Ls400 Steering

[ronsadvice]

:o love my 1990 LS400 but cannot seem to smooth out the steering. Seems like the car wants to go where it wants to go and is a full time steering project. Have been through the mill with Lexus dealer - says no idea why. I have Goodyear Eagle GA's on the car and rotation does not make a difference. I finally got the brainstorm to ask you out there if you have dealt with this or if I am just crazy.

Car has only 83K and is in perfect condition.

Thanks

Ron Johnson

[98 LS]

What tire pressure are you running? <_<

[99lsguy]

Bad tie rod ends...........or ball joints?

Do you have to "jerk" it back in line........?

[1UZ-FE]

im going to have to agree with both of the previous replys. check the tire PSI all the way around, check alignment, and what 99lsguy said.

Also, what exacly do you mean by "jerky steering"? tell exactly what the car is doing and give examples.

[99lsguy]

im going to have to agree with both of the previous replys. check the tire PSI all the way around, check alignment, and what 99lsguy said.

Also, what exacly do you mean by "jerky steering"? tell exactly what the car is doing and give examples.

Like UZ says...........

for ex:

a classic case of worn ball joints & tie rod leads the steering to constantly "wander". Then you have to "tug" the steering wheel a bit, only to follow with another "tug" as the car won't hold a straight line. The joints have worn down to "flat spots" that "catch" and you have to jerk the wheel to pull them away from the worn area..........only to find another worn area................

Vibration and worn tires are the damage - along with a lousy ride ;)

[ronsadvice]

Lexus has fully checked out the front end and says OK. Also, checked and balanced tire pressure all the way around. Maybe they failed to checkk out front end properly? Thanks for your input - I will go back to Lexus with your notes. Ron

[VMF]

b4 changing ball joints etc do wheel alignment first since this is the cheapest fix and you have to eliminate it first, after that proceed to the tie rod and ball joints.

[handygal]

tire pressure should give you a pull. So should alignment from my experience. It doesn't sound like your car is wandering to one side, but rather it goes in differnet directions to varying degree and takes more than just a slight adjustment of the steering wheel to remedy, it needs a tug?

I'm with 99lsguy on this one, the simple stuff dose not cause a random wander that needs a tug to straighten. Ball joints and tie rods.

Unfortuately, I have found that I have to have my neighborhood mechanic diagnose the problem, then I go to the dealer and tell them the symptoms and that looking X-part has shown damage or whatever. They couldn't fix my 95 SC400's problems. My mechanic tested the spark plug wire harness, found a few bad wires, and with that info the dealer could diagnose and replace it. Only one of many. This from the largest dealer in the world?

[ronsadvice]

tire pressure should give you a pull. So should alignment from my experience. It doesn't sound like your car is wandering to one side, but rather it goes in differnet directions to varying degree and takes more than just a slight adjustment of the steering wheel to remedy, it needs a tug?

I'm with 99lsguy on this one, the simple stuff dose not cause a random wander that needs a tug to straighten. Ball joints and tie rods.

Unfortuately, I have found that I have to have my neighborhood mechanic diagnose the problem, then I go to the dealer and tell them the symptoms and that looking X-part has shown damage or whatever. They couldn't fix my 95 SC400's problems. My mechanic tested the spark plug wire harness, found a few bad wires, and with that info the dealer could diagnose and replace it. Only one of many. This from the largest dealer in the world?

:cries: Thanks everyone. Went to Lexus with your ball joint recs, they say they checked when aligned and all is to spec under there.

Do you think tires could cause this, that is what Lexus wants me to do - go to a Goodyear dealer and have him check tires. Tires look more than fine to me, no wear patterns yet, dealer rotated to no improvement in steering.

When I say "jerky" I don't mean RADICAL, but you have to constantly steer the car. On a longer drive, it is really tiring and not like a Lexus. Have had this problem for awhile but thought that was just the deal.

I have Goodyear Eagle GA tires. I would gladly pay to go to Michelin or somewhere else if any of you have found that tires can cause this problem.

Thanks for all your input!

Happy 4th of July to you all!

Ron

[93LSOwner]

Here is a thread about what are the best tires for 1990-1992 LS400:

http://us.lexusownersclub.com/forums/index...howtopic=10646&

[1UZ-FE]

did you get this resovled or is it still a work in progress?

[ronsadvice]

did you get this resovled or is it still a work in progress?

B) Yes, work in progress. Tire people have given me a green light, mechanic says he knows of steering problem that LS400 has on SOME vehicles and he thinks it can be resolved with a minimum of effort and $$$. Will take it in this week and continue to the next chapter of this saga. Thanks for your interest.

Ron

[1UZ-FE]

good to hear the news. even a slight chance of fixing it is better than knowing for sure and it costing big bux. hope all works out ok.

[ronsadvice]

good to hear the news. even a slight chance of fixing it is better than knowing for sure and it costing big bux. hope all works out ok.

another question? Have you had any experience with SEATS breaking down inside? I think that is a problem too as my back is complaining but the seat looks Great! Just thought I would run this by you since you have been helpful.

Thanks, Ron

[1UZ-FE]

have you tried adjusting the lumbar support on your seat? lumbar support is a bulge in the lower section of the back of your seat. this adjusts the amount of support given to the curve of your lower back just like an ergonomic computer chair. this may be too far out or in.

P.S. i think the 90 models had this. i am not sure. look at all the different power adjustments on the side of your seat and see if it exists. if you dont have lumbar support, you will only have 2 buttons. if you do have this, you'll have 3 (1 horizontal, 1 verticle and 1 button that is rectangular shaped-lumbar support)