Steering Column Replacement

[ddrigsby]

I have a 98 Lexus GS400 that the motor for the tilt steering has a short in it. every once in a while i get lucky and it will work for a little while. of course lexus told me it would be $1300 to replace the motor so that is not happening. i was curious if anyone had ever bought a steering column with all the parts on it and replaced this part, or the whole steering column, themselves. im wondering if it is something i would be willing to take on myself. also if anyone has other info concerning the motor or other ways around the problem that would be great as well.

[1990LS400]

Have you searched the forum? There have been a bunch of threads on the tilt/telescope system but I think most have been in the LS400 part of the forum. Here is a thread about a wiring harness being too tight: http://us.lexusownersclub.com/forums/index...ost&id=6473

Replacing the entire steering column sounds like a lot of work when it is fairly easy to replace the tilt and telescope motors. And the tilt and telescope motors in a used steering column might not be any good or have a very long life.

It's been posted in a past thread but I'll attach a TSIB on how to replace the tilt and telescope motors in a 99 LS400 -- the procedure may be similar on your GS.

If you can nudge the steering wheel to where you want it, you can have the automatic tilt/telescope turned off with a handheld scan tool.

Tilt__Telescopic_Steering_Column_TSIB.pdf

[ddrigsby]

Have you searched the forum? There have been a bunch of threads on the tilt/telescope system but I think most have been in the LS400 part of the forum. Here is a thread about a wiring harness being too tight: http://us.lexusownersclub.com/forums/index...ost&id=6473

Replacing the entire steering column sounds like a lot of work when it is fairly easy to replace the tilt and telescope motors. And the tilt and telescope motors in a used steering column might not be any good or have a very long life.

It's been posted in a past thread but I'll attach a TSIB on how to replace the tilt and telescope motors in a 99 LS400 -- the procedure may be similar on your GS.

If you can nudge the steering wheel to where you want it, you can have the automatic tilt/telescope turned off with a handheld scan tool.

im guessing this handheld scan gun is something only the dealership is going to have? im definitely not again just shutting off the feature completely once i get it to the position i want. thanks

[Davem1949]

I have a 98 Lexus GS400 that the motor for the tilt steering has a short in it. every once in a while i get lucky and it will work for a little while. of course lexus told me it would be $1300 to replace the motor so that is not happening. i was curious if anyone had ever bought a steering column with all the parts on it and replaced this part, or the whole steering column, themselves. im wondering if it is something i would be willing to take on myself. also if anyone has other info concerning the motor or other ways around the problem that would be great as well.

I found your thread and I have the exact same problem. The Lexus dealer wanted $2500 to replace the column! No way! And the LS400 tilt mechanism seems to be very different. I took the shroud off of the column and visually examined the tilt mechanism. Seems to be a threaded screw shaft that is moved by a gear on the motor. There's a lot of dirty grease in there that could be shorting the motor. I didn't have a short-handled screw driver to removed a steel guard bracket covering the threaded shaft but once I removed it, I think I can reach the motor and clean it up. The instructions for correcting a LS tilt on this forum are simple but do not apply to the GS400/300 I think.

If anyone has figured out this short we are talking about, please let us know.