just replaced my cabrio's factory airbag steering wheel with an aftermarket (non-bmw) steering wheel ... thought i'd share my steps since i haven't been able to find a thread dealing with this specific installation ... i hope someone will find this helpful
supplies:
beer (or other suitable enhancements)
after market steering wheel
momo 2006 steering wheel hub kit
steering wheel spacer (part number 32 31 1 120 260) ... about 10 clams from the stealer
tools:
t30 torx screwdriver
ratchet wrench, half-inch
2" extension, half-inch
22mm socket
blunt nose pliers
blunt/phillips screwdriver from trunk tool kit
allen wrench (which is included in the momo 2006 hub kit)
1) disconnect battery ... wait 15 minutes so that the airbag capacitor in the circuit deactivates & won't explode by accident
2) with steering wheel unlocked, turn wheel 1/4 turn left or right to give access to the 2 torx crews on the back of the steering wheel
3) locate the 2 torx screws on the back of the steering wheel @ three & nine o'clock ... loosen them enough until airbag releases ... see pic# 1
4) after pulling the airbag away, unplug the orange airbag connector & set aside the airbag for reuse/disposal ... reconnect the battery
5) unplug the inline connector on the black horn cable right above the orange airbag connector
6) lock the steering wheel
7) remove the spindle's 22mm nut ... the 2" extension on the ratchet allows the wrench to rest on the steering wheel rim at a perfect 45 degree to help loosen the bolt with even pressure as you untighten it
8) after removing the 22mm nut ... observe & remember the location of the washer under the big nut ... then remove the washer & safely set aside for later when you reinstall ... see pic# 2
9) turn ignition to accessory position ... make sure that the wheel is TOTALLY straight in orientation first ... then remove steering wheel by pulling it straight out without disturbing the orientation ... just remember that the wheel will NOT come off without the ignition turned on to the accessory position ... afterwards ... lock the steering wheel to insure that the steering column remains straight in orientation
10) now flop the steering wheel down & let the rim rest on the seat cushion while you unplug the inline orange connector for the airbag ... the orange connector pulls straight out like you're unplugging a lamp or something
11) now set old steering wheel aside for posterity
12) with your pliers, snap off the white plastic plunger located @ eleven o'clock on the hub & discard ... this plunger is only necessary on airbag wheels
13) tuck the airbag cable with the orange connector out of the way & into the cavity below the 22mm nut ... i feel more comfortable tucking the airbag wire with the orange connector away within the hub rather than just snipping the cable off ... you may not
14) remove the rubber ribbed sleeve on the outside of the hub to aid access & set aside ... turn ignition to accessory position ... now position & slide the momo hub onto the column straight ... now turn off ignition to relock the steering wheel ... notice that there is a little triangle with the word "top" on the silver ring of the momo hub to help make sure that you keep the wheel's orientation straight ... i circled the triangle with a red marker in the pic for demonstration purposes ... after the hub is on & positioned straight ahead, first place the spacer (part number 32 31 1 120 260) onto the center spindle ... secondly, stack the washer that you took off earlier back onto the spindle on top of the spacer ... lastly, screw your original 22mm nut back onto the spindle ... see pic# 3
15) finally, cinch down the 22mm nut tightly
16) slip the black rubber ribbed sleeve back onto the momo hub ... now position the aluminum ring with the six holes on top of the hub ... notice that the aluminum ring has a contact point for one of the horn wires ... make sure that this contact point is pointed downwards ... the black wire w/connector that you see hanging there in the pic is the other horn wire
17) grab your steering wheel ... it should have two wires coming out of it to help complete the horn's circuit ... attach one of the wheel's horn wires to the hanging black wire from the hub via the connector ... attach the other horn wire from the new wheel to the contact point on the aluminum ring ... the horn circuit is now complete ... finally ... attach the steering wheel on top of the aluminum ring & cinch the wheel down with the 6 screws from the hub kit using the allen wrench which is included ... carefully position & tuck both of the horn wires into the hub's cavity ... see pic# 4
* last step is to attach the steering wheel pad onto the center of the wheel & you're good to go ... see pic# 5
after your install, you'll notice that your SRS light is blinking at you ... stop the blinking by dropping the lower dash panel using the phillips screwdriver from your trunk's tool kit ... the computer is under the dash on the drivers side, near the ABS computer. it's bright orange, you can't miss it ... another solution is to just get a check panel from canada which has no SRS function to it
also ... once the install is complete, the steering wheel sits a little closer to the turn signal/wiper/cruise stalks ... it's about a half-inch closer ... basically the thickness of the spacer (part number 32 31 1 120 260) that you used under the center nut & washer ... i personally don't find the clearance to be an issue with me ... some try to bend the stalks without breaking them ... others snag stalks from a non-airbag e30 & swap them out ... to each their own ...
supplies:
beer (or other suitable enhancements)
after market steering wheel
momo 2006 steering wheel hub kit
steering wheel spacer (part number 32 31 1 120 260) ... about 10 clams from the stealer
tools:
t30 torx screwdriver
ratchet wrench, half-inch
2" extension, half-inch
22mm socket
blunt nose pliers
blunt/phillips screwdriver from trunk tool kit
allen wrench (which is included in the momo 2006 hub kit)
1) disconnect battery ... wait 15 minutes so that the airbag capacitor in the circuit deactivates & won't explode by accident
2) with steering wheel unlocked, turn wheel 1/4 turn left or right to give access to the 2 torx crews on the back of the steering wheel
3) locate the 2 torx screws on the back of the steering wheel @ three & nine o'clock ... loosen them enough until airbag releases ... see pic# 1
4) after pulling the airbag away, unplug the orange airbag connector & set aside the airbag for reuse/disposal ... reconnect the battery
5) unplug the inline connector on the black horn cable right above the orange airbag connector
6) lock the steering wheel
7) remove the spindle's 22mm nut ... the 2" extension on the ratchet allows the wrench to rest on the steering wheel rim at a perfect 45 degree to help loosen the bolt with even pressure as you untighten it
8) after removing the 22mm nut ... observe & remember the location of the washer under the big nut ... then remove the washer & safely set aside for later when you reinstall ... see pic# 2
9) turn ignition to accessory position ... make sure that the wheel is TOTALLY straight in orientation first ... then remove steering wheel by pulling it straight out without disturbing the orientation ... just remember that the wheel will NOT come off without the ignition turned on to the accessory position ... afterwards ... lock the steering wheel to insure that the steering column remains straight in orientation
10) now flop the steering wheel down & let the rim rest on the seat cushion while you unplug the inline orange connector for the airbag ... the orange connector pulls straight out like you're unplugging a lamp or something
11) now set old steering wheel aside for posterity
12) with your pliers, snap off the white plastic plunger located @ eleven o'clock on the hub & discard ... this plunger is only necessary on airbag wheels
13) tuck the airbag cable with the orange connector out of the way & into the cavity below the 22mm nut ... i feel more comfortable tucking the airbag wire with the orange connector away within the hub rather than just snipping the cable off ... you may not
14) remove the rubber ribbed sleeve on the outside of the hub to aid access & set aside ... turn ignition to accessory position ... now position & slide the momo hub onto the column straight ... now turn off ignition to relock the steering wheel ... notice that there is a little triangle with the word "top" on the silver ring of the momo hub to help make sure that you keep the wheel's orientation straight ... i circled the triangle with a red marker in the pic for demonstration purposes ... after the hub is on & positioned straight ahead, first place the spacer (part number 32 31 1 120 260) onto the center spindle ... secondly, stack the washer that you took off earlier back onto the spindle on top of the spacer ... lastly, screw your original 22mm nut back onto the spindle ... see pic# 3
15) finally, cinch down the 22mm nut tightly
16) slip the black rubber ribbed sleeve back onto the momo hub ... now position the aluminum ring with the six holes on top of the hub ... notice that the aluminum ring has a contact point for one of the horn wires ... make sure that this contact point is pointed downwards ... the black wire w/connector that you see hanging there in the pic is the other horn wire
17) grab your steering wheel ... it should have two wires coming out of it to help complete the horn's circuit ... attach one of the wheel's horn wires to the hanging black wire from the hub via the connector ... attach the other horn wire from the new wheel to the contact point on the aluminum ring ... the horn circuit is now complete ... finally ... attach the steering wheel on top of the aluminum ring & cinch the wheel down with the 6 screws from the hub kit using the allen wrench which is included ... carefully position & tuck both of the horn wires into the hub's cavity ... see pic# 4
* last step is to attach the steering wheel pad onto the center of the wheel & you're good to go ... see pic# 5
after your install, you'll notice that your SRS light is blinking at you ... stop the blinking by dropping the lower dash panel using the phillips screwdriver from your trunk's tool kit ... the computer is under the dash on the drivers side, near the ABS computer. it's bright orange, you can't miss it ... another solution is to just get a check panel from canada which has no SRS function to it
also ... once the install is complete, the steering wheel sits a little closer to the turn signal/wiper/cruise stalks ... it's about a half-inch closer ... basically the thickness of the spacer (part number 32 31 1 120 260) that you used under the center nut & washer ... i personally don't find the clearance to be an issue with me ... some try to bend the stalks without breaking them ... others snag stalks from a non-airbag e30 & swap them out ... to each their own ...
Attached Files