slgreen Posted June 18, 2004 Posted June 18, 2004 i recently had dealer inspect my 91 ls400. i was told the strut bar bushings are cracking. are these the same as the rear carrier bushings? also, i've read some other postings which suggested to replace the strut bar instead of only bushings, since bushings are hard to replace. it's easier to install strut bars since bushings are already installed? does anyone know what difference in cost would be? should i also consider replacing sway bar bushings when i have this work completed? they seem inexpensive and dont require a lot of labor. they also said rear axel bootsare leaking grease? it seems the labor time for this is 5 hours ??? any advise/suggestions is very much appreciated... thanks in advance sg
1UZ-FE Posted June 18, 2004 Posted June 18, 2004 im not sure about the whole sway bar and bushing issue and all that. about the rear alxe boots: my previous car was a 1994 mazda 626 4 cyl 5 spd. i loved to beat the hell out of it. since it was front wheel drive and i loved my burnouts, and my axle boots were dry and cracking, all the grease dripped out. once the grease dripped out, there was nothing to lubricate the moving parts of the axle. eventually, i heard a clicking sound from the axle due to metal to metal contact. theres only so much metal can take before it breaks. eventually, one of my axles broke and left me stranded and needed to get a tow truck to bring my car to a shop. after it was all said and done, i my wallet was $180 lighter. obviously prices for parts and labor for a lexus is way higher than my mazda. also, the front axles on a front wheel drive car is like a universal or "swivel" joint for a socket set to get into tight spot. the joint is turned and twisted every time you turn the front wheels and whenever i did a burn out, massive amounts of stress were put on the non-lubricated joints. the only thing that i am really curious to see is how this applies to a RWD car like our LS's. the rear axles dont have to turn and twist in weird ways like a front wheel drive car b/c the back wheels dont steer. anyway, when i first found out about my dry and cracking boots on my mazda, they gave me 3 options: 1.replace the whole axle before it breaks, 2.keep driving around and wait for it to break and replace it then (what i did), or 3.replace just the boot with a new one and full it back up with grease. number 3 only applies of the axle is still OK and hasn't snapped yet. but again, im not sure if its possibe for the axle to break on a RWD car. as confusing as this may be, maybe it will help you.
99lsguy Posted June 18, 2004 Posted June 18, 2004 Strut bar bushings will wear out..........commonly when you hear a big "clunking" sound as you hit pothole(s) - this is the culprit..... Here's the info: comp.pdf
1UZ-FE Posted June 19, 2004 Posted June 19, 2004 what could/will happen if this strut bar bushing is never replaced and it's in the same condition as slgreen's? will something eventually break?
99lsguy Posted June 19, 2004 Posted June 19, 2004 what could/will happen if this strut bar bushing is never replaced and it's in the same condition as slgreen's? will something eventually break? It gives horizontal support to the lower suspension arm - keeping it from moving front to rear and vise versa.... I think it would tear up the lower susp. bushings quicklly...........
1UZ-FE Posted June 19, 2004 Posted June 19, 2004 so it would tear up a bunch of other bushings... but catastrophic suspension failure or something like a wheel coming off isn't likely/possible? and also...what about that rear axle boot?? im really curious to hear about that whole issue and how similar it is to my prev. front wheel drive car
tansupplyman Posted June 20, 2004 Posted June 20, 2004 The rubber boots cover the CV joints. You don't break the rear axle, you break the CV joint. The unlubricated balls jam up in the sockets and fracture the sockets. If the molygrease has slung out you have to replace the boot, if torn; or repair whatever seal,etc. or you will pay the piper lots soon and you may be calling AAA and staying in a hotel !!!! [Am just making a point here for the masses !!!!] This has happened to me with a BMW-and they aint ft wheel drive; but, I was near home----thing is: the car will not move when it happens--sometimes it will not even roll.
1UZ-FE Posted June 20, 2004 Posted June 20, 2004 thats what i meant, i know they are called CV joints. i called them axles b/c i always talked about them in FWD cars and... i don't know. call it slang. so it IS possible to break CV joints on RWD vehicles? if so, why is it so much more common on FWD cars for them to break?
99lsguy Posted June 21, 2004 Posted June 21, 2004 thats what i meant, i know they are called CV joints. i called them axles b/c i always talked about them in FWD cars and... i don't know. call it slang.so it IS possible to break CV joints on RWD vehicles? if so, why is it so much more common on FWD cars for them to break? from what I understand: CV joints on FWD 's allow the axles to spin at different rates between the outside tire (on curves) and the inside tire........ They're under constant engine/transmission load and because they're flexible........they wear faster.... Plus the boots are much more prone to cracking to to more heat buildup....that's when the grease gets out and it's all downhill once dirt & grime get into the joint!
90LS400Lexus Posted June 24, 2004 Posted June 24, 2004 My car also has this awful, annoying "CLUNKING" noise from the front suspension when I go over bumps. What should I do first? I have no idea on what type of shop to take it to. Would replacing the strut bar bushings alone stop this? What all has to come apart? Thanks. (All of this may have already been mentioned before - if so, sorry. :)
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