Since last posting about this, I read a couple of other forum posts all ending the same: replace the motor. Being that this is painfully expensive, I decided to try anything I could to resurrect the old motor. Figured I'd do a semi write-up to help anyone else in a similar situation.

1. The start: The telescoping was always sluggish, took awhile for the motor to suck the wheel all the way back every time I took the key out. Much worse in summer heat. If I played with it too much while driving, it would eventually give up until I let it sit for awhile. Then one day it just quit completely, no manner of restarts were saving this one.

2. Tracing voltage: I tore apart the lower 2/3 of the dash to remove the clamshell covering the steering column. After that, I traced the voltage coming from the telescoping control box underneath the driver's footwell next to the fuse box. Confirmed 12.3 something volts when I pushed the button to make it extend or retract. I also probed the point where the wiring harness ends at the motor, confirmed once again, 12.3 volts when button was depressed.

3. Fixing the motor: What ended up being the issue was simple dirt. Not sure how it made its way into the motor with how tight it was on the column but its no surprise to me that this much filth would block the brushes from making contact.


To remedy this, I poured 99% isopropyl alcohol over the motor and used dish detergent on the casing to remove the grease. To further clean the stator and brushes, I used a toothbrush in the same alcohol to clean the mating surface. They looked much better afterward.




Finally, I tested the motor using my lab bench power supply set to 12V, it spun once again.



4. Reinstalling the motor: This was causing me quite a headache, trying to thread the worm gear back into the rack was not happening. I ended up plugging the motor in and using the telescoping button to have it thread itself back in, that worked beautifully.

After cleaning everything up and throwing the dash back together, I can now sit not like a bus driver.

Not sure if this solution was ever found or reported on but I didn't come across anything.

TL;DR: Clean the motor, its dirty.

 

glad this is taken care of! having a steering wheel that doesn't electronically telescope is so peasantry...

it didn't sound like the motor was completely dead since you said there was that slight click before nothing would happen, when mine was dead there were no signs of life at all and the dealer replaced the motor for a total of like $900 (in 2011 prices)

 

Thanks for this. Fortunately my 1995's steering wheel works flawelessy.....but I don't expect that to last. It's one of the few things I've worried about. Driving with the wheel pointed towards the windshield is no Bueno!!

 

wow, great job. what year is your LS? AFAIK I have never seen this fix before and I have searched exhaustively!! Mine is a 98 and the telescoping hasn't worked for at least a couple years now... PITA.

How difficult was it to get to the motor in the steering column?

 

Agree,excellent post!!

 

Mine is a 97 so unsure if they changed it or not. As far as getting to it, not very difficult at all. Annoying to remove all the panels and covers to get the column exposed, but once you're there the motor is just hanging out on the side, easy to unbolt from below, two 8 mm's.

 

While it is nice to telescope electronically, the lack of manual adjustment does lend itself to some creative driving positions.
With regards to pricing, anything above $500 totals this car for me, hence why I had nothing to lose going ***** deep into the inner works. Does feel nice to have one's efforts rewarded, I will say.

 

idk if it was 98 or 99 but in one of those years the steering adjustment motors were changed to ultrasonic motors, so idk if they're still able to be cleaned in the same way... either way the ultrasonic motors are cool since they're just silent when they're operating, at some point i guess toyota decided it wasn't worth it to keep using them and went back to more conventional motor

 

Thanks for the education,didnt know that.

 

yea in earlier 400s and even the 460 i drove you can hear the motors, not in the 99 though

 

my understanding is somewhere mid-98 model the motor was switched to ultrasonic. So if you have a 98 and youre trying to figure out where your specific vehicle lands - either dig into it yourself or call a lexus dealer and give them your vin. they'll be able to tell you the exact part # you need.

 

Three tears ago this happened to my 94LS with 180K. I took the gear out of the steering column, placed a garden hose washer behind it, reinserted gear and trouble free now at 205K.

 

Wish I could figure this out for my 99 with the ultrasonic motor. Tilt works just fine but telescoping has never worked since I've owned the thing. Thankfully I have some monkey arms haha.
It's always good to see people still giving these old things the TLC they deserve.

 

My tilt motor was doing the same. Too hot and the thing barely moved. What I did was set it where I wanted it, then I pulled the ignition and popped the key switch out. Now I don't have to suffer dealing with the dying motors. Of course I lost my memory seat buttons and theres a possibility of locking my keys in the ignition if I don't use the remote.

 

You might consider just unplugging the motor, bit of a pain to get to but you'd get everything else back.