smitty2919

Hey guys,

We just picked up a 08 IS250AWD with 102k mi on it about a month ago. Have noticed a little popping noise driving under 30mph when road noise is at a minimum from the front passenger side. I check it out today and all ball joints and sway bar end links look tight with no ripped boots etc.

I did notice a good amount of "black crud" built up on the shock body under the lower spring perch (like working on a old motor that had a oil leak and dirt kept building up...when you wipe it, it smears and gets worse lol). I assumed it was due to the fact this car has a "brake cooling duct" that allowed dirt/grime to get on the shock...

I looked at the driver side and there was no signs of this crud. Yes the shock was dirty, but it was light dust that wiped off.

So, that being said...I'm thinking the shock is leaking. Ugh. I did some digging and these cars have a front shock and a "shock bracket" due to the front axle.

Anyone have recommendations for a solid OEM-like shock only? I don't need the bracket. I see KYB offers a Gas-A-Just version for ~$90 each.

Thanks for any tips guys.

smitty2919

Well replaced front shocks with KYB's. I took old PS shock out and couldn't compress it farther than half way! It hit a hard stop LOL. Well the popping noise is still there. Nothing jumps out at me for being worn, which sucks because I do't want to throw parts at it.

I have found out that applying the brake lightly, the noise will stop. So I looked into the caliper/rotor and it's tight. My suspicion is the suspension "bends" when I apply brake (while keeping foot on the gas) just enough to take up some slop in whatever part is popping...Hard part is replicating this in a garage LOL

At 104k mi, do these car have ball joint issues?

jr4div2

I'd suspect the CV joint on the axle since you saw grease. There's also a thread here

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/is-...oise-help.html

where a guy had a clicking noise on a rear axle and it turned out to be the metal canister looking thing on the end of the axle that butts up against the knuckle. The boot was intact, but the canister (for lack of a better term) had separated.

smitty2919

I didn't mention I saw grease anywhere. There was fluid/crud built up on the shock body.

The link you suggested is defiantly rhythmic with tire rotation. I do not have that problem so I'm not thinking axle related.

The noise happens when you drive over small cracks and the suspension is quickly jolted.

jr4div2

Ah. My bad on the "crud" misunderstanding. You say you replaced the shocks and still have the problem. A lot of things move around down there when you "jolt" the suspension. I just replaced the knuckle on my '07 Ridgeline and those ball joints were solid a a freakin' rock. Unless someone can tell you there was a problem with these in the IS, that'd be the last thing I suspected. Do you think the oil from the old shock could have gotten down onto the lower ball joint and caused some degradation of the boot? Have you tried jacking it up, taking the wheel off and kick around on things to see if you can get a better feel of where the click is coming from?

smitty2919

Yep, did all that. Problem is the suspension in full droop binds up the suspension differently than at ride height. When doing the shocks I had the outer tie rod off and the sway bar end link off. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary with those.

I never separated the upper or lower ball joints, since I didn't need to.

Tonight I'll try to place a metal bar between the tire and ground and pull up on the bar to see if something moves.

jr4div2

I'll tell you this. If you want to try and separate the ball joint, don't try it without a ball-joint separator. Man! I fussed with those things for a good 45 minutes until youtube saved me again. Went to Advance auto, picked one up for like $25 and had them both separated in 15 minutes. I'm curious since I've never been under there on my IS250. My Ridgeline had a ball joint on the tie-rod and on the lower A. The IS doesn't have one on the end of the tie rod?

If you've looked everywhere else, it's gotta be where you didn't look. I think that's Piglets hypothesis from Winnie the Pooh. Very well could be the lower ball joint. If you had the tie rod off, couldn't you move the knuckle around at that point? You should be able to get the axle out of the hub as well if it's anything like my Ridgeline. Just some thoughts and like I said, I've never been under the IS before.

smitty2919

Thanks for the tip on ball joint separator.

There is a ball joint at the end of outer tie rod to the spindle, there is a ball joint in the middle of the control arm and spindle then a third in the upper control arm.

smitty2919

Still can't figure it out. I jacked the car up and placed a crow bar under the wheel and pulled up on it to simulate bumps in the road. I didn't hear a thing.

I need to figure a way to get the suspension loaded and test some things...

Edit, did some more reading, do you need caliper shims on these cars? I don't remember specifically adding pad shims when I put in new Hawk pads. Took pads out of the box and tossed them in.

smitty2919

Passenger side caliper slider pins needed greased. I suspect they were sticking and the pads/caliper were able to move around.

Took it apart, greased them and noise is gone.