Ls430 Steering Wheel Telescopic Motor

[steeley]

Hi everyone,

The steering wheel 'tilt'(up/down) and 'telescopic' (in/out)electric motors appear to have failed on my dad's 2003 LS430 and the steering wheel is now permanently stuck in one position (low and into the dash). He took the car into his local Lexus main dealer and was quoted an eyewatering £850 without them even looking at the car to replace what they claim to be 3 steering wheel electric motors.

Anyway we have have decided to have a go ourselves and have removed the tilt motor easily enough and have found a guy on eBay (tonyls400) who offers a replacement for £175!

Now as to the telescopic (in/out) electric motor all I can see is one electric motor to the left of the steering column that has a long 2-part threaded shaft, that comes out of the body of the motor, and appears to be part of the steering column casting itself, I cannot see any other electric motor although to the right of the steering coloum there is a metal shrouded area that may well hide an electric motor, looks a right bugger to remove and I'd sooner not at the stage. What looks to be a real challenge is how I remove this motor as the long 2-part threaded shaft passes through a cast lug that's part of the steering colum and it's not clear how to split it.

So my questions are -

• Are there actually 2 telescopic electric motors as Lexus claim? (could my local dealer be thinking of an earlier model or even other car)?
  
• If there are 2 motors, where are they located?
  
• How do I remove the tilt electric motor located to the left side of the steering column?
  
• Does anyone know someone who will do a replacement telescopic electric motor?
  

Any advice/help would be very gratefully received!

Thanks,

Dave.

[Mybikesacx500]

Hi everyone,

The steering wheel 'tilt'(up/down) and 'telescopic' (in/out)electric motors appear to have failed on my dad's 2003 LS430 and the steering wheel is now permanently stuck in one position (low and into the dash). He took the car into his local Lexus main dealer and was quoted an eyewatering £850 without them even looking at the car to replace what they claim to be 3 steering wheel electric motors.

Anyway we have have decided to have a go ourselves and have removed the tilt motor easily enough and have found a guy on ebay (tonyls400) who offers a replacement for £175!

Now as to the telescopic (in/out) electric motor all I can see is one electric motor to the left of the steering column that has a long 2-part threaded shaft, that comes out of the body of the motor, and appears to be part of the steering column casting itself, I cannot see any other electric motor although to the right of the steering coloum there is a metal shrouded area that may well hide an electric motor, looks a right bugger to remove and I'd sooner not at the stage. What looks to be a real challenge is how I remove this motor as the long 2-part threaded shaft passes through a cast lug that's part of the steering colum and it's not clear how to split it.

So my questions are -

• Are there actually 2 telescopic electric motors as Lexus claim? (could my local dealer be thinking of an earlier model or even other car)?
• If there are 2 motors, where are they located?
• How do I remove the tilt electric motor located to the left side of the steering column?
• Does anyone know someone who will do a replacement telescopic electric motor?

Any advice/help would be very gratefully received!

Thanks,

Dave.

I would be surprised if 2, or 3, electric motors failed at the same time, did it go from working fine to not working, or did they stop one at a time? Might be worth fuse checking and connector wiggling

[steeley]

I did actually try that first before I stripped anything down, so fuse was ok and all the wiring and plugs/sockets look good.

Now got the tilt (up/down) electric motor on the bench and have applied a 12v supply to the live pin of the motor and nothing happens, also there is a faint whiff that burnt out electric motors give when the shellac coating has been burnt.

Also, just come off the phone to another Lexus main agent and they have confirmed there are only 2 electric motors to work the tilt and telescopic functions, so at least thats clarified!

[Swindon Andy]

What sort of motors are they? I wonder if they are steppers or servos, to include the positioning ability?

In which case 12v on them would'nt move them

[stericker]

Hi. If you go into the forums you will find useful advice and illustrations. Try typing in 'steering'