Porsche 964 993 996 986 Steering wheel spacer installation
Valid for:
- Porsche Carrera 964, 968, 928. 944 turbo.
- Porsche Carrera 993 and 996.
- Porsche Boxster 986.
- Porsche Carrera GT
These instructions are also valid, with small intuitive variations, for Audi from the 90s with airbag:
- 100 S4 C4, A6 S6 C4
- 80 B4, Coupe, Convertible, S2, RS2
ATTENTION: you can also watch our video, it has been shot on a 996, but it’s suitable for all Porsche cars with airbag listed above.
1) Park the car with the wheels straight, because the splined shaft has no marker and it is easy to reassemble the steering wheel rotated by 1 tooth and find yourself at the end of the assembly with the steering wheel slightly off center in straights.
2) Disconnect the battery (negative terminal), and wait 30 min.
3) Remove the airbag from the steering wheel. To do this, unscrew the 2 torx screws behind the steering wheel itself. After unscrewing, gently pull out the airbag and disconnect the connector that powers it. It usually has a safety latch and you may need to unlock it by prying it up with a small, flathead screwdriver. After disconnecting the connector, place the airbag securely, e.g. on the rear seat, with the Porsche crest facing upwards.
4) Loosen the center nut, without removing it. Because after years, the steering wheel can be “glued” to the shaft of the steering column and can be hard to remove (some use the rubber hammer or shake the wheel strongly), and if pulling it suddenly comes off it can hurt you and tear the hanging cables.
5) When you are sure that the steering wheel is unlocked and can be easily removed, completely unscrew the nut and remove it, gently passing the wires inside the steering wheel, without ever pulling them hard, because otherwise you could damage the rotating contact to which the wires are connected, and hear, at the end of the installation, an annoying “click” when you turn the steering wheel while driving.
6) Slide the aluminium part of the spacer onto the steering column, respecting the orientation of the steering wheel. The steering wheel has an aluminum rib on the left, which radially presses a spring. The same rib is reproduced on the spacer, and goes in exactly the same position. Be careful to respect the horizontality: otherwise it is very easy to miss a tooth and find yourself at the end of the assembly with a crooked steering wheel and straight wheels, and you must repeat the procedure restoring the alignment.
7) The wiring harness on the rotary contact must be routed through the milling to the right of the spacer, just as it is in the steering wheel. Tiptronic cars will just have more wires.
8) Use the car’s nut supplied with its washer to secure the aluminum hub to the steering column.
9) Screw the steel hub onto the aluminum hub using the 4 Allen bolts supplied. In the middle of the two, fit the carbon shim first. The shim is because same spacer fits different cars, and different thickness shims are used to avoid gaps at end of installation.
10) Use provided spade connector’s extension to extend horn’s wire.
11) Fit the steering wheel on the spacer’s shaft. You can think spacer’s shaft as car’s steering column. No difference at this point. Handle the cables with care and be careful not to accidentally pull them.
12) Be careful when re-inserting the airbag’s connector in its socket: there is only one orientation, so make sure to respect it, and when the airbag is re-inserted, also be careful that it does not press on the cables, otherwise the horn may not work or stay on all the time.
Push exceeding wires, if any, in the room inside spacer’s black cover.
When the airbag is correctly positioned, it is easy to tighten the screws. We still suggest watching videos on youtube to get an idea.
13) Reconnect the battery.
14) Everything must work as before:
- steering wheel rotation effort does not change
- no warning lights
- stalk lever still return automatically
- horn pressure feel does not changes
- all steering wheel buttons must work as before, if present
- existing steering wheel adjustment still works, if available
- you should not hear clicks or rubbing noises behind the wheel
End.
