lexus '92 263k

when I'm driving around the city it's ok,
but when I get up to around 80-100klm/h I start to feel under the car a strange vibration at steady speed
and when I start to brake it isn't smooth as it was before.
while at the speed I did put tranny in neutral and switched engine of and the vibes were still on- so it's not the engine
- first I was thinking it was the engine runnig on 6 cylinders or misfiring...

any ideas???

Hi
It would sound to me like your wheels need balanced or you have uneven tyre wear causing an unbalance in the wheels. If the vibrations are in the steering wheel it's probably the front tyres. Have a good look at the thread on all 4 to make sure there is no uneven wear, wearing on the inside of the front wheels is common, if this is the case then you might need to have the wheels aligned aswell. I'd be careful about switching off the engine at speed as you loose all hydraulic power, ie reduced braking, no power steering.

Let us know what you find.

Glenn

wheels and tyres were balanced two months ago...
this sound, vibration, it's not constant every time, i think...

could the bearings make such a sound?

Also check the prop. shaft....

And in particular the coupling rubbers.

Hi AK.

I don't know if this helps but.... I have been having some strange noises from under the car (1995 Series 3) and couldn't trace them. Wierd metallic noises especially at very low speed (15 kph or less) I checked the underbody carefully including exhaust and prop shaft, at least 3 times and couldn't see anything.

Last week it got to the point where the noise became a severe clanking and[i] the brakes felt odd to me. Finally I found that the front disc brake shield had come loose. This is a 1-2mm thick plate on the inside of the disc and impossible to see unless you remove the wheel or get under the car. One plate was so corroded I removed it until I can replace it and the other side was bent and catching the disc.

I'm not sure it fully fits your symptoms but may be worth a check. Also you could check that your discs themselves aren't loose.

Regards Rab

i think it could be related to drive shaft u-joints...
when "it" starts to vibrate also the shift stick starts to shake, but when i shift to neutral the vibs don't stop but the shift stick stops to shake

i'm going to see mechanics on monday...
will let you know of the verdict

they said,
it is for sure something to do with wheels
will check it...

on thursday will go to a toyota service dep...
my new worry is klinging sound coming from my steering wheel when i turn it side to side,
and there is very strange feeling as if the power steering was working only for half a turn each way and then meets some resistance in turning
wat is it???

Could be steering rack but did you check on the inside og the front wheels as orevious post? It could be that detatched plate.

Rab

the tire had a flat spot ...
rebalanced -went to the left rear...
vibs still happens
BUT,
driving slowly in the traffic is almost no vibs,

but left caliper gets hot at speed and this probaly starts the vibration...
all other calipers are cold after fast drive
could be warped disc or problem with the caliper...

the above plus the power steering problem will be check at toyota srevice on friday

left disc is getting very, very HOT and at more then 70-80 klm/hr is bad
so i think, if it is warped then the heat makes it so bad to drive...

came back from the mechanics,
the verdict : warped disc...
thats why it was getting hot and at highier speed it started to expand and vibrate.
i can drive like an old fart at max 70-80 klm/hr and nobody would know there is any problem with left disc (rotor)...

THE VERDICT IS -

SEIZED CALIPER VALVE )

waiting for the repair kit and hopefully will fix it this week...