at least used to].

Salim

 

is this something i can do myself or would i have to take it to the dealer?

 

nevermind, problem solved. turned out it was this rubber boot on the bottom of the steering shaft by the floor. a few squirts of wd40 solved that problem!!! thanks for your inputs!

 

My daughter's '99 was doing that before we bought it from the dealer, and I asked them to fix it first. They fixed it with no problem; the salesman said "they lubricated the steering column." I wasn't sure just what that meant -- I wonder if they did what you just described!