LS430 - rumbling noise at speed and nerdy plate

[NiceNige]

I know how everyone loves pictures, and here are some of my lovely Lex with its new number plates - only Lexus LS owners will get it!

But seriously, I have a noise issue which I'm going to Lexus next week to see if they can diagnose it, so any help or insight beforehand would be very gratefully received. The issues is that the LS cars are so quiet that any noise at all becomes very irritating after a while.

I have a low hollow rumbling noise from the front at any speed over 60-65 mph. It's very noticeable well over 70mph. I thought it might have been the rear suspension damper issue I had, but that's replaced and it's still there. I hardly noticed it much before as in NZ where I have been driving the car for the last 4 years you can't drive faster than that and the motorways are very smooth typically. The noise is also there over harsh surfaces but can be subdued on very very smooth road surfaces. Its has to be something as my first LS430 that I had for 5 years didn't have the problem, I'm pretty sure. My tyres are Bridgestone Potenza RE050A standard issue, which I've always had and on my first LS with no issues.

It's driving me nuts, as it's all I can hear and think about as I drive!! 😱

Thank you in advance for any insightful suggestions.

Nige

 

[The-Acre]

Lovely car!

Either a wheel bearing or uneven tyre wear comes to mind.  A wheel bearing can usually be determined by checking to see if it increases when cornering.  I've also had annoying rumbling sounds from tyres that look OK but aren't.

[ambermarine]

Hi Nigel

It would be interesting to know the mileage ,I had some issues with my first LS that were speed and direction influenced.

I thought at first it was the prop shaft then the gearbox and the diff which all turned out fine .

This was around 150k and it got gradually worse ,I took it to a local garage and put it on a rolling road and locked the front wheels we then identified the vibration /rumbling as being caused by the trailing arm bushes at the back, front and rear fixings badly worn.

I advise pinning the location down then look for worn bushings in the suspension.

[NiceNige]

31 minutes ago, The-Acre said:

Lovely car!

Either a wheel bearing or uneven tyre wear comes to mind.  A wheel bearing can usually be determined by checking to see if it increases when cornering.  I've also had annoying rumbling sounds from tyres that look OK but aren't.

Thank you, I love my Lexus and I try to keep it looking and working like new, my friends and family don't understand it

I thought about bearings too, I had one go at the rear a couple of years ago, and diagnosed it by turning left and right. The noise doesn't change when I do that now, and it's more of a rumbling than the bearing which was higher pitched whining.

it could still be that though, and I will ask the engineer to check.

Tyres at the front are even wear pattern, I've had nitrogen in them for the last three years.

[NiceNige]

13 minutes ago, ambermarine said:

Hi Nigel

It would be interesting to know the mileage ,I had some issues with my first LS that were speed and direction influenced.

I thought at first it was the prop shaft then the gearbox and the diff which all turned out fine .

This was around 150k and it got gradually worse ,I took it to a local garage and put it on a rolling road and locked the front wheels we then identified the vibration /rumbling as being caused by the trailing arm bushes at the back, front and rear fixings badly worn.

I advise pinning the location down then look for worn bushings in the suspension.

Thank you.

The mileage us 64,500, with 17,000 easy driven miles with me.

mmm, trailing arms could be the culprit, it does feel like something is worn like the bushings which would be noticeable when under stress, say at speed.

I'll ask the Lexus technicians to check that too

Nige 

[mikeyv]

Swap tyres around, see if anything changes.

If not, at least you have eliminated one possible cause.

[NiceNige]

4 minutes ago, mikeyv said:

Swap tyres around, see if anything changes.

If not, at least you have eliminated one possible cause.

Good idea, will try that too.

[Zots]

Hi Nige,

I have a 2005 LS430 with the same issue. Did you ever get a resolution?

[jpjsavage]

Didn't someone here have some problems of this type and found that one of the tyres (at least) had been fitted the wrong way round (i.e. with the tread facing the wrong way)? Or did I just make that up?

[The-Acre]

33 minutes ago, jpjsavage said:

Didn't someone here have some problems of this type and found that one of the tyres (at least) had been fitted the wrong way round (i.e. with the tread facing the wrong way)? Or did I just make that up?

I certainly remember someone having a rumble and it was due to a mix of cheap Chinese tyres.

[Zots]

I bought the car about a month ago and it has michelin primacy mxv4s the prior owner had them balanced and rotated with every oil change but she didn't drive a lot and they are 7 years old with 30k miles on them. Starting to think the tires are the issue but I'm not sure. Will likely take it in and see if I can get an opinion from Lexus. The car only has 107k miles and doesn't seem to have any other issues at this point. 

[The-Acre]

7 hours ago, Zots said:

I bought the car about a month ago and it has michelin primacy mxv4s the prior owner had them balanced and rotated with every oil change but she didn't drive a lot and they are 7 years old with 30k miles on them. Starting to think the tires are the issue but I'm not sure. Will likely take it in and see if I can get an opinion from Lexus. The car only has 107k miles and doesn't seem to have any other issues at this point. 

Can you feel it in the cabin vibrating anywhere or is it just a noise? I would have thought a heavy car with 30k on the tyres you'd be starting to see your reflection in them by now so I would consider them the main suspect at this stage. Maybe get an opinion on your tyres from a trustworthy source. It's not uncommon for them to wear so that they become out of shape causing a rumble, I've had it myself.

[Cotswold Pete]

30K on Michelin primacy is that a record, also I would suggest the tyre walls are not as good as when new, so no doubt tyre noise/rumble will change when you get some new tyres on there.

[Zots]

I bought the car about a month ago and it has michelin primacy mxv4s the prior owner had them balanced and rotated with every oil change but she didn't drive a lot and they are 7 years old with 30k miles on them. Starting to think the tires are the issue but I'm not sure. Will likely take it in and see if I can get an opinion from Lexus. The car only has 107k miles and doesn't seem to have any other issues at this point. 

[Zots]

Only vibration is after sitting overnight I get some vibration in the first 2 miles or so. Every thing seems smooth after that. Just noisy. Based on comments and additional research I think the issue is the age on the tires may have hardened the rubber. I'm going to check the rims closely this weekend to see if there are any issues. I have never had tires this old as I drive 15 to 20 thousand miles a year. The previous owned did not drive it much at all. If I don't find any other issues I just may run them another 15k or so and then get something new.  I;ll try to follow up if all works out. Thank you all for your input. Forums like this are so helpful!

[The-Acre]

1 hour ago, Zots said:

Only vibration is after sitting overnight I get some vibration in the first 2 miles or so. Every thing seems smooth after that. Just noisy. Based on comments and additional research I think the issue is the age on the tires may have hardened the rubber. I'm going to check the rims closely this weekend to see if there are any issues. I have never had tires this old as I drive 15 to 20 thousand miles a year. The previous owned did not drive it much at all. If I don't find any other issues I just may run them another 15k or so and then get something new.  I;ll try to follow up if all works out. Thank you all for your input. Forums like this are so helpful!

Another 15k!  If you manage to get 45k out of your tyres you may want to consider the Guinness book of records!  Hope you get it sorted.

[Zots]

U.S. miles

[runsgrateasanut]

Make sure the spare wheel is tightened down fully. Just a thought