I recently replaced the ball joints. Now, the ABS and the VSC controls aren't working. I've read other threads that indicate the wires are the most likely issue. Is this a common issue after replacing the ball joints? Is it more likely the sensors themselves have been damaged?

 

No, cant say it's an issue when replacing the ball joints you just have to be mindful of the ABS wire when you take everything apart. Hopefully you didn't damage any sensors, they can get expensive, did you check your connections? check if you might have damaged the cable or if it's crushed between something.. good luck!

 

Yea. It's not normal for the wires to break. What you should have done is disconnect the wiring from the shock bracket so the ABS wire does not stretch.

 

It might seem like I'm beating a dead horse but here are some more pics od a ball joint install, why not....

 

*** you can see it was time to replace my joints, before that o so ugly catastrophic failure...

 

Here's a better shot, notice how its leaning to the side...

 

Felt a little to splashy if you know what I mean... if you ever want to really test yours there's a section in the OEM book with test procedures...

 

Thanks for this DIY. Once you get familiar with the area the work becomes really fast. I have a 2000 GS400.

One problem I had was like Coco-Bun mentioned a ways back; be darn careful when putting the brake caliper back on. My pax side went together fast and clean which added to my complacency. Driver side for some reason decided to begin stripping the threads out of the caliper!

I think it was because I was having trouble with the rotor trying to fall off when placing the caliper into position. So I used a couple lug nuts to hold her on and free up my one hand. This may have caused the caliper to not align correctly. After MUCH ranting, raving and swearing, I called it quits for the night. In the morning I consulted with a minor gear-head buddy of mine over the phone he told me to take the bolts to a parts store and get a tap to match them.

I carefully ran the tap through the top and bottom then gingerly put the caliper back on ... no lug nuts were used on the rotor, just dealt with it.

Sorry about the length of post. All told it is an easy DIY with the correct tools.

 

You scare me. I would buy new calipers.

BP

 

Just did mines yesterday with CK6speed....was easy...thank god we had the pitman arm puller....without that tool..it would have been tough.

 

Ok guys I have just ordered a pair of Lower Ball Joint for $145 from CasonToyota and a pair of outter tie rods from http://alleurasianautoparts.com/ (free shipping) ,

Lower Ball Joint:

Qty Description Core Price
1 Mechanical Catalog - 2000 - Lexus - GS 300
Front suspension, Lower control arm, Lower ball joint, Lower ball joint, gs300, gs400, right - gs300/400/430, is300, sc430 - GS300/400/430, IS300, SC430 $0.00 $66.08
1 Mechanical Catalog - 2000 - Lexus - GS 300
Front suspension, Lower control arm, Lower ball joint, Lower ball joint, gs300, gs400, left - gs300/400/430, is300, sc430 - GS300/400/430, IS300, SC430 $0.00 $66.08
Sub Total: $132.16
Tax $0.00
Shipping $13.22
Total: $145.38

Outter Tie Rod:

Qty Brand Sku Description Retail Price Core Total
1.00 AAA:SNK M3010-146588 Tie Rod End 54.74 49.38 0.00 49.38
1.00 AAA:SNK M3010-146591 Tie Rod End 73.72 57.07 0.00 57.07

Core Charges: 0.00
Subtotal: 106.45
Additional Shipping Charge: 0.00 Shipping - UPS Ground Residential: 0.00
Total Weight ( 2.70 pounds ):
Tax: 0.00 0.00
Order Total: 106.45


The Total is (Ball Joint + Tie Rod) = $251.83

what u guys think ?? fair enough?

 

Hey Chenzo... that is a nice pdf that you have for the diagram. Do you have access to the rest of them for the GS? Is there an online resource that we can use to view them? Could you send me a PM with the link or post them up?

 

I am ordering the parts RIGHT now. I have 128,000 on my 98 GS4 and just drove it across country. Still rolling but it's now time to do this with my stimulus check. Thanks President Obama. 700 bucks on a 300 tax return.

I am new to California, any car clubs out this way?

 

I just replaced my lower ball joints between yesterday and today. I started yesterday, but ran into some issues with the Pitman Puller as it was the wrong size. The most common size is the 1-5/16" opening. The one that is needed for the GS is the 1-3/4" opening which is a little harder to find in my neck of the woods. Although, after I bought the smaller opening puller, I noticed that the smaller one didn't fit well on the ball joint, so I used the small one for the tie rod and the bigger one for the ball joint. Total of 30 min on each side to get it all done and buttoned up.

So, note to any more DIYer's out there...

1-3/4" Opening
--Tie Rod
1-5/16" Opening
--Ball Joint

 

Same here bro. I changed those over the weekend too and you are right the differences are just day and night...that also fixed my vibration on the steering wheels when I was driving around 60mph