Clunking / Rattling Noise

[Sal's Dad]

I've got an annoying problem, with a 2000 ES300, 95K miles.

There's a "clunking" noise when going over bumps - at first I thought the passenger door was ajar, but passengers thought I was nuts, and the door was always closed tight. But that's just what it sounds like - much louder, sharper than the low "thump" of the suspension.

Now I think perhaps the noise is in the passenger seat mounting (when I grab the seat at the headreast and shake hard, it moves a bit, and makes a similar, but lesser, noise), or perhaps in the dashboard area.

I find myself deliberately aiming for potholes and rough areas, to try to pinpoint the sound. But it seems like a bad idea to swerve toward bumps while bending down so my ear is near the passenger floor area. And I don't usually hear it when my wife drives.

Any suggestions? Should there be a bit of "give" in the passenger seat mounting?

Thanks

Sal's Dad

[glr]

Sal's Dad,

I have a similar experience with my 04 es330. I thought the rear driver side door was ajar, reached around, spilled my coffee and found that it was tight. It is more of a rattle than a thump. Perhaps you wouldn't mind sitting in my back seat with a stethescope while I drive through pot holes...could you hold my coffee too :)

[eman_be_lexin]

I have a similar sound from my 97ES. I have noticed it for a while but have ignored it. The sound seems to come from behind the glove compartment. I notice it when I start the car too.

[lexusk8]

The "clunking" sound going over bumps could very well be coming from your strut mounts. They are located on both sides of the ES (with 3 nuts sticking out) when you pop the hood. These strut mounts tend to age rather quickly for the '97-'01 ES models, and so require replacement.

[Sal's Dad]

Thanks! I'll check that out.

[kpat]

I do not know if this would help but try the rubber hangers that holds the exhaust as I had one of them missed out when the rear peice was replaced and cured it but putting the exhaust in through the rubber

[98es]

Sal's Dad- I have the exact same problem on my 98 ES300 w/115k miles, except mine comes from the drivers side. When i'm driving along i too swerve for the bumps/potholes to try and recreate it. It's like a clunky rattle. Lexusk8- What exactly should i look for when i open the hood? Is there a way to tell if they're worn or not by just looking at them? I'm decent when it comes to cars but suspension is something that I know NOTHING about. Thanks.

[glr]

Sal's Dad,

I have a similar experience with my 04 es330.  I thought the rear driver side door was ajar, reached around, spilled my coffee and found that it was tight.  It is more of a rattle than a thump.  Perhaps you wouldn't mind sitting in my back seat with a stethescope while I drive through pot holes...could you hold my coffee too :)

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Germain Lexus of Columbus evidently correctly diagnosed my rattle which is no more after they "removed rear seats and tightened V-Brace nuts and bolts" per the shop receipt. They also replaced my rear door seals for good measure. :D

[IlyaIlya]

I have that as well, cant figure out where its comming from (somewhere in pass side front near wheel/ or near steering wheel) duno , i just dont pay attention to it, since everything underneath is checked and seems fine, only thing it could be is probably what the guys stated above, or those links i forget name for them

they small and look like this o-----o on each side of car, inside is some bushing i guess, and it moves a bit causing the sound as well from what i heard. but not 100% sure good luck

[Sal's Dad]

Well, I took it into the dealer (Lexus of Watertown MA).

I asked for the basic $120 oil change/inspection service -- I really wanted them to inspect for signs of oil gelling. (They said that it would cost many hundreds of dollars to check this, and at any rate the special factory warranty on this defect was for 8 years or 80,000 miles, and so any inspection was irrelevent).

In addition to requesting the basic service (Oil change, filter, top fluids, inspect belts etc, rotate tires, wash interior and exterior, "inspect all suspension components", road test, etc...) I noted the noise.

Cute, well-dressed, smiling service rep came out to me, as I sat sipping my espresso in a leather armchair; she told me the problem was "suspension mounts" (as I recall - this would be the "strut mounts" mentioned above by lexusk8), and offered to replace them for about $200 materials and $3-400 labor.

I declined to have the work done then. When the bill came, there was $45 (1/2 hour) for this problem. I asked what they had done, and they said "diagnosis". I pushed the issue a bit, they got a couple technicians out, who said they don't normally inspect this "hidden" component. And, oh yes! they had to road test the vehicle! I pointed out that the basic service included both these items, and they were charging me for providing an estimate on a problem they were being paid to find anyway.

They basically said "tough", and so it wasn't until I informed them I would be calling my credit card company to refuse payment that a manager was consulted, and agreed to remove the charge "just this time".

This was my first, and (I hope) last experience with this service department. This seems like the kind of problem my local "grease monkey" can handle.

Sal's Dad

[amf1932]

Lexus service is no different then any other dealers. It takes time to do do a diagnosis, and they sure as hell want to get paid for it. If everybody that has a problem wants a free diagnosis and then goes to their local mechanic to do the job cheaper, then they'd certainly go out of business. In this world you get nothing for nothing. ;)

[SKperformance]

If you had searched for a bit you would have saved the agravation of diagnoising the problem as it is common to lube the mounts to stop the noise

[98es]

SK- you said in another post that to resolve this issue, you should lube the bump stops? Is this the same thing that you are referring to in this post? From my understanding noise cannot be from the bump stops because this noise is happening even on very small bumps, when the shock isn't compressed all the way to the bump stop. Could you clarify? Thanks a lot!

[dancer457]

In my 01 ES300 i also have that clicking type sound. When I took it in they said it was my back brakes so they replaced them. and it stopped for the first couple of days but when i was driving it yesterday it started makin the sound again. is there something else that could be wrong?

[SKperformance]

the bump stops, strut mounts sway bar all creak/squeek if not lubed regularly

[mxl4729]

the bump stops, strut mounts sway bar all creak/squeek if not lubed regularly

←

How do you lube these parts? I can see lubing the sway bar with some lithium whit grease and using the tube to spray inside the bushing.

But how do u lube the bum stops and strut mounts

[SKperformance]

By jackin up the car (like at an oil change) and spraying a liquid like the red can of rustcheck into the upper strut area and through the opening in the engine bay to trickle down.

It doesn't take much

The rears are tougher but don;t get as dirty as often.

[eman_be_lexin]

Would that fix the problem if the clunking noise was happening during idle? I notice that the clunking noise was heard every time I start the car after it sits for a while. I opened up the hood and it sounds like it is coming from the passenger side near the firewall. Nothing I can see just looking at the parts on top. Just curious!

[SKperformance]

If you are not moving you got real problems for something to be clunking.

[hammer008]

By jackin up the car (like at an oil change) and spraying a liquid like the red can of rustcheck into the upper strut area and through the opening in the engine bay to trickle down.

It doesn't take much

The rears are tougher but don;t get as dirty as often.

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Hi SK,

I did this and found my noise to have gone away 90 percent. BTW, why did you jack up the car? For access or strut lossening? Did you loosen the upper strut nuts as well to get more liquid into that area?

[WtaggiN]

Yeah, that just happened in my moms car...needed new struts. It sort of sounded like, and I know this really couldn't happen, but the brakes were loose or something. If you have ever mounted a tire and hit the rotor, you know what I am talking about...it's an annoying sound. Glad you are getting it fixed...

[dallison]

i am having my strut mounts and bearing replaced, do i need to get the front end aligned after this. i understand that when you replace the struts you must, but didnt know if it should also be done now

[Toysrme]

1) Sway bar mounting bushings need to be lubricated, tightened, and/or replaced

2) Saw bar endlinks need to be tightened, or replaced

3) Suspension mounts, or links need to be tightened, greased (if applicable), or replaced

That will solve knocking, or rattling from the car itself when you go over a bump 99% of the time.

If you only hear it when you step on, or let off the gas

1) Replace/rebuild the dogbone mount

2) Replace the front engine mount

3) Check the transmission, and rear engine mounts

No you do not need an alignment, unless you were out of alignment before hand. The suspension geometry itself has not changed.

Edited January 11, 2006 by Toysrme

[amf1932]

i am having my strut mounts and bearing replaced, do i need to get the front end aligned after this. i understand that when you replace the struts you must, but didnt know if it should also be done now

Do wheels need to be realigned after the struts have been replaced?

On most vehicles they do. Here's why:

MacPherson struts are more than overgrown shock absorbers. They're an integral part of your vehicle's suspension. They replace the upper control arms and ball joints and serve as the steering pivots for the front wheels. When the strut assembly is unbolted and removed from the vehicle, the original alignment of the suspension is lost -- unless the position of the camber bolts and upper strut plate are first marked so they can be reinstalled in exactly the same position as before. But this only works if the same original strut is being put back into the car. If the strut is being replaced because it is leaking, damaged or worn out, the dimensions of the new strut will usually vary enough to cause a change in wheel alignment. So wheel alignment should at least be checked to see if adjustment is necessary (which it usually is).

On some import cars, the struts are "rebuildable." The housing has a removable nut that allows the old guts inside to be dumped out and a new cartridge installed. On these vehicles, it should not be necessary to realign the wheels after rebuilding the strut.

[anewman]

I am assumeing they are rubber stops/mounts. Is it ok to use a petrolium product or something else? white lithium grease, oil, silicone lube, butter?