Front Suspension Fixes And Fact

[SKperformance]

I have read so much on the front suspension issues for the GS . Unfortunately they have not been incorrect in many ways in people guessing and not technically knowing how the parts work together.

So here is my take on them.

I have an 03 GS430 with 150 000 KM on it.

Symptoms ,

wandering all over the road.

super light steering at any speed

strong vibration 100km/h and over

front tires howling at 70 km/h

clunking over bumps

clicking when driving or reversing from park (also can be caused by not replacing those small screws on the rotor hubs as they do have a purpose)

rapid tire wear with heavy feathering

very poor emergency braking

Fixes

It really starts with 1 as it is the problem that kills all the rest of components.

It is the front caster arm bushings.

When they die your alignment goes to !Removed! .

The front wheels toe out and the caster goes negative . Causing all of the problems above from one part.

You can replace them with oem's rubber bushings but the suspension geometry is not the best for them and multiplies the pressure. This causes them to fail under hard braking fast as it does not take much. Replace these with urethane and you will be able to go hopefully forever without a repair again.

While you are at it you will have to change the ball joints as well as they will have been stressed by the caster arms unable to take the load and causing the ball joint to be pressed at an angle . They will break and it is not because the ball joints are weak . It is because the suspension is out of alignment and cannot compensate the load of the arms .While you are at it check the tie rods but they can handle the odd angles from the arms.

Once done the car will need to be aligned as well .

You will now have a front end that is rock solid.

If checked properly and nothing else is worn it will no longer wander on the highway .

The tires will wear properly .

The brakes alone is the biggest benefit as it feels like you added a BBK form the amount of grip .

The steering will feel real tight and not over powered . So the thread about unplugging the PS ecu is not needed and the car can be driven properly .

No more clunking over bumps as the ball joint is not taking the bump but the bushing is.

Vibrations gone as the wheels axis is straight and not sticking out which causes the vibrations.

All this from a daizen urethane front control arm kit $100 and a pair of OEM lower ball joints $180 plus alignment $60 .

I love driving my wife's car again and so does she.

I did not install the upper control arm or the lower arm that the ball joint sits on as they are fine and it will tighten up the front end more than i want.

Some people complain about it being to stiff but just doing the caster arm alone is all i needed. I could not care less about wasting the other bushings.

So good luck and stop blaming the ball joints or the power steering as problems when they are not. The cars just need some TLC .

[dcfish]

Nice piece of info for our members Sk, Thanks a bunch, I will also look into these suggestions.

[lexuseng]

I have read so much on the front suspension issues for the GS . Unfortunately they have not been correct in many ways in people guessing and not technically knowing how the parts work together.

So here is my take on them.

I have an 03 GS430 with 150 000 KM on it.

Symptoms ,

wandering all over the road.

super light steering at any speed

strong vibration 100km/h and over

front tires howling at 70 km/h

clunking over bumps

clicking when driving or reversing from park (also can be caused by not replacing those small screws on the rotor hubs as they do have a purpose)

rapid tire wear with heavy feathering

very poor emergency braking

Fixes

It really starts with 1 as it is the problem that kills all the rest of components.

It is the front caster arm bushings.

When they die your alignment goes to !Removed! .

The front wheels toe out and the caster goes negative . Causing all of the problems above from one part.

You can replace them with oem's rubber bushings but the suspension geometry is not the best for them and multiplies the pressure. This causes them to fail under hard braking fast as it does not take much. Replace these with urethane and you will be able to go hopefully forever without a repair again.

While you are at it you will have to change the ball joints as well as they will have been stressed by the caster arms unable to take the load and causing the ball joint to be pressed at an angle . They will break and it is not because the ball joints are weak . It is because the suspension is out of alignment and cannot compensate the load of the arms .While you are at it check the tie rods but they can handle the odd angles from the arms.

Once done the car will need to be aligned as well .

You will now have a front end that is rock solid.

If checked properly and nothing else is worn it will no longer wander on the highway .

The tires will wear properly .

The brakes alone is the biggest benefit as it feels like you added a BBK form the amount of grip .

The steering will feel real tight and not over powered . So the thread about unplugging the PS ecu is not needed and the car can be driven properly .

No more clunking over bumps as the ball joint is not taking the bump but the bushing is.

Vibrations gone as the wheels axis is straight and not sticking out which causes the vibrations.

All this from a daizen urethane front control arm kit $100 and a pair of OEM lower ball joints $180 plus alignment $60 .

I love driving my wife's car again and so does she.

I did not install the upper control arm or the lower arm that the ball joint sits on as they are fine and it will tighten up the front end more than i want.

Some people complain about it being to stiff but just doing the caster arm alone is all i needed. I could not care less about wasting the other bushings.

So good luck and stop blaming the ball joints or the power steering as problems when they are not. The cars just need some TLC .

I agree, great write up. My 2001 GS300 has 110K miles on it now so this is something I am definitely considering now. About how long does this job take for the weekend mechanic? Other than brakes, I have never worked on the suspension so just wondering what level of skill you need. I have done more than a few timing belt changes and a few long block swaps but basically all the work I ever do is in the engine compartment. So on a scale of 1-10 with a timing belt change maybe being a 7 (hope I don't start a flame fest for that), where does changing the front arm bushing fall? Is there any "gotchas" that I should be prepared for (such as better have a 4' breaker bar for the crankshaft bolt and make sure not to use a 12 pt socket)?

[Ra1j1n]

I agree, great write up. My 2001 GS300 has 110K miles on it now so this is something I am definitely considering now. About how long does this job take for the weekend mechanic? Other than brakes, I have never worked on the suspension so just wondering what level of skill you need. I have done more than a few timing belt changes and a few long block swaps but basically all the work I ever do is in the engine compartment. So on a scale of 1-10 with a timing belt change maybe being a 7 (hope I don't start a flame fest for that), where does changing the front arm bushing fall? Is there any "gotchas" that I should be prepared for (such as better have a 4' breaker bar for the crankshaft bolt and make sure not to use a 12 pt socket)?

I've read reviews that installing the Daizen front control arm bushings are a pain the rear. It's definately a job that should be done by a certified mechanic. From what I've read, you actually have to burn off the old bushings in order to put the new one in. I was thinking about doing this, but at the rate of $60 an hour, it would probably be around $600 for a certified mechanic just to install it.

If I can find that review, I will definitely post it up here.

*EDIT*

I found it guys. It's not on the GS series specifically, it's actually on the LS, but the procedure should be the same if not similar.

http://www.lexls.com/tutorials/suspension/fdaizenkit.html

[nc211]

(also can be caused by not replacing those small screws on the rotor hubs as they do have a purpose)

rapid tire wear with heavy feathering

SK, are you saying the GS series does infact have those two little rotor screws that the LS has too? I have yet to put my new rotors and pads on my GS, and have asked about those screws "remembering the trouble they caused for my LS when they weren't reinstalled". I called a dealership to confirm what I was hearing, that they don't have them. They confirmed, but I'm still not convinced, knowing first hand the difference between a Lexus with them installed, and a Lexus without them. Yours has them? My new rotors (oem) show the two holes. My manual says nothing about them. I'm worried that once I start this process, I'll get in there and realize there are supposed to be those screws, and I won't have any handy - causing a trip to the dealerhsip and prolonging the project. Hoping to get to it during the 1st week in November.

[SKperformance]

The ls bushings can be changed on the car the gs arms need to be removed to install , $80 per side to install the daizen caster arm bushings from a local mechanic , you need to have a press or atleast a ball joint press to get them out.

[GS300dude]

The ls bushings can be changed on the car the gs arms need to be removed to install , $80 per side to install the daizen caster arm bushings from a local mechanic , you need to have a press or atleast a ball joint press to get them out.

where can i get the urethane front control arm kit??