[Dimeadip]

I just got my '92 coupe home last week.  The PO did a great job maintaining the car.  REALLY great job.  For the most part, he kept it very original, but one change he made that I'm not crazy about was replacing the original steering wheel with a club sport wheel.  I know, I know.  The club sport wheel is supposed to be a great upgrade, but I think I like the look of the original (if not the feel so much).  So, I'd like to re-install the original so I can compare.  I have the original wheel, airbag, and clock spring.  But i also have some questions that I would love if someone could help.  (I'm not selling the club sport wheel yet.  I'll post when I do before going to ebay - IF i sell it.)

 

1. There is a black wire with a spade connector on the end inside the original wheel.  What does this connect to?  The place it naturally lays in the wheel suggests it would plug into the air bag, but I don't see a connection for the airbag (other than the red connector in the very center from the clockspring).

 

2. Where do the orange and black connectors from the clockspring go?

 

3. There is a small, blue circular plastic fitting in the bottom back of the original wheel.  Is this anything I need to be concerned about?  Just a vent possibly?

 

Thanks for any help. 

 

 

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[Roboman]

Hi Dimeadip your steering wheel has only one electrical function which is the horn. Cables come from the two thumb buttons to the spring loaded contact which emerges on the far side of the wheel to slide around the brass ring and on through the loom to the horn.


The clock spring screws to the metal plate on the steering column. The connection should be centered (4.5 turns from either end stop) it ends up at about "one o'clock" and then the connection wire passes through the sausage-shaped hole in the steering wheel (when your steering wheel is correctly aligned that hole will be around one o'clock too) and plugs into the center of the air bag. Hopefully the captive screws are still embedded in the back of your steering wheel.


Your airbag circuit probably has the 3ohm resistor plugged in so as to stop the airbag light illuminating, so you may wish to remove it .... There is doubtless a thread on that, try searching for "airbag delete resistor"


Worry about .... certainly as the airbag is potentially dangerous. Disconnect your battery and go and make a coffee. I think the recommendation is not to plug in the airbag unless the battery has been disconnected for at least 15mins. I see no point in testing that limit, so I firstly disconnect and then go off and do something else for about 30mins. Having a coffee and thinking over the job does the trick.


Good luck!

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[Dimeadip]

Roboman, thanks for the response.  Turns out I was confused by your response and started thinking I was missing a part - the part that emerges through the wheel to contact the copper ring when the horn button is pressed.  A little searching through the box of parts from the PO and I found it.  He had taken it off the OE wheel for some reason, but I'm good now with that aspect.

 

Now I just have to figure out where to connect the orange and black connectors from the clock spring.

 

Thank you!

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