paul mach1

Sorry bout the delay replying to this thread. I thought the problem may have been the bushes worn, maybe due to hard acceleration, but it may be prudent to have the geometry checked as you have suggested. Is this a dealer only job, or is there any recommended garages that can carry this work out in the Newcastle area. Thanks for the advice guys

My IS200 feels like the rear axle is shifting out of line if you hit a bump, as in the type of bump you get after roadworks have been carried out, or a low drain. The problem is exasperated on corners. Could this be geometry problems, or could it be bush wear? Any advice greatly appreciated

If that's the case, then yes it may help to bleed the brakes, you may have boiled the fluid. To be honest if you've done brakes on bikes, cars are as easy, if not easier. Just remember to keep your reservoir topped up and I find it's better not to let the pedal go down right to the floor. Probably not a problem on the Lexus, but some models I've bled,if you push the pedal to the floor, that part of the master cylinder doesn't get used often, and it can get a build up in it and damage the seals. Best to only take it down 75%. The easy bleeds are the best, but you need the top for the Lexus master cylinder. You will definitely manage if you've done bikes. If your braking hard, use a top fluid, even go for a DOT 5 for higher boiling point.

I'll think you'll find bleeding them won't make any difference.If you read a few of the other threads you'll find out it's a common problem with the IS200. I bled mine three times and changed the master cylinder. I also stripped down,cleaned and lubricated all the calipers, to no avail. I did sort it out, but it's a bit too complex if you don't have any mechanical skills on cars. I have a thread explaining how to do it, but DON'T do it yourself.

I'll have a try Step 1; Remove the two nuts securing the master cylinder to the servo unit.Pull off the small plate that secures the vacuum pipe to the servo on the right hand stud. Step 2; Without disconnecting any brake pipes, pull the master cylinder clear of the studs to expose the brake rod situated in the centre of the servo. Step 3; Get someone to put their foot slowly on the brake so the rod is pushed out of the servo. Step 4; When the rod is far enough out you will see a knurled bit on the end, grab this tightly with a pair of molegrips. Step 5; Using a 7mm spanner turn the small bolt on the end of the rod approximately 1 turn out (anti-clockwise), holding the molegrips at the same time to stop the rod turning. Step 6; Remove the molegrips and let the rod return back into the servo. Step 7: Put the master cylinder back on the studs, replace the vacuum securing plate, replace nuts and tighten up evenly. Step 8; Keeping the spanner or socket, that fits the nuts, in the car, take the car for a test ride (on a quiet road if you can). Try applying the brakes gently at first and gradually build up brake effort. Step 9; Make sure that the brakes aren't hanging on, if they feel like they aren't releasing properly, take the spanner and release the nuts a turn or so to release the pressure. Take your time getting home where you should repeat the whole process but screw the end back in a bit this time. I don't think that screwing it out only one turn will cause any problems, I'm just being cautious for anyone attempting this. If it does lock on, basically what will happen is when you apply the brakes they won't come off, it's not a case of them just coming on by themselves. So as long as you take your time for a couple of miles, you will be allright, and any problem should have showed up by then.As I said before if you are unsure, don't do it yourself, get someone with a bit of mechanical skill to help you, good luck. P.S. If anyone does try this I'd be interested to know if it worked for them.

Just a bit of an update. Fitted some braided hoses this week. The pedal travel didn't really change that much, although when you do get the pedal down the feel is much sharper, but the basic problem was still there. What I did do was take the two nuts off that hold the master cylinder to the servo and pull the cylinder forward and off the studs(no need to remove any fluid pipes).The rod that comes out of the servo has a small adjuster on the end of it(7mm spanner). I got someone to put their foot on the brake till the adjuster is clear of the servo, then holding the knurls on the rod with a pair of molegrips I turned the adjuster out 1 turn. I took the molegrips off and put the servo back on and replaced the securing nuts. The brakes are now 100% better, with hardly any pedal travel, basically the same as any normal car. A word of warning though if anyone fancies trying this, if you go too far you can stop the fluid returning to the reservoir and the brakes will lock on and not release. It's best just to do 1 turn and if you go out for a road test, take your time, and take a spanner to slacken the master cylinder retaining nuts off to release the pressure if it does lock, so you can get home and adjust it properly. If your not sure what your doing, don't do it .

Have got the same noise on my 2000 Lexus (60000mls). I think it's the joints or rubber bushes creaking, sounds bloody awful. Probably the only way to cure the noise is to replace the offending item, but that could work out expensive if you can't pinpoint the exact problem. I also get a slight creaking from the front suspension when turning and braking at slow (under 10 mph) speeds. Greasing everything would probably work for the short term, but past experience leads me to say the noise will probably come back

mine makes a creaking noise at the front when turning and braking aswell. I also would have thought it could be wear in the balljoints, but I know there are other joints in the front that if they had a small amount of wear or the joints were dry, it could cause this symptom. I personally have never found it bad enough to warrant further investigation as there seems to be no detrimental effect on the steering, but if I do have a look and find anything I'll post it. The IS is, IMO,a lovely car, but it is not without it's flaws. I find the gearbox notchy when cold,the brakes on the soft side, it feels like it tramps a bit if you have four people in and hit a series of bumps on a corner, and I have had creaks in the sunroof when it is cold, and of course the creaks in the front end. Thing is though, I've driven loads of cars, I do a bit of work looking after cars on film and TV productions, most of them placement(brand new cars supplied by the dealers for the purpose of advertising) and I can't think of one car anywhere near the IS price range that I would swap the Lexus for. They all have faults and noises, it's just everyone expects so much of their Lexus.I'll stick with mine!

Suprised it didn't make any difference at all, but, such is life. It's a strange one this pedal travel. The basic physics of brakes is that the fluid can't be compressed, therefore any fluid movement in the master cylinder should result in the same movement in the caliper pistons, as long as no air is present. The only thing I can think is either the pads are coming off too far, which would mean you would have to use more of the pedal travel just to get the pads to contact the discs or there is something out of sync with the master cylinder. I know some cars have an adjuster on the end of the rod coming out of the servo which adjusts the distance the piston in the master cylinder moves back. The only problem is that you have to be careful as if you adjust it too far you can stop the return of fluid and the brakes will lock up and be unable to pull off. I can't believe that it is just the way they are, there has to be a reason and a cure, someone must know

Same here, I've tried two master cylinders aswell. The thing with the rubber brake hoses is they wear with age and tend to expand which can cause excess pedal travel. The braided hoses eliminate this problem.I've fitted loads to motorcycles and a few to cars, and they definitely make a difference, although I can't honestly say if it will completely cure the soft pedal, any improvement is worthwhile,is it not? I don't think they are that expensive either, like I say, I'll let you know when I get them, at least it won't cost YOU any money if it turns out there is no improvement.

I put a thread on a few weeks ago about this very problem.I have a 2000 IS SE,and the brake pedal is soft. I do a bit of vehicle supplies for TV, and have just had a brand new IS, courtesy of Lexus,and the brakes were ***** hot on that one. My mate, who has a shop supplying performance parts, is currently sourcing some braided brake hoses for me to see if that improves overall feel. I'll put a thread on to let you know results.

oooops

Do blue print not do pads to match their discs? If not and your after high performance pads, I can reccomend ferodo road/race(forget the exact model no.), or pagid(expensive , but the mutts nuts). Mintex are reasonable if you buy the standard road pads, but they do make high performance pads that are much better

There is an anti-rattle plate fits on the pins which stop any rattle. If it isn't fitted or has lost it's tension then the pads will rattle. Check to see it touches the pads and that pressure is needed to get the pins to go through them. The pads rattling won't really do much harm, at least it shows your pads are moving allright and aren't siezed

my front brakes started to squeel recently never had any probs with them before so i know it wasnt the pad-brake combination( have aftermarket pads) , turned out the shims and backing plate must have been vibrating, as i put a tiny bit of ceramic paste between the shim and pad and now all is silent :D suppose the paste got washed out over time as i jetwash the wheels/arches every week. ← The thing with copperslip, or any other paste that you apply, is that you are not curing the problem, you are simply hiding it. As far as I am aware, any squealing is caused by vibration in the pads. An example is, if you take a pedal bike brake blocks and set them so the rear of the blocks(leading edge) touches slightly before the rest, the blocks will squeal as they judder trying to grab the rim. Now set the blocks so the front edge touches first(the trailing edge) and the squeal will disappear. Obviously it's not that simple to cure on a car, but the principle of squealing brakes is the same. ← yes true, but u cant set the angle on a car ← That's what I said. "Obviously it's not that simple to cure on a car, but the principle of squealing brakes is the same." I was trying to give an example that is easily to explain, and demonstrate yourself. On a car you must ensure every part that moves, does so freely, and the discs and pads are compatible and in serviceable condition. I had an Audi S2 which had Bremsport calipers and two piece discs fitted. When I bought it the brakes were abyssmal and they squealed like buggery. I stripped them down and found the pads were virtually siezed in the calipers. I cleaned down the mounting points, copperslipped all moving parts, and replaced the pads as they had cracked due to the heat build up. Luckily the discs had evaded any damage. I used ferodo race pads(about £70), and what a difference. I lost the squeal and the performance increase was unbelievable. I should have been a bit clearer in what I said about copperslip ( I'm a firm believer in using it), using it on the sliders etc is a must but on the back of pads, IMHO, is just hiding a fault