I'll join the chorus. I was never very impressed with the steering precision of this car. Kinda sloppy, didn't track well, etc I had a local tire shop install Daizen Steering Rack Bushings on my 2001 GS430. I was not certain it would make much difference. When I tested it, the rack only seemed to move a little. So I was not expecting much.

Boy was I wrong. This car drives SO much better now. No wandering on the highway. No "bump steer." Very direct feel right off dead center, where before it was sloppy.

Between going to 17" wheels and tires (from OEM 16's) and these bushings, I think I'm not going to go to the expense of replacing the shocks now. I was thinking the sloppy handling might have something to do with "old" shocks. Now, I don't think so. The shocks are not leaking, so they stay at least for now.

Thanks to previous posters who gave me confidence to try this repair/upgrade!

2001 Lexus at the Old Idaho State Pen in Boise.

 

just got my poly-U steering rack bushings and the two smaller ones aren't split like in the DIY on CL. can i just jam them through the hole or should i try and cut them? the metal sleeve comes out obviously, but the rubber is just one piece each. ill be doing this this weekend

i double checked with seller saying it should fit.

 

Where can I find steering bushings for RX330 i.e. 2005 model? [MCU35R]

 

ebay has replacement rack & pinion bushings for the rx330.

 

Great stock of these rack bushings at an insanely low price as well.
http://shopfigs.com/v3/2GS_SC430SR-4...ack%20bushings

 

Just bought mine!

 

I'll be doing it this weekend. Thanks for the write up.

 

How has everyone’s bushings held up so far? How many years has it been since initial install? Still tight?

 

15 years or so for me. Fronts were not worn at all. Rears slightly worn. They require periodic regreasing, and I wish the provision had been made for that, like some sort of access hole for grease gun nozzle.

 

Just changed the steering rack bushings with Daizens. Getting them out was no problem. Getting the driver side tops in was a pain in the ***. Had to to get a 4” c-clamp and some grease to get it to go in.

Steering is real tight now, is it supposed to be like this? Can’t one hand steer at low speeds as easily anymore.

 

that seems a bit excessive. Do you have an is-f or a is-f steering ecu with the ect power switch set to on?

for me it made the steering effort a bit more stiff but really only requiring substantial steering effort at low speeds when the ect power switch is set to on (I did the is-f ecu swap, makes the steering wheel weight heavier when in the ect power mode)

Does your steering feel smooth when rotating left to right? Any weird noises? did you only replace the steering rack bushings? Lastly, what grease did you use?

 

I've always had an L-Tuned steering ECU installed. But it never made the steering wheel this tight.

For grease I just used LUCAS grease from my autoparts store: https://www.oreillyauto.com/detail/c...q=grease&pos=1

No noises but definitely not smooth. I replaced my alternator, hoses for the power steering, and steering rack bushings all in 1 go. I wanted to rule out the bushings as the culprit first. I spent 30 mins bleeding air out of the PS lines yesterday by moving the steering wheel back and forth while the car was off, then again while the car was on.