Thanks WandaWoods! I found your post on how to fix the gears for my telscopic steering wheel that would not go up or down. It just started doing it yesterday and I was sure it was going to cost me a lot of money to fix until I found your post. Your explanations and pictures were very helpful and saved me money.
It took me about 40 minutes to fix my 1993 Lexus SC 400 because I had problems removing the plastic gear. I then reread your post and once I made two small metal hooks to remoe the plastic gear, the rest was easy. For a spacer I used a rubber gasket for a garden hose. I used teflon gear grease to lubricate the gear box.
The Lexus Owners Club Forum is the greatest! I appreciate all of the advice and tutorials that are posted! Thanks!