Creak From Rear-end

[dedge]

I love this car though I had to wait over 60years to find the perfect ride. The Ultra is the first car that even today I can still say I wish I had that on my car..(except maybe an MP3 hook-up). Well to the point, I have noticed that even careful manouevers over speed bumps produce a creaking from the rear-end driver side. My question is are there any lube points on the chassis that maybe have been overlooked, did I say I LOVE THIS CAR?

[TerryB]

I love this car though I had to wait over 60years to find the perfect ride. The Ultra is the first car that even today I can still say I wish I had that on my car..(except maybe an MP3 hook-up). Well to the point, I have noticed that even careful manouevers over speed bumps produce a creaking from the rear-end driver side. My question is are there any lube points on the chassis that maybe have been overlooked, did I say I LOVE THIS CAR?

I have a 2000 LS and had a creaking sound from the driver side rear-end. I thought it might be chassis also, so I took it to the Lexus dealer and they lubed everything and the noise remained. They finally used a sound listening device and discovered the drivers side shock was making the noise. An internal valve was bad. I replaced both rear shocks, no more noise. Expensive thought, but quiet again.

[jainla]

Is it a creaking or a crunching noise? When it's cold out my car exhibits a crunching noise on the driver's side front. The last time I took it to the shop for the TB service I mentioned it and they lubed the front stabilizer bar and the noise disappeared.

With the Ultra I believe the shocks and air springs are integral so replacing those is going to be a pretty expensive fix.

Also do a search for Vaistech on this forum to discover what options exist to MP3 the LS430.

I have a 2000 LS and had a creaking sound from the driver side rear-end. I thought it might be chassis also, so I took it to the Lexus dealer and they lubed everything and the noise remained. They finally used a sound listening device and discovered the drivers side shock was making the noise. An internal valve was bad. I replaced both rear shocks, no more noise. Expensive thought, but quiet again.

[dedge]

Living in Florida I can rule out the cold, the sound is definitely a creak similar to what I'd expect from a leaf spring. It isn't constant I only notice at low speed while navigating a speed-bump. I have tried to find some-one conversant with vaistech so far no luck. I don't want to get into removing dash trim I know I'd regret it! Anyone know of a shop in the west Palm Jupiter area?

Is it a creaking or a crunching noise? When it's cold out my car exhibits a crunching noise on the driver's side front. The last time I took it to the shop for the TB service I mentioned it and they lubed the front stabilizer bar and the noise disappeared.

With the Ultra I believe the shocks and air springs are integral so replacing those is going to be a pretty expensive fix.

Also do a search for Vaistech on this forum to discover what options exist to MP3 the LS430.

I have a 2000 LS and had a creaking sound from the driver side rear-end. I thought it might be chassis also, so I took it to the Lexus dealer and they lubed everything and the noise remained. They finally used a sound listening device and discovered the drivers side shock was making the noise. An internal valve was bad. I replaced both rear shocks, no more noise. Expensive thought, but quiet again.

[nc211]

Ok, now this can get very expensively out of control if you simply take it to someone and say "it creaks". Since you're new to this type of car, let me help you to make sure you don't make this very common mistake. You're a Lexus Service Center's favorite customer if you go in saying that.

Three items come to mind that would cause this, non all that expensive to fix. Ranked in order....

1. Rear sway bar bushings, a $20 part that you can change yourself. If you look under the rear of the car, between the wheels and the bumper, you'll see your sway bar running from side to side. Look for the two U shaped clamps that connect it to the underside of the car. You'll see each has a rubber housing underneath that U clamp. That's your bushing. It can get dried out by heat/salt air/extreme cold/ or just age in general. Undo the two bolts holding the U clamp, pull the old one off, grease up a new one, and install. THIS is the most common cause for these types of noises in the back (and front actually). It's lucky number #13 in the attachment below.

2. Rear carrier arm bushings. Look right in front of the rear wheels. Do you see a rod that connects to the car in a forward manner? It's #8 in the attachment. At some point, this "rear carrier bushing" will go bad on you, because it take the brunt of the forward torque when you gas it. There are aftermarket bushings that can be pushed into this little hole. I think they're called ASUS bushings. Many dealers have them handy for about $50 bucks.

3. Your upper strut mounts. This is a little tricker, and not easy to get to, as you have to remove the back seat of the car. They, too can dry out in the heat and such. This is #7 in the attachment. But you will mostly find that your fronts will wear out long before your rear's do. But they too will give a creaking noise, and sometimes a faint "pop" noise when going about 20-30 mph and hit a jagged bump. Mostly in the mornings though when it's cooler out.

So, chances are you're probably #1 at this point. A good way to tell is to simply hit that bushing with some lubrication and see if it stops the noise. Maybe worth a few minutes and some WD40 to see if it makes an impact.

How many miles do you have on the car?

So they're ya' go! Don't....go...to...the....stealership.....with this, unless you feel you need to loose $700 or so.

by the way...these diagrams, and parts, can be found at www.parts.com.

PS: If this doesn't work, then I'd just tell the wife to ride in the trunk! That should do the trick too!! HAHAHA

[dedge]

Wow, that's one hell of a response and extremely enlightening. At my age I don't get under the car much these days but I will make a point of trying the WD40 approach. I have owned the car for 2 years and it has just over 65K on the clock. As for Lexus dealers; I don't use them often. I haven't really had any issues, I had the vehicle checked after I purchased it otherwise servicing is done locally.

Thank you again for your responses

[IalexI]

Wow, that's one hell of a response and extremely enlightening. At my age I don't get under the car much these days but I will make a point of trying the WD40 approach. I have owned the car for 2 years and it has just over 65K on the clock. As for Lexus dealers; I don't use them often. I haven't really had any issues, I had the vehicle checked after I purchased it otherwise servicing is done locally.

Thank you again for your responses

Hi Dedge,

Have you been able to fix this issue?

I have a '01 LS430 with exactly the same symptoms and I would be glad to know the exact cause in your case, so I can point the dealership to it.

Thanks,

Alex