Steering column telescopic gear broken

[CharlieS]

We're not going to get a better offer than that!

 

[bloc]

Thing is it sounds like a lot of the stripped ones are in the Middle East.. so @NLXTACY will need to figure out how to market to those guys.

 

[linuxgod]

Thing is it sounds like a lot of the stripped ones are in the Middle East.. so @NLXTACY will need to figure out how to market to those guys.

It's probably easy enough to just partner with a similar local vendor and sell them a box of parts they can resell. Or in this case given it's a lightweight piece of plastic or metal just ship it DHL.

There are a lot of DIYers on the forum and in truth it would be great if Wits End or another similar vendor was interested in 3D printing or machining the random parts that people come up with. Case in point:

• @TeCKis300 has designed a pretty cool cupholder insert, but not all of us have easy access to a 3D printer.
• @Oakleyguy has designed (and is still testing) a potential repair for the infamous broken cabin door arm that's inexpensive and easy to install.
• Obviously this particular plastic part has to be scanned first, which means not just needing a 3D printer or CNC mill but also the tools to get a high resolution scan.

No clue if these guys are planning to print and sell themselves or if they're thinking about open sourcing the design on thingverse, but I'm sure there are lots of other similar parts, hacks, accessories, etc out there.

 

[CharlieS]

I could be wrong, but I don't think Wit's End uses 3D printing except to prototype.

I'm not sure that matters to the gear - if it was me I'd rather have a machined one anyway.

It's always good to have a high quality option, since it is probably only a matter of time before we see the issue pop up more here.

My guess is that the prevalance of the issue in other parts of the world is probably related to sales volume of the LC. There are a lot more of them in general, so the volume of failed units is probably higher.

 

[NLXTACY]

I could be wrong, but I don't think Wit's End uses 3D printing except to prototype.

I'm not sure that matters to the gear - if it was me I'd rather have a machined one anyway.

It's always good to have a high quality option, since it is probably only a matter of time before we see the issue pop up more here.

My guess is that the prevalance of the issue in other parts of the world is probably related to sales volume of the LC. There are a lot more of them in general, so the volume of failed units is probably hi

I will never sell a 3D printed part ever. Machined only.

The gear should absolutely positively NOT be made from metal.

My whole business is based around small batch issues

 

[CharlieS]

Sorry if something I typed suggested metal. Makes sense that metal isn't the right material. I assumed it would be machined form nylon or something, but I don't know anything about machining.

 

[HtownLX]

If ANYONE can get an unabused gear to me I’ll machine a batch. Not 3D printed, CNC machined. But I need a good sample. I’ll only need it for about a week. I have to work on it while doing other stuff.

Did anyone ever end up making some of these gears? Having the same problem with my 2013 LX. Thanks!

 

[Psys]

I know this is an old thread, but I had the same issue on my LX570. Telescopic adjustment stoped working. Dealer quoted $3700 for steering wheel column replacement. Lol.

I ended up 3D printing a couple of gears for it and finally replaced it today. One gear was printed using a reinforced nylon and the second one was made out of titanium. It’s held in place by a 7mm nut. There are a couple of videos on youtube on how to install it.

 

[Psys]

You can download the gear file from here:

Gear for adjusting the tilt and height of the steering column Toyota, Land Cruiser

Gear for adjusting the tilt and height of the steering wheel. Suitable for: Toyota Camry XV50, XV55 Land Cruiser LC 200

cults3d.com

Install video:

 

[Psys]

Did anyone ever end up making some of these gears? Having the same problem with my 2013 LX. Thanks!

Yes, you can 3D print this gear as long as you are willing to install it yourself. The installation is fairly simple. It took me around 40 minutes to install it.