osteo66

I'm looking to change my springs for either an eibach pro kit or standard to replace the H&R's that are already on the car. Anyone have a set they are willing to part with?

I've been keeping an eye on proceedings during the barren years 😁 but yes you're right, I won't repeat my mistakes! It's good to back in a Lexus, you forget how well engineered these things are and the value for money they can provide.

Returning to the fold after several years having just bought an IS 300 Sporthatch, previously had a Mk1 GS Sport. Looking forward to learning about the IS from the community!

Hi, This is a common problem on GS's, if you have a search on here you'll see plenty of discussion! Normally it's the sliding pins that gum up and stick which is what happened to mine. I overhauled the pistons with a repair kit which to be honest was a pain, when it happened again I exchanged my caliper with Brakes Direct, cleaned and greased the pins and bolted it all back together; much cheaper and easy if you are ok with a spanner. Have a look at some of Tigerfishes posts/write ups on here that deal with exactly this for the Mk1 GS's. You don't need to pay a dealer!! ;)

K&N panel filter is the only change to mine. TF, have you noticed any change in economy (ha ha ) since using a K&N? I average around 22mpg generally on mixed roads.

Yes, or something in the VIN number perhaps that the Lexus dealer could decode? I read mine off of the V5 registration document....

If it's the same as mine it's called damask, sort of burgundy/ruby red.

£855, Mk 1 GS Sport

Hi, I understand your predicament! Both my sons are into BMX and they/we tend to look/use http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/, http://www.wiggle.co.uk/c/cycle/7/BMX_Bikes/ or http://www.evanscycles.com/categories/comp...bikes/bmx-bikes to search for bikes and stuff. Have ordered from chain reaction and they were very good, may be worth giving these sites a call and asking their opinion? Have always found Halfrauds to be....erm....not very good. Good luck! Dave.

Nice one Patch, it seems you've replaced/done everything you could! Where did you get your mintex pads and discs from? Dave.

I'd agree with Tigerfish. This was very similar to mine and by moving the piston in and out a few times it helped delay the overhaul, after doing one piston I took the easy way and exchanged the whole caliper - huge difference. You may find that the dust boot on the sticky piston is split which hastens the sticking by allowing dirt into and around the seal. Unfortunately very common on GS's. Dave

Hi Phil, I'm going to replace the discs at some point when the pads are due. My situation was more caliper related than disc as it turned out although they are involved I'm sure. It does seem odd that the cars react in this way, however relatively there are a lot of areas that could be marginally worn or out of spec and cause slack in the whole system hence it being difficult to narrow down. It's not as if the GS suspension is overly complicated and the brakes are a bog standard design. Should be interesting to see what happens as the weeks roll on, Dave.

I've suffered the steering wobble with my GS over the years and after stripping the calipers and overhauling and most recently replacing my NSF caliper I decided to experiment. I know my discs are worn but have not been able to implicate the ball joints, suspension bushes or tie rods, one thing that always seemed worn to me was the upper caliper slider pin in it's housing. The workshop manual I've used shows a small rubber o-ring type thing that should go on to the pin, and in a kit from Brakes International (great guys...) there is a small ring that looks as if it should fit. However the pin is not undercut as is the lower one to accept the ring and I've not been able to sort out how to fit it so have always left it out. When I renewed all my pins and relevant bushings it made a noticable difference in the clunks and creaks that come from my brakes, but the caliper can still be rocked my hand and there is a gentle clunk from the upper pin area. So......I decided to fit lower pins with new bushes into the upper as well as the lower positions on both calipers. They were a tighter fit than the lowers but still slid and removed completely the rocking by hand. A gentle road test and there is no noise whatsoever from the front brakes now on turning and braking. I jacked the car up afterwards and the wheels turned freely with no binding so I am confident that all the pins are sliding and not causing problems. Will be interesting to see how things pan out over the next few weeks as I keep an eye on them....I am now more of the opinion that the upper pins are a cause of some of the noise we hear from our cars and that, rather than do what I've done which may be non-standard and therefore at your own risk, perhaps replace the caliper pins, bushings AND caliper mounting plate the bores of which may become worn over the years of use.

Hi, Can somebody please take a picture of the end of an installed boot strut to show how it is fitted into the bracket? I have just had mine overhauled by SGS and can't remember how they fit back in! Ta, Dave.

Hi, this sounds very much like a sticky brake caliper piston and a mildly warped disc. Mine had exactly the same problem and freeing the piston stopped it, although it seems to be back now The GS is well known for this, some members replace the caliper with exchange units rather than overhaul. HTH, Dave

Sorry to hear it's such a faff. I tried to remove the ball joint from the arm first, sometimes they were held on by circlips but there seemed to be no way of separating the two so I don't think it's recommended. The nuts on mine were soft as well and I was worried that they would round off, I used a quick sharp impulse on the spanner to break the 'stiction' of the nut when the car was originally painted which I believe 'glues' the whole lot together making it harder to undo. I know this doesn't help much now! I think an LS owner on here had to grind his off in the end. Have you tried mini mole grips or water pump pliers on the nut? Unfortunately it is an agricultural way of doing it and will mangle the nut but may be successful. Heat may help to loosen things BUT I wouldn't try with the petrol tank so close. Have you spoken to SGS to see if they have any ideas? Failing that Lexus? Sorry can't be of more help, Dave.

Sorry I wasn't very clear Try these guys http://www.sgs-engineering.com/ they refurb your original boot struts and offer LOC members a discount. If you look in your boot on either side at the back by the hinges you will see the gas struts that hold and damp the boot lid movement, these need to be removed and sent to SGS for inspection. If ok to refurb they should give you a call and quote. The struts are a bit of a faff to remove and the boot doesn't stay up without them so be careful! HTH, Dave

Hi, sounds exactly like mine! The support struts gradually degrade over the years losing damping and support for the boot lid which is a big heavy thing as you know. SGS are mentioned on the site and will have a look at them to refurb if possible and offer discount for members, been meaning to do mine for ages but haven't got around to it yet. Dave

I got mine from brakes international (I think Tigerfish recommended them) although you have to search through the site a little. Quality is fine and price is reasonable although I'd probably exchange the caliper now rather than taking the time to completely refurb an existing one after doing mine. Quicker and easier but more expensive... Dave

Hi ummy, stainless lines are used a lot to improve bike brakes and they give a firmer edge to the brakes generally. Some think that it takes away some of the "feel" but this isn't so noticeable on cars, to be honest if your original lines aren't degraded or damaged in any way then it's a debatable expense - good clean fluid and properly serviced calipers with good pads is probably a better way to go. If these are ok save up for petrol!

Has anyone got any genuine lexus bars and cycle carriers they are looking to sell? Dave

Part numbers for fronts: 2 x 47715-22070 Pin, Cylinder Slide 2 x 47715-30060 Pin, Cylinder Slide 2 x 47769-50010 Bush, Cylinder Slide 2 x 47775-30070 Bush Dust Part numbers for rears: 2 x 47715-22070 Pin, Cylinder Slide 2 x 47715-22080 Pin, Cylinder Slide 2 x 47769-50010 Bush, Cylinder Slide 2 x 47775-30070 Bush Dust Looking at the parts, it does look like you could if needed or wanted to, use 4 pins of either type. Personally, I would use atleast one pin on each side that has the bush on it, as that would tend to stop any rattles. TF, I've just renewed all my caliper pins and greased with lith-moly however the service guide I've got shows bushes for the upper and lower pins. The old pins I've taken out only have grooved bushes on the lower items and not the uppers - there doesn't seem to be any room to put bushes onto the upper pins. Is this right? I still have some play in the upper pins even tho they are new. Dave.

Pewe, Where did you get the caliper from at that price, brakeparts?

These are the people I bought my kit from. It's a full caliper service kit so includes all piston seals and dust boots, gaiters, pin bushings, clips etc. Seems good quality and i had no problems with fit etc, although looking at their exchange calipers I'm not sure that taking the time to overhaul is worth it considering the relatively small difference in price...

452s are excellent value for money. Seconded, have them on mine and impressed, good value too