Greeting fellow ES300 fans:

I have a very gently used 2003 ES300 which I acquired two years ago. It now has 110K miles and has been completely trouble free. Within the past two days I have noticed a bit of a very low speed shake in the steering wheel which on much older cars I have owned would indicate a need to replace the steering damper. Can any of you more experienced Lexus owners advise me on how to trouble shoot this problem. I'm 72 and can still turn a wrench but try to minimize the very strenuous tasks.

Thank you all,

Vic
Fort Myers, Florida
2003 ES 300 Millennium Silver

 

Not sure what you mean by steering damper. The front suspension consists of struts, control arms, ball joints, stabilizer bar with links, inner and outer tie rods. And of course the rack and pinion unit.

 

Thanks Lexus 2000. Your response may point out that my automotive knowledge is a little behind the times. Steering damper, as I knew them, were shock absorber like devices that mounted on the steering gear so that some bumps would not be felt by the driver. If its a thing of the past I obviously need to be looking at the components you detailed.

 

Is there a preferred sequence for checking the steering/suspension parts for my car's problem?

 

it's probably just wheel alignment, or wheel weights, they get lost all the time (fly off). it could be a bulge in a tyre, but that's fairly rare now days. but it happens.

 

MYSTERY SOLVED. A visual inspection revealed the rubber bushing in the upper engine mount (dog bone) is torn and partially absent. Is the bushing available seperately?

Thanks to all who responded.

Vic
Fort Myers, Florida
2003 ES300 Millennium Silver 110Kmiles

 

The bushing is not available separately. You can find it cheap at Rockauto.com quality may be suspect or Google 12363-20120

If possible inspect the other mounts a bad torque strut sometimes indicates other mounts are worn.

 

Two thoughts, firstly if the dogbone mount is worn out, it's possible the rear engine mount will be as well. That one will be expensive to fix, purely on it's location and ... no disrespect Sir, but with your age I suspect this (if it's even worn out), would be a job for a younger man.

Secondly, I doubt the dogbone mount being worn out would induce a low speed shake, that's nearly always a rotational mass issue, usually a tyre bulge, lost wheel weight, or 'hop' in a mag. Some times a mag will take a big hit, get buckled, but still seal perfectly.

 

Had this issue on my '98. That dogbone is often considered an expendable part that will go out, especially with so many miles.

My vehicle had some low idle issues which amplified the vibration even more.

The dogbone is cheap and easy enough to replace, but like others said, when one goes out, it's highly likely the others are on their way. This is only exacerbated since the still "good" mounts have to make up for the worn one(s).

Depends on the shop but expect several hundred buckaroos to get the rear mount changed out. My car downshifted so much nicer after I got the mounts replaced, too.

 

Thank you to all who provided their wisdom on my problem. I replaced the "dog bone" ($15 delivered from an Ebay USA seller) and the old one was thoroughly wasted as is shown in the attached photo. The ride smoothed out a bit but I've got more to do. Some of you recommended changing the "rear" mount which I believe is on the transmission. There is also another mount on the front left of the engine which looks easy to change. I plan to do both, hopefully with the assistance of a neighbor who is slightly under 60 years of age. I checked the wheels and they seem okay. Again, thank you all for your input.

Regards,

Vic
Fort Myers, Florida