sr5guy

Hey guys,

AIRBAG Light on? Cruise control / Volume switches not working? Horn not working? If you all three are bad or a combination of 2 then most likely your cable reel AKA clockspring has crapped the bed.

I made this D.I.Y. for a customer that needed help installing this part. Hopefully this will be helpful to someone.

Pre-requisites:

A.) Its absolutely CRITICAL that the steering wheel be centered (wheels pointed straight ahead) on the donor car AND the car you are installing it in, it makes life much more easier.

B.) If its impossible to center the wheel on the junk car, or you don't know for a fact that its centered, then there is a method I have to re-center it, which will be mentioned later in this post.

C.) Safety first, the battery should be disconnected and car should be allowed to sit for at least 15 minutes with battery off to discharge the capacitors in the Airbag module.

D.) In the pictures, the steering column was removed from the car, that is not required, you can do this job with the steering column still in the car.

Tools:
Phillips and Flathead Screwdriver, Ratchet and 6" Extension, #30 Torx Socket, 10mm Socket, 19mm Socket


#1.) Remove under steering column trim piece (No PIC)

#2.) Remove steering column trim clam (No PIC)

#3.) Remove the two covers on volume control and cruise switches, remove two screws each and remove both switches



#4.) Remove the two #30 torx screws holding the airbag in. Be careful to get a good grip because these are very tight and strip easily.



#5.) Slowly remove the airbag from the steering wheel, disconnect the connector. You can connect the red safety shunt as a precautionary measure against accidental deployment. Always store the airbag in a closed trunk with the "ACURA" facing UP.



#6.) Remove the steering wheel nut (19mm Socket). Re-verify that your wheel is still centered. Remove the two black connectors for the horn, the yellow airbag connector and slide the cruise control connector off of its bracket *IT is a PITA to release this connector, patience is required here, I used a bent dental pick*. Prepare the wires to be fed through the steering wheel. A friend is helpful here to feed the wires through the hole while you remove the steering wheel.



#7.) Remove the three screws holding the clock spring to the front of the column. Remove the column trim now if you havent done so already.


#8.) Remove the two phillips screws holding the clock spring cable to the column (GREEN ARROWS), Remove the 4 10mm screws holding the metal bracket (2 on each side, RED ARROWS), Remove the one hidden 10mm Screw holding the clock spring cable to the column all the way back (BLUE ARROW).



#9.) Remove the yellow connector at the back of the cable reel, and release the blue clip band holding the connector to the column. This is tricky with the column still in the car, try using a short flat head screwdriver.



#10.) Carefully remove the clockspring as an assembly. Put some tape around the movable part of the clockspring to hold it centered in place if you are re-using it.

__________________
The dude with a chip on his shoulder.

Stop asking me to compare my chip with Telion's damnit. Mines better.

 

tofusensei

yah i was lookn for this lately finally some1 did it.now i wonder if i can do it. thanks tho this will be very helpful!

~t.s.

__________________

legend parts fs: stock springs/shocks, jdm fenders and more!!... http://www.acura-legend.com/vbulleti...ad.php?t=79147

wireless g adapters -- http://www.acura-legend.com/vbulleti...066#post911066

sr5guy

Okay, you got your new clock spring now and your ready to install it. Problem is you have no idea whether its centered or not. If it's not centered, it wont last long at all and may even cause your steering wheel to bind up.

This is hard to describe, but I will do the best I can, I had to do this because the clockspring I bought from the junkyard was not centered (steering column did not have a key).

#1.) Hold the clock spring assembly right side up facing you

#2.) Rotate the wires all the way to the LEFT until you feel a slight tugging. ***STOP as soon as you feel the slightest resistance***

#3.) Now, observe the position of the wires, in relation to the clock spring.

#4.) Slowy start rotating the wires to the RIGHT while counting the number of turns it takes to start tugging again (to the right) ***STOP as soon as you feel the slightest resistance***.

#5.) Now remember the number of turns it takes to go from tugging to tugging (lets say, for instance, it takes 5 turns). Take the numer of turns and half the number (2.5). Turn the wires that many turns to the LEFT (position the wires so that they are in the same spot as the centered steering wheel). Align the pointers in the viewfinder and you should now have a centered clock spring.

#6.) I had to repeat this procedure a few times to get it right, once its centered I made sure it took the same amount of turns in each direction to start tugging again.

__________________
The dude with a chip on his shoulder.

Stop asking me to compare my chip with Telion's damnit. Mines better.

sr5guy

Bump and a centering video I did...



-Matt

__________________
The dude with a chip on his shoulder.

Stop asking me to compare my chip with Telion's damnit. Mines better.

Meyvn

Hey, just making sure, the sedan clock spring/cable reel is the same as the one for the coupe, right?

sr5guy

Yes, but the 91-93 manual telescope only column has a different clock spring than the 94-95's with electric tilt and tele.


-Matt

__________________
The dude with a chip on his shoulder.

Stop asking me to compare my chip with Telion's damnit. Mines better.

MrPeacock72

I just got back from my test drive, and everything works perfectly. My horn and cruise control works. Also my airbag (SRS) light went off. Thanks again, Matt.

__________________
Daryll
THE BIONIC LEGEND
"1991 Acura Legend, sedan, a car barely alive.
Gentlemen, we can rebuild it, we have the technology.
We have the capability to make the worlds first Bionic Legend.
The Acura Legend will be that car. Better than it was before.
Better... Stronger... Faster..."


Antenna relay DIY Forum rules

Black Type II

dang it!!! hopefully this wouldnt be too hard to come by



thanks for sending me the link. did u have a helper or did u do this totally solo?

how about a vid for the whole install eh?

theres a few things i gotta look over but i do not know what matt is referring to on step #2

__________________


Plans: Repaint car Granada Black, Custom interior (not that kinda custom), Navi unit, red or glow gauge needles, Hrant floor mats, remote starter

Whats done: IS300 wheels, JDM headlights with 6000k HIDs, JDM navi console, LED backlit gauges

MrPeacock72

I did it by myself in less than 3 hours. What Matt is referring to in step #2 is removing the top and bottom covers surrounding the turn signal/headlight/wiper switches behind the steering wheel.

__________________
Daryll
THE BIONIC LEGEND
"1991 Acura Legend, sedan, a car barely alive.
Gentlemen, we can rebuild it, we have the technology.
We have the capability to make the worlds first Bionic Legend.
The Acura Legend will be that car. Better than it was before.
Better... Stronger... Faster..."


Antenna relay DIY Forum rules

Black Type II

ook i got an idea now....so now for me i gotta find an LS legend for a replacement

__________________


Plans: Repaint car Granada Black, Custom interior (not that kinda custom), Navi unit, red or glow gauge needles, Hrant floor mats, remote starter

Whats done: IS300 wheels, JDM headlights with 6000k HIDs, JDM navi console, LED backlit gauges

TZ1

Thanks for the write up sr5guy. I just got mine put in. Only problem I have is that the shop that worked on my car last time stripped out the 19mm nut that holds on the steering wheel. So after that I will put the airbag back in and should be good to go.

Nosco

what do you do if the Torx's bolts are stripped is there any other way to get that airbag out? would that screw remover kit from sears work?