Hi, my 1998 ES300 still runs strong (184k) with no hiccups from the drivetrain, so I thought I would spend a few bucks and refurbish the front end before I put on new tires/alignment that it's needing.

My KYB's are on the way, as are new upper strut mounts.

I thought about going with the super cheap SenSen struts but reading through reviews and having used KYB on previous cars I just went with KYB's.

I haven't put the car on stands yet and checked it as it's been freezing in the garage, but it's supposed to warm up this weekend.

Should I go ahead and replace the lower ball joints? Sway bar bushings? End links? Tie rods? etc?

Anyone have experience with the cheap parts available on Amazon and RockAuto? I mean, I see ball joints from $6! off brand to $30 each for Moog. Lower control arms with bushing for $32/each. Outer tie rods for $7-25.

Anything else I should check? Engine mounts? Anything specific to the rear suspension I may overlook?

Thanks!

 

Hey Mate,

Do you know what you're looking for in the parts, say if they are worn or not ? because it's generally best to replace parts that are actually worn rather than throwing (cheap) aftermarket parts in, when the high quality factory parts still have life left in them. Think of it like this, a factory part will often last 200,000kms, and low quality after market parts sometimes barely last 10,000kms. This is particularly true of suspension parts like tie rod ends or ball joints. Bushings they wear fast so there's no much difference in fact sometimes aftermarket stuff is alot better.

I would look for,

1. droop or alot of play in inner and outter tie rod ends.
2. the rear engine mount takes alot of abuse, check it.
3. droop or play in the sway bar links, and worn bushes.
4. lower link rear hub lateral bar bushing, often worn out
5. lower arms (front), both inner bushings, particularly the circular one towards the centre of the car, look for cracks in the rubber or if it has completely come free from the casing.
6. look for leaks from the power steering rack, drivers side (USA) then passengers.
7. look for leaks from the axle seals both sides of the final drive.
8. look for leaks from the crank seal, both front and rear. (fluid present).

thats all i can think of right now.

 

Don't overlook the wheel bearings.

 

Wouldnt touch wheel bearings unless I KNEW those were toast or going out. That's been a hell of a job any time I touched it.

I would honestly take it to a shop and ask for their advice. CV Axles, ball joints, sway bar links, sway bar bushings, even tie rods could all be easier to replace while you're doing struts but it's not worth doing any of those if it was done by a PO.


Its really hard to say what should be done when we arent under the car and don't know it's history.

 

One piece of advice regarding the strut mounts is that people on this forum say OEM is best for mounts, some had issues with KYB mounts. You may want to do some research before you install those.

 

I'll get under it this weekend. As far as I know, the suspension/steering components are original.

As for history, a family member of mine purchased it from the original owner in late 2004 w/95k. I actually located the car for them and test drove it. I've always been a car guy and enjoy finding cream puffs, which the car definitely was (aside from the mileage on it).

It was dealer maintained until...60k (when warranty was up), then to a Lexus/Toyota specific shop until 95k. Full binder of receipts. My relative maintained oil/trans/coolant fluid changes at a quick shop with brakes/tires at Les Schwab. The 120k(?) maintenance was at the Lexus/Toyota shop and the AC compressor was replaced.

Two minor accidents resulting in some body damage that was repaired. I bought the car in 2015 after a mishap with my car (this had become my relatives 3rd car). I changed the front rotors/pads/fluid, trans fluid, PCV and replaced the stock head unit with another stock unit after the LCD screen went bad.

I was looking to replace this car over a year ago but I couldn't find anything I liked as much...except a newer Lexus (I dig the quiet isolation as a daily driver). I test drove a large variation of cars but none of them quite fit the bill except for an ES350 that I let slip away.

 

I'll do the basic wheel shake when it's on stands. Is there a more in depth way I'm not aware of to try and determine?

Yep, I noticed that on reviews and did not purchase the KYB mounts.

 

Yeah, I'm pretty much a YouTube mechanic (ErictheCarGuy, ChrisFix) and have been maintaining my own cars forever. I took auto mechanics way back in high school and was into the tuner scene. You should have seen the old shop teachers eyes when I started the timing belt/water pump job on my first love, a 1997 Eclipse GSX...I had the car before "The Fast & the Furious" was out, haha.

 

The end links, if rusted on there, will need to be chopped off and replaced if your doing struts. I have a few videos that can help you out:

Struts:


The ball joint should be checked when the spring is loaded, since this is a McPherson strut assembly. Grab a long pipe and wedge it over the control arm and tug it up and down, paying attention to the ball joint area for free play. This suspension design doesn't wear down ball joints as fast as a double wishbone setup, since they're not loaded. Here's my ball joint video:


Tie rods should only be replaced if there's a lot of free play. Again, wedge a long pipe underneath as leverage and wiggle it up and down. Pull on the inner tie rod to check for play as well.

I would not recommend going with $6 ball joints. Ball joints are essential to the safety of your car, and is not something you want to cheap out on. Stabilizer links on the other hand aren't a safety concern so feel free to explore what ever brand suits your budget. For some more insight as to what's in a ball joint (or tie rod or stabilizer link, etc), check out my little comparison video where I chopped one up:

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/es-...termarket.html