Imola.zhp

Welp, I'm back, havnt been in here much, lol...

Roommate bought a 4Runner at CarMax, but they gave him a crazy low offer on the ES300, so he decided to keep it and buy the 4Runner...

So now I'm payin $25/month to drive it 2/4 weeks a month, cheep IMO, and I'll probably trade some of that out fixing it up some...

Ok, on to one of the many problems...

So you'll be driving, anywhere, and the steering wheel is just shakin, sometimes worse than others, not always under breaking. Accelleration, everything...

Wheels/tires have been balanced and rebalanced and rotated out numerous times to try to fix this problem, but roomie just always gave up and lived with it. I cant, its too crazy for me. What could this be? Out of balance 1/2 shafts? What else?

The guys on memphisracingscene.com suggested ball joints. What is the proper techniquie for checking them on a `98? I tried lifting the car and shaking the wheel/tire, but from the top/bottom, nothing moves, from the side to side, it does some, but isnt that just the steering mechanism?

Thanks in advance!

Pheonix

a lifetime alignment

esucaris1

try raising 1 wheel at a time to maximize the amount of play you can feel...

Imola.zhp

^ I did this yesterday, there was no play at the top of the wheel/tire, but in reading posts about LS and GS models, I realized I should be trying to shake the top AND the bottom. The side to side action had a little play, but I figured this was due to the steering mechanism working as its suppose too. Am I wrong? Or should I try get the steering wheel to LOCK and then try to move from side to side?

Thanks for the help!

OceanView

I had this problem many times and for me it was always the tires.
Even after rebalancing them the problem sometimes comes back.
The only thing that fixes this is getting new tires.
I end up needing 2 tires at a time, either fronts or rears.
I ALWAYS put the new tires on the front and put the older tires in the back.
This works.
If some or all of the tires are close to end of life, try getting a new pair and put them on the front.

licensed

if this is a 1996 es300 this is a recall item. info here: http://www.automallusa.net/1996/lexu...0/recalls.html

Imola.zhp

^ wow, I'm sorry, I cant believe I didnt state the year model...

She's a `98...

I've lifted each corner both independantly and together. The ball joints are solid, there is a little play in the tie rods, and this might be the culprit...

Thanks for the suggestion on the tires. I have a friend that has a similar set that Ima put on the car this weekend. That will be a quick test of weather or not the little tiny bit of play in the tie rods is the problem, or if the tires are...

BBLexus

I had a similar problem - you may want to refer to the following posting. The cure was to get Michelins - never had a problem after that.

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/sho...ferrerid=61292

thangalang

What do I do for a recall? How can I get it fixed for free?

rtk7

i member my car shook one time really really bad when i was goin really slow and than it stoped and my steering wheel locked up and my steering wheel locked up again week ago it was really weird but than my car drives so nice idk what it is but ya my car was shaking really bad weeks ago because some how my calipers were locking up or a loose break pad because when i would go reverse and go drive and press the breaks i would hear a clunking noise either calipers letting go finally or brake pad going back into place

Slooooooow

iTrader: (1)

Holy crap...that was one sentence, brutha


(Just messin' with ya)

licensed

i'm not sure, but take it to a lexus dealer and ask them about it.

Imola.zhp

Thanks for all of the help. I have a friend that is going to let me swap on an extra set of wheels/tires to see if the tires are the problem. I, honestly, do not know what tires he has on it now, but I'm sure they are not original, and I'm not so sure he would have paid for Michilins...