AJT123

Well it may be time for me to pull the fuse (which one exactly, btw?), as my telescoping motor *occasionally* groans a bit as it extends. I don't want that bad boy stuck in the up position so better safe than sorry.

That said, I can tell it just needs to be lubed. Motor is still silent and operates at same speed as it always has, just groans a bit occasionally.

My probably stupid question is:

Can I just remove that lower cover and spray some WD40 there to grease it? I know that sounds really janky but I swear to god that works 99% of the time with everything else in my life, ha. Even if a little creeps in there that should solve it.

Figured it's worth asking. Love my car but at 13 years old, when stuff that's non-essential starts to go, that's that. Most likely will pull the fuse.

rkw77080

Go to the driver-side fuse box and look for a 20A fuse called "TI & TE". It's the second fuse on the left-most column (see diagram below).

rkw77080

Check out Post #41 on the link below
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/ls-...4-ls430-3.html

The groaning may be caused by the jack screw/nut are no longer aligned.

Lexus recommends Molybdenum Disulfide Lithium base grease for the sliding steering column parts. WD40 will act as a cleaner and washes the old grease away. WD40 will work for a short time, but after the run-off and evaporation, you will end up with very little lubrication.

Scootymad

Moly grease for metallic parts like the column sliding mechanism you mentioned, use Silicone grease on plastic and rubber parts. Petroleum-based products will eat away at plastics and rubbers over time.

AJT123

I have confirmed that this squeaky noise only occurs after the car has sat outside in the heat, which tells me it just needs lubrication. Otherwise, the function operates 100% normal. I wonder how much a dealer would charge to grease this. I'm sure they're gonna tell me the whole motor needs to be replaced.....thieves.

jayclapp

I've never let anyone other than my Lexus dealer touch my car for all maintenance and repairs (with the exception of using Costco for tires). I do not consider them to be thieves or crooks. Just my experience.

JffGRY706

probably a lot of tilt and telescope motors that have been damaged by owners spraying them with the wrong lubricant. In my opinion if you disable them then they will not work when they are re-enabled. one of the things I like about my car is the steering wheel coming out to greet me on start-up. I would hate to lose this feature of a premium luxury car. In my city the Lexus dealer is excellent. much better than most service departments that I have dealt with. I trust them any pity the people that cannot go to a Lexus service center they can trust. I am sure there are some that are better and some that are not as good. the chance that they even have a motor in stock to replace on a car this old is not very good. Alderson Lexus in Lubbock is one of the good ones. I am fortunate to live nearby.

rkw77080

IMHO, the tilt and telescopic motors will last if they are not repeatedly over-loaded by poorly lubricated moving parts. "Squeaky noise" is one of the tale-tell signs of insufficiently lubricated moving parts.

So to avoid burning up the motors, the best compromise is to disable the tilt and telescopic function by a Lexus dealer or using TechStream. With this option, you will still be able to adjust tilt and telescopic position manually, but not running the motors automatically at every start up.

This is better than pulling the fuse because without the fuse, you cut power to the motors such that you will not be able to make tilt and telescopic adjustments manually.