Steering wheel [Archive] - DirtyImpreza Forums

409industries

09-26-2008, 03:56 PM

There is a great writeup on scoobymods with pics, refer to the section about removing the wheel but disregard the rest because you're not installing another OEM wheel.

http://www.scoobymods.com/forums/showthread.php?p=18882

First disconnect the battery before doing anything. Hold the brake pedal to fully discharge the electrical system.
Remove the steering column plastic covers. In there, there is a whole bunch of wires. All the SRS airbag wires are in bright yellow covers.

You need at least the following:

-#30 Torx - To remove air bag bolts on the sides of the steering wheel
-17mm socket w/ breaker bar - To remove steering wheel nut.

Remove the nuts that hold the airbag on the steering wheel, these are the torx nuts. disconnect the harnesses that hold the airbag on, and set this aside.

Loosen the main wheel nut 17mm, and this is the tricky part, using a steering wheel puller dealy (that Jackson Rally had handy) or i guess your only other option is to try to pull it off with both hands. The scooby mods article mentioned leaving the 17mm nut on a bit so you dont pull the wheel off into your face! Good idea.

There's a clockspring inside the steering wheel that you need to carefully disconnect. it looks like this:
http://www.dirtyimpreza.com/hosting/project_rs/2008-7-20-sell_airbag_stereo/01RS_airbag_system_008.jpg

Its sitting on the backside of the OEM steering wheel behind the airbag.
http://www.dirtyimpreza.com/hosting/project_rs/2008-7-20-sell_airbag_stereo/01RS_airbag_system_006.jpg

The airbag harnesses (the yellow ones with the green side levers) are a PITA to get apart, you just have to slide the green part and pull the yellow half until it releases. you have to feed these up the metal chassis of the steering column. Its a tight fit, but they will come out. I think i had to cut some of the factory zipties in there.

Good luck!