1990-94 Ls400 Clunking Noise When Steering

[John A.S.]

I just purchased a silver 1990 ls400 w/170000 miles. The car is Great! I could say I purchased it just based on reviews alone! "4.9 of 5 stars KBB" But I noticed that there is a clunking or clanking noise when I steer on a corner while moving or sometimes though not sure when I go over a bump. Is there any way to tell what this is for sure? I purchased this car for reliability to escape the curse of being nickel and dimed, but hopefully this will be a quick fix and I should not expect to have further problems right? Also I paid 2500 for this car, would you say that is a good price?

Thanks

/John

[John A.S.]

I just purchased a silver 1990 ls400 w/170000 miles. The car is Great! I could say I purchased it just based on reviews alone! "4.9 of 5 stars KBB" But I noticed that there is a clunking or clanking noise when I steer on a corner while moving or sometimes though not sure when I go over a bump. Is there any way to tell what this is for sure? I purchased this car for reliability to escape the curse of being nickel and dimed, but hopefully this will be a quick fix and I should not expect to have further problems right? Also I paid 2500 for this car, would you say that is a good price?

Thanks

/John

I figured it out, The axles need to be replaced, I guess the word clunking doesn't make any sense because I got more results when I started searching threads and the search engines for "popping sounds" LOL

[1990LS400]

I figured it out, The axles need to be replaced, I guess the word clunking doesn't make any sense because I got more results when I started searching threads and the search engines for "popping sounds" LOL

Axles? All sorts of worn front suspension parts can cause "popping" and "clunking" sounds on an LS400 but this is the first time I've heard of the axles causing such a problem. By "axles", I assume you mean the rear axles? There are no axles per se at the front of the car since this is a rear wheel drive car.

It is normal for the entire front suspension of an LS400 to have to be entirely rebuilt by 170,000 miles. By the time I sold my 1990 LS400 in 2003 after 13 1/2 years and 183,000 miles, about every front suspension component had been replaced.

Actually, I'm not sure I've ever heard of the axles needing to replaced. I'm pretty certain that the current owner of 1990 LS has not had to replace the axles and the car is at well over 250,000 miles.

[eatingupblacktop]

You're going to have to locate where the sound is coming from and when specifically, it occurs. You should check all of the suspension components until you find the cause before you start buying parts. Otherwise, as 1990 has mentioned, or you've already read, and you can see at: http://www.lexls.com/tutorials/suspension/, there are many causes for similar sounds. You can wind up with a whole new front end before you solve your problem if you aren't certain of the cause.

[nc211]

You don't have "axles" on the front, only on the rear where the power delivery to the wheels are. It sounds like to me that you've got a case of strut-rod-rot. The bushings in the strut rods are most likely worn out. Strut rods are the part of the suspension that connect to the lower control arm and the frame of the car under the corners of your front fender. Very common problem.

$2,500 for any car that starts and drives isn't bad. But, if you bought this car to avoid being nickled and dimed, I'm sorry man, but you probably made a mistake. Anything of that age is going to have problems.

[John A.S.]

Thanks guys, I will have a look in to it. I suppose I cant mind having a car nickel and dime me like this a bit, I guess its just the price for owning a beautiful and timeless classic. In fact its making me think real hard about actually cleaning out the garage to make it my Lexus workshop instead of the storage/garbage dump it is now. Also I got complimented yesterday about the car, really is a great car.

[1990LS400]

Thanks guys, I will have a look in to it. I suppose I cant mind having a car nickel and dime me like this a bit, I guess its just the price for owning a beautiful and timeless classic. In fact its making me think real hard about actually cleaning out the garage to make it my Lexus workshop instead of the storage/garbage dump it is now. Also I got complimented yesterday about the car, really is a great car.

How much you will be nickeled and dimed will depend on how well the car had been maintained by previous owners. Normally front suspension parts wear out gradually between 75,000 and 150,000 miles -- hopefully the previous owners did at least some of this normal upkeep. The strut bar bushings are often the first front suspension componet to go -- the ones on my 00 LS were replaced at 85,000 miles. You will be coming up on a timing belt replacement at 180,000 miles -- was it replaced at 90,000 miles? There may be a sticker on the engine if it was replaced. (Normally the water pump and miscellaneous parts are also replaced when the belt is replaced.) You don't have to worry about breakage if you don't mind calling a tow truck if it ever breaks -- that's the great thing about a gen 1 LS400 - it is not an interference engine. I'm one of few that has had a timing belt break on a gen 1 LS and one normally just coasts to a stop when it breaks -- but that could be "unhandy" if you are straddling a railroad track, LOL.

Two things to check out are the power steering pump and the steering rack - both are prone to leak. Consider making a shield for the alternator so that fluid from the power steering pump doesn't leak on it and short it out -- a cut-up medium size plastic bottle makes a good shield. If you shield the alternator, one can often put up with the inevitable PS pump leaks for a long time until it gets bad enough to have it rebuilt -- topping up the reservoir is pretty cheap unless it is leaking badly.

If you can't tell, I loved my 90 LS400! I would be driving it today if I had better eyesight and didn't need better headlights.