I've had a few members PM me about the tools/procedure required for removing the steering wheel after we did the upgrade on my car last week (https://www.crossfireforum.org/forum...ue-column.html), and with the awesome paddle-shifters under development for the auto-shift gang, I'm certain that there will be several members digging into this section for the first time.

Here are some tips:

• Turn the steering wheel 90° to the left (to allow you room to break the airbag bolts loose), and using the T-30 torx T-handle, break the bottom bolt loose but do not completely back it out. You can do this step and the next step with the car running.
• Turn the wheel 180° back to the right, so that the airbag bolt near your right hand is now at the 6:00 position... break this one loose but do not back all the way out.
• Return the steering wheel to the home position, and turn the car off. Disconnect the battery, and wait a few minutes for the capacitor to discharge. Use a 4mm allen to fully loosen the two small airbag bolts. Once the main tension is broken by the T-handle, the bolts require no effort to back out, so the allen is safe to use and won't harm the torx. The allen wrenches simply buy you some room. The airbag should simply tilt out, and you'll see three wires. Disconnect the two power wires, and pull the yellow connector out of the back of the airbag. It pulls straight out, no clips or anything hold it in.
• With the airbag out of the way, use a 10mm allen socket to break the center bolt loose. This will require an impact wrench if you're doing this by yourself. If you have a buddy helping you, have him hold the wheel while you use a breaker bar to break the bond. It is held on with blue Loctite.
• After you've backed out the center allen bolt, BEFORE YOU REMOVE THE WHEEL, mark the wheel's position relative to the splined shaft with a grease pen/paint marker. If you're swapping steering wheels, make sure you replicate this mark at the exact position on the new wheel. There is an open female slot at the 12:00 and 6:00 position on the steering wheel... use this for reference and count the teeth. The splines on the steering column are uniform. Marking the splines is the best way to ensure the wheel goes back on at the correct angle, as the clock spring can rotate on you and when you reinstall everything you'll be driving down the road with the wheel tilted 30° if you're not careful. Reapply Loctite blue to the threads of the center bolt once you're ready to reinstall the wheel, and fully tighten the center bolt as much as you can... You don't want this thing coming back off easily. I couldn't find exact torque specs in the manual... But we used a 1/2 breaker bar and gave it one helluva grunt. She's on there.

Reverse the order for reinstallation. Take care not to turn the car on with the airbag OUT, as you will disable the vehicle and the dealer will have to reset it. Once you've reconnected the airbag and you've snugged the bolts with the 4mm allen, crank the car and repeat steps 1 and 2 to fully tighten the bolts. Tighten them as much as you can with the T-handle, as you won't be able to fit a torque wrench back there. As Steve says, you tighten them to German torque standards: Güt-and-tight

Hope this helps!

 

excellent write up John!

 

Thanks man. I've seen several threads that have "remove this and loosen that" but never went into detail on the exact tools needed, and the two small airbag bolts can be a PITA.

 

Thank you for the write up, it will make my upcoming project easier. This thread seems like a good candidate for being a sticky in my opinion.

 

I have to turn my wheel about one tooth to get it really centered. I keep forgetting about it until I'm driving it and maybe this will be the spur I need. Thanks.

 

Now that I've got it down-pat, it's a 15 minute job, including the capacitor discharge and the consumption of a beer of your choice.

 

I agree and I have made this thread a "sticky"

 

Great write up John. There may be a weekend trip to the Boro to see you and Steve in my future when the paddle shifters come out.

 

Thanks Gary for the sticky!

We'd be more than happy to have you up Jim!

 

Thanks for the write up, I saved it for future reference.

 

Anytime!

 

...and I made it a sticky within a sticky.
https://www.crossfireforum.org/forum...tml#post585345

 

I think I am correct in saying that we are talking about a T-30 here if you disagree at least put a T-30 as a possibility, mine is and I suspect they all are.

Damage to the bolt can cause extreme problems.

 

Yes ...definately T-30

 

Yes, the T-30 is what you want to use.

T-27 was used on mine half a dozen times with no damage to bolt and with enough security to hold the bag in place during an airbag deployment. T-27 was also recommended to me by the Crossfire/Mercedes tuner veterans on this board, and it worked beautifully each time I needed it. No damage to my bolts at all.

The T-30 *just* fit in my steering wheel, but it took some persuasion.

Neither of these will fit in Steve's airbag bolts.

 

Well, maybe because it's screwed up.

Seriously though, T-30 is the size. Torx, likewise Phillips are tight taper fits and jam on the taper, that's the way the systems were designed. Maybe someone previously had tried to take out Steve's bolts and distorted the sockets.

Force on a bit that does not fit properly could damage the socket. When using the proper bit always keep an end force on the bit to maintain the sockets shape. The taper avoids distortion when the bit is pressed into it.

 

Old Thread but still saves the day. Used JHM2K's write up yesterday to remove and replace my airbag. Perfect write up.
Thanks JHM2K.

 

What happened that you had to replace your airbag? Curious.


.

 

My Airbag emblem broke in half and fell off. Searched for a replacement emblem with no luck. Wound up being cheaper to buy the
airbag with the emblem in tact from Ebay: $72.00 plus free shipping. Original airbag was slate grey and replacement black.
Decided to go with the contrasting color scheme rather than risk breaking the emblem trying to pry it off the airbag. Not a bad look if anyone is thinking of trying it.

 

You just gave me an idea: Instead of letting a dealer screw up my car when they replace the bad airbag, I think I'll just remove the damn thing.