steering column wont go up and down, only forward and back. is it my model that doesnt have this feature

 

IDENTIFY your model and we will try to help you.... they are not all the same....

 

its a 1999 ls400

 

Remove the plastic under the column. Apply a little grease to the area circled in red. There are also 2 small plastic bushings, one for tilt and one for tele, they are cheap and fairly easy to replace. Once you have the plastic shroud removed from the column you will have a much better idea waht's actually going on...

 

 

I have the opposite problem with my 99. Wheel goes up and down but does not telescope. I'm assuming my problem is in the same area?

 

Yes they are both basically in the same place. It's been approx 10 years since I fixed mined so I can't remember if the shaft circled in the photo is for tilt or tele but there are 2 two.

 

There’s a video on your problem that I watched, type in 99 ls400 steering column and it’s by a guy named jaredten

 

the video you watched is for a 1997 LS400 and is completely different than your 1999, Lexus tried to fix it where we could not go in and repair them ..
the 99's are a bear to fix.. search to find out how to do it , cost about 100$ and sending it to Chicago..

 

my 99 has the same issue. Previous owner unplugged the motors altogether (I will have the plug them back in at some point) , but he also said it wasn't working properly.

I fixed my 98 with a simple simple fix (simple design), but i learned from billydpowe that the design changed in 98 to a more complicated design , and this explains why some 98's, all 99's & 00's are more complex to repair.