Jim L Posted July 4, 2006 Share Posted July 4, 2006 2003 GS 300, stock except for 17" OZ wheels and Michelin 235/45/17 tires, 45,000 miles 1st thing is the steering doesn't center. Turn the wheel slightly to either the left or the right and it just keeps on going with not the slightest bit of trying to center at all. Ride: This thing is so soft and bouncy it's scary. Very poor handling vehicle. My 98 GS 400 was MUCH better. Supposedly the exact same suspension Is this me or is my car "different" and not operating properly? Oh, aligned perfectly to spec, the tires are BRAND new, etc. To anyone with a simitar car, is your ride and steering the same or similar as described? Jim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SKperformance Posted July 4, 2006 Share Posted July 4, 2006 If it bouncy then get the suspension checked . If the wheel does not center then get the alignment done. It may just be the alignment being off throwing the whole car off when the car bounces fro worn suspension. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim L Posted July 5, 2006 Author Share Posted July 5, 2006 If it bouncy then get the suspension checked . If the wheel does not center then get the alignment done. It may just be the alignment being off throwing the whole car off when the car bounces fro worn suspension. I accidentally put this in the wrong forum please delete this one What did I say? I said the alignment is PERFECT. Our VERY GOOD Lexus dealer says "nothing is wrong" but does agree that it handles strangely and they're not sure what to do. I'm pushing for a new steering rack Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim L Posted July 5, 2006 Author Share Posted July 5, 2006 2003 GS 300, stock except for 17" OZ wheels and Michelin 235/45/17 tires, 45,000 miles 1st thing is the steering doesn't center. Turn the wheel slightly to either the left or the right and it just keeps on going with not the slightest bit of trying to center at all. Ride: This thing is so soft and bouncy it's scary. Very poor handling vehicle. My 98 GS 400 was MUCH better. Supposedly the exact same suspension Is this me or is my car "different" and not operating properly? Oh, aligned perfectly to spec, the tires are BRAND new, etc. To anyone with a simitar car, is your ride and steering the same or similar as described? Jim (Mod, please delete this post in the SC forum, was accidentally placed there) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SKperformance Posted July 5, 2006 Share Posted July 5, 2006 I saw what you wrote. When worn suspension does not handle as described from worn bushings ,springs,shocks the suspension geometry changes completely. Thus once it is aligned the second it is put on the road it goes all out of spec all over again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stupidog Posted July 5, 2006 Share Posted July 5, 2006 Jim, here's what happened with my 98 gs3: when the steering started doing that, it was a sign of one of the lower ball joints about to fail. It also made a loud squeeling noise when turning at low speeds in parking lots. eventually the passenger side lower ball joint failed, I hauled it to the dealer and changed both sides. Now, having said that, I think it could be a psooible reason for your problem, although I think it's happening too early for you (an 03 with only 45000, should be flawless), but again I don't know the history of the car, but I know that if you corner hard all the time, especially with wider rims and tires, it puts a bigger load on the steering and suspension assemblies, or it could be a defective joint. Mine is an older gs3 and had 120,000 on it when it happened, and i can tell you that for the last 20,000 i was fish-tailing on every corner i can, i had almost slik worn out tires, and i was having fun with it, but i paid the price. if suspension is too soft too, it could also mean that the car was driven hard on corners (low speeds with a lot of power). I don't know that car's history but it sounds like the previous owner autocrossed the car or something, if so, then all of what you're experiencing is very possible at 45000. also, usually when you put wider rims and tires, it's a load on the power steering pump, so if there's any defect in the pump or lines, it could lead to a slow turning rebound effect like the one you're experiencing. what I would do is, if you have warranty, have the dealer or a trusted mechanic check steering and suspension assemblies for possible play, power steering pump and lines. If not, surely someone else here will shed more light on it let us know what happens Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stupidog Posted July 5, 2006 Share Posted July 5, 2006 well i guess you checked the suspension already, my bad i missed that. i don't know of any way to check ball joints other than looking at them externally, so it could still be the cause even though they checked them. are you the first owner or did you buy it used? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SKperformance Posted July 5, 2006 Share Posted July 5, 2006 To check a ball joint you need to separate the ball and control arm to check for tolerances or play. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stupidog Posted July 5, 2006 Share Posted July 5, 2006 To check a ball joint you need to separate the ball and control arm to check for tolerances or play. well if you have the tool, then ya of course, that'll be an option to narrow it down, i don't know how hands on he is though, the work involved to get to the lower ball joint, take out the assembly, and seperate the ball is pretty involved. now if it was the upper arm, it's a whole lot easier, or at least that's my opinion...but SK, do you think that could be the reason for slow steering rebound at 45000? it sounds unlikely, but the symptoms are very similar to what happened with me Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SKperformance Posted July 5, 2006 Share Posted July 5, 2006 Checking the ball joint only uses a pry bar or large screwdriver to lift the arm away from the joint. This shows if it has wear by moving away. It takes about 10 seconds once the car is in the air to remove load on the wheels. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim L Posted July 6, 2006 Author Share Posted July 6, 2006 but SK, do you think that could be the reason for slow steering rebound at 45000? it sounds unlikely, but the symptoms are very similar to what happened with me Not SLOW rebound, NO reboud. The car and steering just stays where it's aimed, NO centering at all. Car was bought used, unfortunately it was a NY car so I have no idea what it's been through (have a good idea though). A said, the car was supposedly thoroughly checked out at the local Lexus dealer which is a good dealer with generally good techs. The head tech who has been there since it opened 17 years ago was the person who looked at it. I sold an (02)RX300 which actually handled better than this pig does and that's really saying something. I installed the new wheels and tires but it already had 17's on when I bought it. That should not wipe out a suspension on a TOYOTA at 40K miles though Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SKperformance Posted July 6, 2006 Share Posted July 6, 2006 post the specs of the alignment . Camber and toe are the 2 things that return the wheel to normal position. If you are not having a hard time turning then the rack should be good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim L Posted July 11, 2006 Author Share Posted July 11, 2006 post the specs of the alignment . Camber and toe are the 2 things that return the wheel to normal position. If you are not having a hard time turning then the rack should be good. Not handy but they are "in spec" Castor (the function of centering) was right on. Toe was correct. (about 1/8", if I remember) I also tried a couple of slightly different camber settings, didn't change anything. Remember I will say it again, this car does everything equally, right and left turns and right and left crowns on the road. Left crown, car will go to the left, right lane (right crown) car drifts to the right. Center lane (no crown) car stays centered. But...if I'm in say the right lane and I slightly turn the wheel to the left, it just stays there and the car will go right over to the left lane. and vice versa. THE STEERING DOES NOT CENTER and, as I said, this is with 3 different alignments! If I make a slow speed (under 20 mph) turn, the car just keeps on turning, no centering Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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