These instructions are generic, not referring to a specific vehicle, and we write them in as much detail as possible to offer help with the installation of our steering wheel spacers on all cars for which we have not been able to do the installation ourselves, and not even a video tutorial.
The experience gained over the years has allowed us to group the procedural analogies and summarize them in this paper. The reader will therefore have to expect slight and intuitive differences when applying this procedure to his particular machine. We therefore do not accept responsibility for any damage resulting from not taking this into account, and we suggest that the reader properly research the removal of the airbag on his specific car before proceeding, and to consider getting help, if not replaced, by a professional mechanic.
1) Before starting, park the car with the straight routes, because the ribbed of the steering wheel does not have a marker and you could reassemble it by “skipping a tooth” and find yourself with the steering wheel visibly crooked on straight routes.
2) Disconnect the battery throughout the procedure.
3) Be careful when handling cables. Never pull them hard. They all have snap-on connectors, take some time to see how to unlock them.
INSTALLATION – It is advisable to watch a couple of videos on the internet by doing a search such as “NAME OF YOUR CAR steering wheel assembly” or “airbag disassembly” to familiarize yourself with the procedure.
1) Remove the airbag unit from the steering wheel: The access holes to unlock the airbag can be visible on the sides of the steering wheel, or covered by rigid plastic caps, to remove which must be pry with a small and flat screwdriver.
Usually, to unlock the airbag, either clip springs are released or 2 screws are unscrewed. Locate the springs (or screws) calmly: if they are springs, push them in with a flat screwdriver until the corresponding part of the airbag clicks just outside the steering wheel.
It can take a long time to find the right “movement” that drives them by hand. When the airbag lock is in your hands, disconnect the connector (there can also be 2) connected to it. The connector will not come off even when you pull hard unless you first lift the safety clip with a flat screwdriver. Pull out the airbag cable, this may require force.
If there are screws instead of springs, they are usually hard to unlock, but then it only takes a few turns and they are completely unscrewed. They are made to stay in place and not fall even when unscrewed.
2) Lay the airbag away from everyone.
3) Unscrew the central nut that holds the steering wheel fixed on the steering column, (or the screw) without removing it completely. In fact, if the car is a few years old, the steering wheel can be locked on the steering column and to unlock it you need to pull hard. Leave the nut (or screw) still partially screwed in and make sure that, by pulling, the steering wheel slides on the steering column and does not come off suddenly, tearing the wiring.
An extractor may be required.
3) When you are sure that the steering wheel slides on the steering column, remove the nut and disconnect the connector (possibly more than 1) that still connect the buttons on the steering wheel connected to the machine.
Pull out the steering wheel by gently sliding the cables into the steering wheel window. Now you can install the spacer.
Since it is shipped pre-assembled, and except in a few cases, in order to proceed with the installation you must first separate the aluminum part from the steel one by unscrewing the M6 Allen screws.
Except for the Honda S2000 and the cars of the group, if the car is born with the steering wheel fixed to the column by means of a through screw, it is not necessary to separate the 2 parts of the spacer (usually Renault, Peugeot, and BMW)
4) Insert the aluminum hub into the steering column. The airbag wiring harness must pass through the spacer window. Tighten the nut that holds the steering wheel on the steering column to a torque of at least 40 Nm.
5) Screw the steel part of the spacer to the aluminum part, tightening the screws to 10 Nm.
6) Insert the wiring harness we provided into the rotary contact connector. It has a precise insertion direction and you can hear a “click” when it is well inside. The other end of the harness you will connect later.
7) Insert the steering wheel into the spacer and connect the connector from the steering wheel to the wiring harness included in the kit. Route the airbag wiring harness through the steering wheel window and tighten the nut to at least 40 Nm. If you have a ratchet wrench with a handle of about 30 cm, a vigorous squeeze of a quarter turn may suffice.
8) Connect the horn cable and reconnect the airbag: insert the connector (or the 2 connectors) into the corresponding sockets. Be careful not to swap them if there are 2, and not to thread them upside down. The connectors have tabs that prevent you from inserting them in the wrong direction, but if you push hard they still go in and break, because they are plastic anyway.
The airbag cable (or cables) are long enough to be reconnected, but there may be little room to tuck your hand back in, and you may need to pre-align the entire airbag to the steering wheel, and use your fingers to push the connectors in. It’s a bit of a “touch” job, rather than a visual one, so take a lot of time and patience. You hear a “click” when the connector is inserted and then when you press the safety clip.
9) NOTE: In a few cases the airbag cables are too short to be reconnected. In this case, the only solution is to cut and lengthen them using a cable of equal cross-section, or you can try to make the cables make a different path inside the spacer, to gain the missing length. The important thing is that they are always soft, not under traction.
In this case, we suggest cutting and lengthening them one at a time and not all at once because there is a risk of making mistakes, splicing them wrong and compromising the functionality of the airbag, with unpredictable and potentially very dangerous outcomes.
Please note that after 10 years or more, depending on the manufacturer, the functionality of the airbag is no longer guaranteed.
10) Re-insert the airbag into the steering wheel: align it in the steering wheel as it was before, and if it is fixed by the springs, push hard (as when you give a loud blow of the horn) until they all click.
If, on the other hand, the airbag is screwed to the steering wheel, retighten the screws. There is no need to tighten them with excessive force, when you can no longer turn the key (torx or Allen key) with your hand it is enough. We still suggest trying to watch more than one tutorial on the internet from those who have already done this work. If you don’t feel like it, it’s understandable and it’s best to go to a mechanic.
Reconnect the battery.
If you’ve done everything right:
- no indicator lights will come on after installation,
- The arrows automatically return, as before
- When turning the steering wheel, no noises or clicks should be heard
- The steering wheel should be as soft as before
- The steering wheel controls, if present, must all work immediately, as before.
- The horn operates as before and the steering wheel adjustments are working as before
- No break-in period is necessary and the steering wheel, when driving, must be as straight as before
- It may be that at idle the steering wheel vibrates slightly more than before, due to the greater distance from the engine, which is a source of vibrations.
END.