joelchicago

(scroll down for update - looks like it's the air struts - and a question for those in the know on conversion!)

Hey guys, my 04 RX AWD with 102K and air suspension is rattling, particularly at lower speeds - under 30 mph. The air suspension components seem to be fine, no leak downs or anything. I had it on a lift with my mechanic yesterday. We hear and feel the light noise while driving, but we didn't see anything or feel anything loose while pulling on sway bar links and things. It all feels tight.

Driving the RX, it feels cheap, and my wife doesn't like driving it now. It drives straight and overall smooth except for the light rattle... Mechanic doesn't want to just throw parts and it and hope for the best.

Has anyone else had a similar experience? Even though I don't see or feel anything loose, do I just take a shot and replace the sway bar links, the lower ball joints, and control arm bushings? Hoping someone here has had a similar issue. I just want it to feel like the "L" badge belongs on the grill, not like the front end is falling apart. Thanks all!

LSBen

I would go find a better mechanic that can diagnose your suspension issue before blindly throwing parts at it

joelchicago

Well, in spite of the previous comment, I thought I'd post an update. I've been looking at the suspension this morning, and everything looks really good and is exceptionally tight EXCEPT these tiny little rods going from the control arm up to the underbody. It's not the sway bar links, it's tiny little guys, and I don't see them in parts diagrams online. They attach to the rear part of the control arm, and they have ball/socket ends. Those are rattly and sloppy. Anyone know what these are or where to find them? Thank you.

NVAKeith

iTrader: (1)

Could they be height sensors for the air suspension?

LSBen

How about posting a picture so we can see what you are referring to?

guyrat7

I can relate to this. My 330 and a clunking sound on the front right before I purchased it from the sale. The dealer replaced the bushings on the control arms because they were worn.

clunking still present. dealer checked and swapped shock strut.
no clunking anymore.

They checked the old strut - no leaks or anything. They are stumped too.
Well at least we got it fixed - for free!

One thing I notice is that when the clunking was present, the steering was loose and you could feel the vibrations through the steering column. when we got the strut changed, all that stopped and the steering was tight.

VNTR

hmm how do you know if your vehicle has air suspension? Im looking for coilover or air suspension options


I have a 06 hybrid awd.

is it a full front and rear air strut setup or just a rear auto leveler that adjust like 2 inches -/+

Far as I can see, I only have normal struts and coils.

NVAKeith

iTrader: (1)

Post three on this thread shows the air components and the controls that would be near the seat heater *****:

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/rx-...ion-parts.html

joelchicago

I thought I'd post an update - it does indeed look like the mounts for my air struts have failed. Imagine that - 100K and the factory 11 year old suspension is worn out.

So I've been reading and reading and reading about the conversion. Here's my question for anyone who's done the conversion: why couldn't I just buy the all-in-one spring/strut assemblies for each corner and bolt them in? Are the mounting holes any different for some reason? I can't imagine that. Strut Masters conversion kits are about $1400, but I can buy some replacements for each corner from my favorite online auto parts retailers for about $500-600 and just bolt them up. At 11 years old, I'm going to try to keep costs down.

I would LOVE to hear from anyone who has done this. Otherwise, I'll be the guinea pig on this next week! After that, it looks like I may have some parts for sale from my air system, as my pump and tank and sensors are just fine... Anybody need any parts?

joelchicago

Quick update #2 for anyone following along - I got the suspension converted yesterday. FCS front strut/spring kits are fine but as someone else recently mentioned, the rears don't work (I did some custom work to get them on but don't recommend it - I will be lookingfor factory parts in the bone yard soon).

The best surprise was just pulling the 60A Air Susp fuse in the under hood fuse box and having no ill effects or blinking lights - suspension light just stays on N. Happy to document the procedure if it's beneficial to anyone. It's a lot of work but I did the whole job between $400-500.