Weird loose cracking sound and feel in the steering whel when i go over certain bumps
#1
Lead Lap
Thread Starter
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Hey guys just bought this car 3 days ago. it is 01 gs430. I love it but have few issues. My freind who is a used car dealer bought this car for me on dealers auction, took the car to his shop to inspect it. he sais something was loose in the front axle, he had to tighten it and everything should be ok. I drove the car everything is ok accept when I go over certain bumps or litle wholes on the road strait or while turning i feel and hear a slight loose cracking noise coming from front and i feel it in the steering wheel too, feels like something is loose in the front axle, it does not happen all the time just sometimes on certain kind of bumps, ot if there are many bumps in a row like a rail road track, feels like something is loose there, anyone has any ideas or had something similar?
#2
Lexus Test Driver
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sounds like my 00 GS400 when I first got it...
sounds like you have bad lower ball joints/ bad strut mounts or maybe both....but either way all the parts are cheap
sounds like you have bad lower ball joints/ bad strut mounts or maybe both....but either way all the parts are cheap
#6
Lead Lap
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When I turn and hit a bump or somethinbg on the road i feel it but if the road is good turning is no problem just on bumps.. i will check the ball joints and everything you guys said before.. thanks a lot for the help, i will let you know when i fix it..
#7
Lexus Fanatic
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Originally Posted by Navaz
Check all front sway bar mounts
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#9
Lead Lap
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I don't know if I need to go to a different mechanic, I mean this guy was by me for long time and for my father. I went to balance my tires yesterday, I told him about this problem, he told me that with 85k miles the sound and feel of something loose coming from steering wheel could be a vulve that is loose or worn out and loose inside the steering column, and to fix it, you might need to get the whole thing and it will be expensive?! Should I go to someone else? I live in NYC area, anyone know a good mechanic in this area that knows lexus. A lot of you mentioned lower ball joints problem, and sway bar ends are loose, I told him, he said that most likely not and did not check them. What you guys think?
#15
Lead Lap
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getting this thread out agian.. Let me answer all the above questions first. I run 36psi front and back on my newly replaced Conti SportContact 2 235/45/17. The ball joints, tie rods were changed and sway bar links were tightened as all this was changed along with new Tein CS v2 suspention. Pre-tentioner tightened. The steering is nice and tight but still have clunking noise as I go off a sloped drive way on angle to get on the main road, left side only, it clunks as the car balances itself over the slopped drive way. And my other problem is still there and the most enoying. The steering feels loose and feels like it disconnects from the wheels and the rack as I go over rough brink pavement on my condo driveway, it feels like steering is not planted to the wheels, but has play. Same thing happens on highway when I hit a bump it feels like it disconnect a bit.. I also had my rack mount bushings tightened with 4 washers as the rack moves quiet a bit when you turn the steering, now it is nice and tight.. so all this isolated ball joints and strut mounts, pretentioner rack, sway bar links had to be tightened too, as all this was changed out.. The las thing left is the sway bar bushings?! what do you guys think? Does any one have a pic of sway bar end links and mounts, maybe I think of something else? Should I order Daizen Sways and be done with it, or order Daizen bushings first, since they afre cheap??