amcdonal86

Not bad upgrades, but the LS460 will never be a sports car. (Nor will any 4200+ lb luxury sedan.) Would've been nice to see a supercharger or something to get that power output up!

Nice to know I can still try to sell mine for around $6500! :)

Why on earth would you post that in this thread? What do you define as "extremely light on the throttle"?

Any insights on the "harmonic" resonance?

My first thought was tranny mounts. But I was too chicken to come out and say it. If the rubber is shot, the cold probably exacerbates the issue and causes it to vibrate more. When the transmission warms up, so do the mounts, and then the rubber is more pliable and doesn't transfer so much vibration.

If you're going to pay that much, you might as well take it to the dealership.

By the way, the only way I've been able to make the noise stop is by jabbing the brakes hard (and holding them). However, the noise comes back as soon as I let off the brakes. I believe this eliminates any aerodynamics-related issues. Also, in addition to shifting to neutral, I have shut off the engine while at speed--with no change in the noise whatsoever. I believe this eliminates any engine-related causes. In my mind, it has to be related to the drivetrain or brakes. I do not believe it is related to tires, as my tires are perfectly balanced, and I feel no vibration when driving (unlike the OP). Anyone have any ideas?

Oh my god... I have the EXACT same problem. Ironically, I posted a reply to this thread.

The rear controls is the whole point of the UL package!!! If I were going to get a used '05-'06, I'd want the UL package, air suspension be damned! I probably wouldn't keep it to the point where the air suspension failed, anyway.

Thanks for the idea. I may attempt this, but the noise I am experience seems to have a very smooth characteristic. A nice hum! However, at least I have ruled out wind noises and engine-related noises.

Actually, what I did notice was that the passenger (right) rear wheel didn't seem to be locked by the parking brake. I wonder if the parking brake could be the culprit here. EDIT--I don't think so because I just tried to drive the car and see if engaging the e-brake made any difference. It did not.

By the way, I jacked each corner up and pulled on each wheel (up and down, left and right) to see if the wheel bearings were going, but they all seem to be nice and tight!

Okay, well I did some more tests in an attempt to diagnose the noise. The noise, as I said, happens when moving above 20mph and happens whether or not the engine is on. I checked the tranny fluid level, it looks good (the color is okay--still a nice amber color) and power steering fluid level, engine oil, coolant, etc. All seem to be okay. I cleared all the leaves from under the hood and at the base of the windshield. I then went for a drive and continued to hear the same noise. It is incredibly strange. Then I did some hard turning maneuvers at above 20 mph. There was some rough-ish sounding noise when turning hard to the left and right, but I attribute this to normal tire noise. The noise continued at the same pitch throughout these maneuvers. Then I started doing some hard braking tests. At 35 mph (the noise is occurring at this speed), I braked hard and reduced my speed to 20 mph within a second or two. The noise stops! However, 1 second or so later, when the car returns to its normal balance, the noise begins again at the same pitch and volume. It almost sounds like fluid isn't getting to a place it's supposed to get unless I brake hard. It is very difficult to determine where the noise is coming from. I think I need to have someone else ride in the car with me and listen. Does anyone have any idea what it could be?!

In pretty much any RWD car, when you are accelerating in the rain during a turn, the outside rear wheel will begin to slip. This is normal. If this happens, gently let off the throttle to maintain control. If this is unacceptable to you, get some tires that have good rain performance.

I am hoping that this is the problem. It's very unusual, though, as it seems to continue all the way up to 70 mph and beyond, at which point it is drowned out by wind noise.

I thought you said you were friends with a guy with a framing machine that did it for you for a special price...? My point was that most people would probably end up having to pay full price, which could be incredibly expensive, and completely make the entire process not cost effective. (If you had spent $3000 on frame work, would you still be saying that you don't know any car you can get that's as reliable as your LS400 for $3000?)

It's going to be impossible to use a stethoscope while the car is moving. I am not sure, but I FEEL like this noise happens more loudly when I am off the gas going downhill--perhaps when the drivetrain is doing some engine braking. It's not a noisy blower fan, because I've shut off my A/C to check if that was the problem. I don't think it would be the fuel pump either, as I shut off the engine while driving the vehicle to see if there was any change in the noise (there was not). At this point, I am not sure what to think. The car is parked under a tree, and tons of leaves are falling on it right now and seem to be getting into the air vents near the base of the windshield. Perhaps it could be something that simple. I, too, am perplexed by the fact that the pitch does not change at all when the vehicle is moving at different speeds, so perhaps it is the wind blowing over the car or some strange leaf issues. Thanks for the help, curiousB! I would welcome any more ideas/comments that anyone might still have!

It was probably worth $1000 after your accident, before you "fixed it". The question should then be (now that you've spent $1600 in repairs to it), how much car could you get for $2600? More than you think! Probably a never-wrecked LS400... Personally, though, if you are happy with the repair results, I think you made a somewhat wise decision. At least reliability-wise, you have a car you can depend on and are confident about. Then again, for the average person, I would've recommended just junking the car. Not everyone has the ability to use personal relationships to get cheap framework done.

Finally I am having an issue with my LS400 after about 15k miles and 1 year. I'd say that's not bad! There is a strange tone (almost like a whirring without the actual whir...) that seems to occur now above 15mph. The closest noise I can approximate it with is the sound of air rushing out of an exhaust fan outlet (like the exhaust outside coming from a clothes dryer). It seems to be drivetrain related. Notes: **The tone does not change pitch with increasing speed and does not appear to go away at higher speeds. **Even if I shut off the engine at speed and cruise in neutral, the noise remains unchanged. **The noise continues until I drop below about 15-20 mph. What on earth could this noise be? I am thinking of changing the transmission fluid and see if that has any effect.

For $1513, not bad! But then again, it does look like you spent about $1513 on the repair.

Say blake where is the transmission oil refill plug? I believe you just fill it where the dipstick goes into the transmission...

That's the Coach Edition interior? Where are your seat heater switches?!

If you're going to use ramps, wedge the ramps in between the pavement and the tire before you try to pull up on it. That will prevent you from pushing the ramps.

For you, the likelihood of shooting the car through a wall is probably less when it's on ramps than when you are driving it around town. :D (JUST KIDDING!) Personally jacks are unnecessary when doing simple things like changing fluids, etc. The only time I would use jacks is when I need extra ground clearance or need to remove the wheels or do something with the suspension.

Hi, worn upper strut mounts can cause noises such as the ones you described.