I Think I've Figured It Out

[W201 sweden]

So, it's finally over... again... ;)

Well seriously, congratulations!

Just one short (and perhaps stupid - but I'm a swede...:whistles:) question:

Drive shaft? Does it mean the single shaft (propeller shaft?) from gearbox to differential, or one of the shafts from differential to wheel hub?

Oh, by the way... Every time I read your signature with all the parts, I KNOW I will have to replace them all in my car too.

Seriosly. :cries:

Vibration in seats and steering wheel at stops (motor mounts), some play in steering (rack), drivetrain vibration = shaft and bushings, softened bushings everywhere = wandering etc etc.

I guess I'm just too sensitve - should go back to moped again.

/Alexander the swede

[dfkd]

What've you spent on this phantom problem so far?

[nc211]

What've you spent on this phantom problem so far?

Enough that would require me to drive this car for another 10 years to get my money's worth! Way too much, but I look at it like this: I'm still under the $20k mark, and basically have a new LS400 "in the suspension and mechanical operations aspect". Will I ever get my money back? Hell no. Has it been worth all of the frustration and expense? Yeah, for the most part. Everytime I drive the car after driving anything else, I'm always amazed how smooth, quiet and comfortable it is. She's old enough to be considered a classic now, and you don't see too many out there of that model year anymore "in my area". Plus, I've learned A LOT about cars in general, which will pay off for many years down the road. Figure wise? Probably $3,500 to $4,000 in parts and labor. Paid $14,200 for the car over 2 years ago. What really saved me was having Lexus pay for the new engine computer, and the dealership paying for the 90k service when I purchased the car. The computer service was like $2,100 bucks, and the 90k service was like $1,250. Everything I've done has been an upgrade to the car.

Alex, don't worry about your car having to go through all of this. I think it's safe to say that mine was one in a million. It wasn't wrecked, just driven like a realtor's car. And most of my parts have turned out to not be needed in the first place. A lot of my suspension parts were actually in pretty good shape. I just had the opportunity to get all of them at once for a rediculously low price, in comparison to normal prices. Plus, I didn't really know what I was doing at the time. Yes, I'm talking about the drive shaft assembly from the tranny to the differential. It connects in three places 1)tranny, 2) center connection 3) differential. Over time, as with everything on this car, the rubber connectors wear out. Mine suffered that shock problem, which advanced the wear and tear.

[nc211]

One more time at killing this thread off with an official conclusion. This is the one though, I saw the damage and cause first hand.

Got that car back from the dealership. As suspected, it was the driveshaft. The mechanic took me up to the shop to show me the old driveshaft. On the differential section of the shaft, right at the center bearing section, the U joint was binding quite badly.

Transmission ______X______Differential.

It was on the differential side of the X above. He showed me how the tranny side would move back and forth flawlessly, then he slid off the slipper-sleeve on the differential side, handed me a shop rag, and said "move this side around." There was no argument, it was binding up badly. Felt like as if there were ballbearings in there that were all grinded up.

Just drove the car 400+ miles to the beach and back....It's fixed fella's. No doubt about it...it's completely fixed. The car has never been soo smooth and quiet as it is now. I've never driven it like this. Remember me asking and saying that I always had a low humming noise at around 80 and thought my exhaust was probably getting old "many many many threads ago"? Nope, it was the center bearing U section bindings vibrating, creating the huming noise. Now, there is no noise of the car's operation until about 90 mph, when I can start to hear the engine hum. It's quite spooky really. I can't judge my speed anymore by sounds of the car. 85 mph now feels like 45 mph. Total bill for the new driveshaft "including new flex-couplings", parts and labor was a cool $1,000. That hurt.

It's pretty obvious now that I've thrown a bunch of money at this problem and it ended up being the last piece to the puzzle. I've pretty much got a brand new 95's LS400 in terms of suspension, brakes, mounts and driveshaft. Although now that the car operates as designed, those Napa Cheapo Rotors on the rear are really warped. But, got my $100 bucks worth out of them over the past 12 months. Probably have them turned and then replace them in a few months. So...drive on...

Blake: it didn't fix the lurch though amigo. So your theory of it being in the differential is probably right. My theory was wrong.

I won't be hunting for this problem anymore... The wobble is fixed.

NC211...done. B)

[blake918]

Wonderful news Rob! As for that dreadful lurch, we'll get to it some day! LOL My latest thought is the TPS for two reasons 1)I have an abnormally low idle (like 400rpms) with the a/c off--which is a rare occurance in Louisiana and 2)I remember reading a post about retuning the TPS cured this problem for some of the first gen guys. I'll have to check out one of these days.....

PS Oh yeah, now that you're so pleased with the ride, you shouldn't have any trouble catching up to my odometer reading (which is over 280k)!!! LOL :P :D

[SKperformance]

You better drive down to Lex fest and take me for a drive after these 4 pages i had to read through. :o

[nc211]

You better drive down to Lex fest and take me for a drive after these 4 pages i had to read through. :o

Hahaha, yeah, I have a feeling if I could make it to the show, I'd be giving rides to everyone on here, which would be fine by me. Unfortunetly, September is booked solid for me. Going back out to S. California for a few days, NE Oklahoma over Labor day to see my family, scheduled for some fishing with the Bubba's down at the beach "no wives allowed", and Cameron has something set up for my 33rd B'day. I'm pretty much booked solid :( . I'll be with you guys in spirit though!

Each page of this thread probably cost me close to a grand each. :( I'm a freakin' idiot...but I hate to lose, and I was commited to winning this one. No way after hours crawling around under the car being eatin alive by bugs was I going to throw in the towel.

My suggestion to all who have the 95 and 96 models that have suffered the dredded Off Throttle Shock syndrome from the bad ECM units.....If you replace the computer, have the center bearing section of the driveshaft inspected for damage as well.

[larryp]

What a long strange trip it's been for you. Haven't been able to check in much lately but i remember when you 1st posted the thread and then reading about all the trials and tribulations you've gone through. Know you're happy to get this one behind you. And congrats for having one of the longest threads in forum history!

[Autofanatic]

NC: I just ran across this thread, too bad i just moved from raleigh to charlotte, bc i feel i need to take mine to johnson. my car vibrates funny, mostly around 75- 80 mph... and it seems to go in cycles, like a sin wave. does this sound like your problem? who should i contact at lexus?

thanks

[nc211]

NC: I just ran across this thread, too bad i just moved from raleigh to charlotte, bc i feel i need to take mine to johnson. my car vibrates funny, mostly around 75- 80 mph... and it seems to go in cycles, like a sin wave. does this sound like your problem? who should i contact at lexus?

thanks

Tell me a little bit more about the symptoms and characteristics of the vibration.....

Is it accompanied with a low humming noise?

Do you feel it in the seat, or steering wheel, or all over in general?

Does your rear view mirror vibrate quickly as well?

Does it increase when you hit the brakes at that speed?

Have you had the wheels balanced on the hunter machines?

Pertaining to the hunter system. I believe all the Just Tires stores have these units. YOU WANT THIS SYSTEM. It doesn't cost anymore than a normal balancing job, but the equipment used is far superior than anything else on the market. www.gsp9700.com will show you who in your area has the machine.

Most likely, it's probably just a tire out of balance. Or you have a warped brake rotor that needs to be turned.

What year is your car and how many miles are on it? What have you serviced on the car, suspension related? I'm asking because the rear carrier bushings are usually one of the 1st to go, and they can cause this as well.

[SKperformance]

I had/have the exact vibration. I replaced my front strut rods at the dealer and 90% of it is gone. This thread is always in my heart though.

I asked the advisor about motor mounts and drive shafts and they said they have NEVER replaced a single one on an LS ever.

[nc211]

That's what I get for buying Bo and Luke Duke's old LS400. Thing probably has more frequent flyer miles than I do. hahahaa

[Autofanatic]

no humming noise. feel it all over, but primarily in the steering wheel. don't notice the mirror vibrating. does not seem to increase with hitting the brakes. have not used the hunter machine, i guess that would be next choice....or should i replace my front rotors, i know they are a bit warped.

the key symptom, i would say, is that the vibrations seem to go in and out, in and out, in and out...in succession

its a 1998 w/ 145K on it

NC: I just ran across this thread, too bad i just moved from raleigh to charlotte, bc i feel i need to take mine to johnson. my car vibrates funny, mostly around 75- 80 mph... and it seems to go in cycles, like a sin wave. does this sound like your problem? who should i contact at lexus?

thanks

Tell me a little bit more about the symptoms and characteristics of the vibration.....

Is it accompanied with a low humming noise?

Do you feel it in the seat, or steering wheel, or all over in general?

Does your rear view mirror vibrate quickly as well?

Does it increase when you hit the brakes at that speed?

Have you had the wheels balanced on the hunter machines?

Pertaining to the hunter system. I believe all the Just Tires stores have these units. YOU WANT THIS SYSTEM. It doesn't cost anymore than a normal balancing job, but the equipment used is far superior than anything else on the market. www.gsp9700.com will show you who in your area has the machine.

Most likely, it's probably just a tire out of balance. Or you have a warped brake rotor that needs to be turned.

What year is your car and how many miles are on it? What have you serviced on the car, suspension related? I'm asking because the rear carrier bushings are usually one of the 1st to go, and they can cause this as well.

[nc211]

Opps, I missed this one...

Start with the Hunter wheel balancing... I mean if you haven't had the Hunter balance the tires, then you're missing out in general. It's worth the $50 bucks.... A warped rotor will cause a vibration no matter what. It doesn't matter if you're applying the brakes or not. Those rotors spin so fast that any variance in design will show up as a vibration. My rotors are warped too, no brake pedal vibration when slowing down. But when you spin the wheel, you can hear the rotors brush against the pads at the spot of warpage. I would have them turned.

My bet, is that you have a combination of problems, none too expensive and none that a hunter machine and a rotor lathe can't fix. Normal wear and tear stuff... These cars are so heavy, and sooo sensitive to wheel balancing imperfections, that it makes you scratch your head sometimes. If you have a vibration issue, always start with a balancing on the hunter machine...... WITH ROAD FORCE TESTING.

[nc211]

Just thought I would spook the ole' crew by putting this one back on top for a bit....

It's STILL fixed! But, now I don't have enough room in the garage to keep it "thanks to the new addition"..

Wish I could talk my wife into letting me keep it as my airport-runner and occasional sunday cruiser... But, not to be had that way.. I think I'm probably going to shed a tear when I have to hand over the title. :cries:

Women are cruel! :cries: