How To Set Steering Wheel Tilt In One Position?

[Emperor Penguin]

It has been a while since I was last here, but I would like to know if there is any way to disable the steering tilt adjuster so that the steering wheel will always be in one and only one position?  Maybe set the steering wheel and cut the power to the motor?   If the solution is an easy fix I will consider doing it.  I am not at all a fan of the steering wheel tilt and prefer only one position.  I do not intend to sell the car and I will keep it until the engine dies, so the steering wheel will be set permanently to only one position.  Any suggestions?

[Jeremy M.]

There's bound to be a different location on your '95 compared to my '98 model, but on my car, pulling the 30A square fuse labeled "power" disabled the steering column power adjustment.

[Emperor Penguin]

Unfortunately, in the fuse panel there is no such fuse to pull.  Maybe I should disconnect the motor?

[Jeremy M.]

Disconnecting the motor will work just fine if it's easy to access. I just suggested the fuse because it's easy to get to and equally easy to replace if needed. Could you send a picture of the fuse box diagram on both your interior and engine bay fuse boxes? I'm pretty certain there would be a fuse you can pull, it may just be in a different location than in my own LS400

[Emperor Penguin]

Here are pictures from my owners manual.  I do not find anything that indicates a fuse for the steering tilt adjuster.  This is a '95, so there is neither Auto button nor fuse.

[Jeremy M.]

If you haven't already, please try pulling your fusebox lid off and check the labels for them. The square fuses, while you and I recognize them as a fuse, Toyota calls fusible links or a few other names, and they do not get labeled in the owner's manuals fuse diagrams. Even my own owner's manual does not list the fuse I can pull to disable the power tilt column.

Once you pull the fusebox lids, all the electrical components within should be labeled- fuses, fusible links, relays and all. Please send a picture of that diagram if you can.

[Emperor Penguin]

I finally got off my lazy [donkey] and went down into the front kick panel to see for myself if the solution is a simple fuse pull.  As Jeremy correctly stated, that was indeed the case.  Once I pulled off the panel the fuse in question was in the immediate lower right, as if it was begging to be pulled out.  I set the steering wheel to my desired position and pulled the fuse, so unless I give away my car or sell, I intend to keep the steering wheel in that position indefinitely.  I tried partially putting the fuse in so I will not lose it, but it reactivated the motor, so I merely engraved "steering wheel tilt" on one side of the fuse, and "30A PWR" on the other, and I am keeping it in my ash tray just in case someone may need it to adjust the steering wheel.

[Emperor Penguin]

Update.  I am so far enjoying the lack of automatic tilt on the steering column, but I just found out that I lost the power windows as well.  Evidently that fuse is for several other components.  Looks like I will have to clip off power to the motor.  Maybe there is a wire I can cut?