QikSilva

I had the steering wheel tilt problem. Eventually I took out the gear and replaced it with a new one and put a washer behind it. Still had the issue!!! Argh!!! So last night took it apart and I even removed the tilt motor. Sanded the motor commutator and resoldered the leads on the positive and negative. Well needless to say still didn't work. I added lithium grease to the gear near the motor and the gears on the center mechanism. Problem Persisted. Took tension off of the springs and Voila Working. What are they exactly for and should I be worried?
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Yamae

Will you measure the resistance of the motor precisely down to .1 range and inform us?
When you measure, rotate the shaft 45 degrees step for 4 times and write down values like 0.7, 1.0, 1.0 and 0.7ohm.
I worry that the heat protector inside of the motor is shot.

QikSilva

I opened it up twice there was alot of black debris. The commutator had a groove in the middle. I don't know if it is supposed to be like that from denso. I cleaned it off with electrical connector cleaner and that helped alot. The motor only really has a hard time going up. What exactly do you need to test the motor? Im Im fairly new to this. The thing I'd really would like to know is what are the top springs on steering wheel for?

Yamae

Springs are needed to stabilize the shaft. It will be unstable without them. At your own risk you can drive your car without them, but you will see how dangerous it is.

QikSilva

I still have the springs on there they are just not tightened like Fort Knox. When I went to check the tension they were practically all the way down. I turned them out 1 1/2 turn. That makes sense for what they would be used for. Thanks for the answer. I'm looking into replacing the carbon brushes on the motor to see if the power comes back. I'll post if that makes a difference.

Yamae

I hope you don't waste your time replacing brushes. Things are a bit more complicated when the motor's torque is not enough. I'd simply check the resistance first and distinguish the problem is caused by the motor or the controller.

QikSilva

To test resistance on a motor armature you need to do the 180 test? Is that correct way of testing? Thanks again for the help.

Yamae

The reason why 45 degrees step is that the resistance changes as the shaft rotates. The resistance varies depending on the commutator's position and to measure the min and the max, the rotation is needed to do at least 180 degrees. This will tell the condition of windings and the commutator. Also this will tell about the condition of a PTC therminstor built in the motor for the protection against the heat.