1995 Ls400 Are My Differential Bushings Shot? Pics

brybo86 · September 9, 2015

little background when I go over a speedbump(or when they chew the blacktop to put a a new layer on it and there is the abrupt 3 inch jump) any faster than a crawl I get a loud clunk in the rear end

i was underneath trying to figure out what is going on today.

These pics are of the bushings directly behind the differential

they dont look torn to me but they definitely flex to the extreme when the diff is jacked up.

#1 weight on wheels

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#2 weight on wheels

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#1 jack under diff

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#2 jack under diff

Exhaustgases · September 11, 2015

They look okay to me.

landar · September 12, 2015

Well...just in my opinion, they look dry rotted. They are going to flex under weight so it is hard to say from the pics. Could be 'normal'. Now, having said that, your 20 yr old car probably could benefit from having all rear rubber bushings replaced. Would that 'fix' your issue? Maybe, maybe not. Could be shocks for all I know but after 20 yrs, there are many suspension parts to replace if you want the newer car feel.

brybo86 · September 12, 2015

how could i test the shocks to see if they are the culprit?

landar · September 12, 2015

The "usual" method is to stand on the bumper and try to bounce the end of the car up and down. If shocks are good, you should not get more than 1 and a half bounces. Subjective, I know, but that is the amateur way of testing.

If I were you, I would find an empty parking lot and try going over the edge of a speed bump with both wheels, then one at a time. You would have to find a bump where you could isolate each wheel going over. That might pinpoint the side and then you could go looking. If it only happens when both wheels go over, then you look for common suspension links. Dry rotted rubber suspension parts are notorious for "clunks" like you are getting.