chenxingha

One of the two 2000 RX300s recently developed a problem with the steering wheel. The steering wheel would oscillate 1 or 2 degrees in both directions in local drive (below 20MPH). The frequency of the (steering wheel) oscillation increases as vehicle speed increases. Driving 5MPH on a clear street without my hands on the wheel I can see the steering wheel turns to both side, back and forth. Driving on highway at 50MPH, I can feel the vibration from the steering wheel. It has not post a serious problem yet (in terms of vehicle control). The steering wheel can still be turned to right and left without any problem. Just the annoying oscillation.

I took the front wheels off (one at a time) and don't see any damage signs at ball joints and steering links. All bolts and nut are tight. No leaks anywhere. The power steering pump works just fine and the fluid is at the right level.

I need advice on where to look for in terms of identifying the problem(s).

Thank you.

silvertn35

The only thing I can think of is tires . Either low tire pressure or excessive wear

Lexmex

Did you check this suspension arm and it's bushing?

chenxingha

I just took the front wheels off and looked at the both arms and cushions - they all appear to be in tight and good conditions. The bolts are very tight - I cannot move them with wrenches manually. The rubber cushions appear with no observable damage. The lower ball joints are also not damage signs and the protective boots are in good condition with no signs of oil leak.

Lexmex

I'm going to have to take a look at my wheel. Bushings on the rack being bad might be an issue also.

sktn77a

iTrader: (2)

Sounds like wheel balance, although this should be present at higher speeds also. Try putting the spare on one front side first. If the problem goes away, you'll know it's that wheel/tire. If it's stays the same put the original front tire (now the spare) on the other front side. You can also put the rear tires on the front and the front tires on the back and see if the steering wheel wobble changes to a vibration in the seats (which would be wheel balance or tires out of round).

chenxingha

I replaced the front wheels with one spare wheel of this vehicle (my wife's) and another from my daughter's 2000 RX300, pumped air to 34 and drove the car in the neighberhood (<15MPH). The steering wheel wobbling is certainly gone.

Now I need to find out what is wrong with the two original front wheels - the tires seem OK, with normal ware but not yet ready to retire.

Thanks for the timely advices.

salimshah

typically the dynamic weight balance surfaces at 45mph +. With our rim/tire sizes they generally appear at 65-75mph. I would think, there may be a rim problem and more likely a hidden problem with the tire(s). In any case, start by getting the wheel balanced. Wish you luck.

Salim

Nad1370

9 out of 10 times a sudden typical low speed shimmy indicates a shifted belt on the tires.

Have it inspected. Or start swapping tire from your other RX.
Either have the vehicle racked up and spin the tires(leave it in drive) to see which one has the run-out.
Or as Salim sugg. have them balanced and tell them to watch the rotation of the tire to see any run-out.
A tire which has lot of run-out can still be balanced but still have a shimmy if not closely looked upon.

code58

Once again I agree with you Nad. On my list nothing would be ahead of checking the run-out of the tires, meaning run it up with it up on a rack or stands (if AWD, make sure ALL 4 wheels are up). If it is a shift in the belt or belts it is almost certain to show up. I usually run slowly up to about 60-70 MPH and see what the tires do. If they are pretty well worn, it may not be worth it to even do anything with those tires, just get new ones since he already knows the "nibble" goes away with different tires. I have always felt I would never trade my life for $100.-$200., why get the LAST of the wear out of tires and take the chance.

chenxingha

I replaced the front tires early in the week at a local garage. One of the old tires, after off the rim, had a fist-size lump on the contact surface and that section is clearly disfigured. But this is not obvious when it is mounted and presured to 34.

I guess the winter potholes on the local roads might have contributed to the damage to the steel belt on the tire.

With the front tires replaced, the vehicle runs great - wife gave complement. It is her 2000 RX300 AWD, moving near to 90k mark. My daughter has the other 2000 RX300 AWD, which is near the 120k mark.

Thank you all for sharing your expertise.

Retrotom

I have a 2000 rx300 2 wheel drive with a steering issue, Maybe you guys can help me. I just bought it, it needed some work. Just about every time I start the car and take off, when the MPH reaches around 37-42 miles per hour, I will feel a little slip in the steering wheel and the steering wheel will be just a hair off center. sometimes it will do this when going uphill or a slight turn. Is this the steering wheel sensor? if so, how do i reset it.If not, what are your thoughts on this? I have read a few blogs about pin jumping the 4 and 14 pin on my OBDii plug, But my model doesn';t have the #14 pin. It only has pins 4,5,7 and 16. Is there another way for me to reset this. The car drives fantastic, very smooth riding, no vibration in the wheel, tires aren't great but still have some life in them, the treads are worn down evenly, they are at 35lbs each. the only issue this car has is this little slip in the power steering
The track off light does come on when car reaches normal temp because it does have a bad A/F sensor Bank 1 position 1 ... which I will be replacing next. Otherwise no issues at all except the above mentioned. Any help would be much appreciated. Thanks

salimshah

Welcome to Club Lexus. I have deleted your other post in the wrong thread.

Your statement about track off and needing to replace the A/F sensor Bank 1 is odd. Normally CEL should be on as well. Can you make sure that the CEL bulb is functioning ... by moving the key from ACC-> run and observing that the CEL gets lit.

Salim

Retrotom

I do believe there are multiple warnings bulbs out. The previous owner had the car for a couple of years and drove it with out a gas cap on, so he ran it with lots of lights on for a long time. I have fixed everything except the A/F sensor and the warning bulbs...I'm sure the Cel and check engine light are all on... I took the car to autozone and have been going through the codes and fixing everything..there are no codes left except the A/F sensor which is the rear by the firewall. I will be replacing that A/F sensor tomorrow or the next day...and of course using the Denso.
With no other code showing, i still have this issue with the steering. Like I said, it drives great with no vibration, the steering is nice and tight with no play, but at 37-42 MPH it slips slightly to just a hair off center.. it also does it every now and then at higher speeds... mostly when going up an incline or a slight turn...changing lanes

salimshah

I just wanted to make sure that "track" warning is related to an issue related to traction control. Track with CEL is most likely due to CEL.

FWD vehicle inherently suffer from "power steer" . Where the engine spins one of the front wheel a bit while the other gets the slop due to front diff.

I would suggest fix the CEL and then make sure that trac light stays off. Then we can revisit your issue.

Salim