Steering wheel spacer installation on Mazda Mx5 ND and Fiat 124 Spider

NOTES BEFORE ASSEMBLY:

1) Park the car with the wheels straight before assembly.
2) Disconnect the battery during installation to prevent lights from coming on at the end of the procedure.
3) The wiring harness inside the steering wheel must be lengthened, while the wiring harness of the airbag is already long enough. The steering wheel control harness has 14 pins, and they may not all be occupied by the wire terminals depending on whether or not the first owner of the car had all the functions installed on the steering wheel. The wiring harness that comes with the spacer has all 14 wires, so if the machine has all the operation keys, then it will use all 14 ways, otherwise the extra wires will remain connected but not used. It is sufficient to always connect the wiring to the two connectors. In any case, handle the cables with care during installation. Do not accidentally pull them, you could damage the rotating sensor and hear an annoying click at the end of the procedure, when you then drive and turn the steering wheel.

INSTALLATION PROCEDURE

There are many videos and tutorials on the internet that explain how to take the steering wheel out of the car. It is recommended to look at them before starting and everything will be easier. Especially to understand the “trick” to remove the airbag.

1) Remove the airbag from the steering wheel, unlocking the 3 staples located at 3, 6 and 9 o’clock, which can be accessed through small holes on the steering wheel. Use a flat, medium-small screwdriver, preferably ground to form a C-shaped concavity that allows you to grip the staples more comfortably. The staples are black and are on the body of the airbag, and they are quite difficult to see.
2) When the airbag has exited the steering wheel, disconnect the pin. Do not pull it hard: the connector has an release clip, which can be lifted with a small flat screwdriver. Lay the airbag safely and away from children, the passenger seat is a good place. DO NOT SHORT-CIRCUIT OR PUT A TESTER ON THE AIRBAG TERMINALS, OTHERWISE IT WILL EXPLODE!
3) Unlock the central nut, without unscrewing it completely, first make sure that the steering wheel slides along the ribbed of the steering column. In fact, after years or in any case on some cars a “glue” effect is established between the steering wheel and the column, so pulling it hard would suddenly unlock and could tear the wires or hit your face. To unlock it, you may need an extractor, to be screwed to the 2 M8 holes on the steering wheel, and with a large central screw that is pointed at the steering column, screwing it a little the steering wheel unlocks.
4) Make sure that the steering wheel slides, remove it from the steering column by sliding the wires into the slots (disconnect the wiring of the steering wheel controls) and place the steering wheel on a clean table so as not to scratch the leather or chrome plastics.
5) Now you can see the rotary contact, with the 2 sockets at the bottom and 2 pins with tires at 3 and 9 o’clock. Now you can connect the supplied wiring harness by plugging the male connector into the corresponding female on the machine’s sensor. There is only one orientation, you don’t need any particular force and you have to hear a click if it is inserted properly.
6) Now, insert the aluminum part of the spacer into the steering column. The two pins of the sensor must fit into the corresponding holes on the spacer, and the cables must be routed through the large lower crescent slot. Tighten the center nut that previously held the steering wheel in place. Have someone help you hold the spacer in place (clean hands and no rings that could scratch the anodizing) while tightening the nut.
7) Screw the steel part of the spacer onto the aluminum part, using the 6 Allen screws provided, and adding the threadlock Loctite.
8) Now, the female connector of the wiring harness supplied, and previously connected to the machine, must be coupled to the corresponding pin that comes out of the steering wheel. It’s best if someone holds your steering wheel while plugging in the connector, unless you have 3 or more hands.
9) Slide the steering wheel onto the spacer spindle and tighten the nut. From now on, the re-assembly proceeds as if you were reassembling the steering wheel on the steering column. Except that instead of the steering column there is the spacer, of which the steel part is a faithful replica. The wiring may appear too long, but you just need to bend it a bit into the space inside the black aluminum.
Be careful when re-inserting the airbag in its place: point the airbag harness connector into its socket, there is only one possible orientation given by the shape of the plastic connector. Close the connector safety clip. Then align the airbag firmly with the steering wheel and press it in at the three points where the staples are located. The 3 clicks must be distinctly heard and the mobility necessary to press the horn must be maintained, as before installation. There is only one way to re-engage the airbag unit, and if you don’t comply with it, the horn may sound permanently when you reconnect the battery. It is suggested that you revisit the above tutorials on the internet.
10) Reconnect the battery.
END.