Stretch
02-16-2011, 10:19 PM
My TJ had an airbag wheel that was glassed over. The horn was operated by a push button the dash. I wanted to get rid of the ugly wheel and get a Grant.
Pic of the old wheel
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2573/4042024490_e456191dae_b.jpg
The thing is that I had read when you switch to a Grant the signal canceling and, in some cases, the horn functions of the wheel. I wanted to make sure I could make both functions work when I swapped wheels so I got to work.
The first step is to remove the stock steering wheel. But before you do that, DISCONNECT THE BATTERY. You'll be dealing with connectors inside the steering wheel - specifically the airbag connectors. Danger lurks.
(I'm going from memory on this part so bear with me. Since my Jeep is so modified there may be differences between my Jeep and yours. The overall procedure is the same, though. I'm sure there are write-ups about how to remove the steering wheel elsewhere on the net.)
Once the battery is disconnected there are some screws on the back side of the steering wheel that you can remove to unbolt the airbag assembly. Unbolt it and set it aside.
Now that the airbag is off it's time to remove the wheel. BEFORE you remove the wheel make sure you have the wheel straight. When you have the wheel straight you should mark the steering shaft so you know which way is TOP when the wheels are straight. This will be important later. I used a Dremel and a cut-off wheel to cut a vertical line on the top half of the shaft. My '98TJ needed a 21mm socket to unbolt the wheel. Remove the nut then do what it takes to pull the wheel from the steering shaft. I tried a steering wheel puller to no avail. PB Blaster and a steering wheel puller just didn't work. I cut mine off. :D
With the wheel removed it's almost time to dig into the electrical doo-dads in the steering column. To make things easier you'll need to remove the upper and lower plastic covers on the column. To make THAT easier I removed the trim bezel around the gauge cluster, removed the trim panel at the knee area, dropped the steering column to it's lowest point, then removed the upper half of the column cover. The lower half of the cover is simple to remove when the column is up.
Now, your column should be marked, the steering wheel should be off, the column covers should be off, and that panel at the knee area should be out of the way. Now it's time to get that stamped metal piece that bolts to the dash out of the way. There should be one screw on each side and two screws at the bottom. Get that thing out of the way if you don't want to cut and scrape your hands while you work.
NOW we should have clear access to the column. This is where the fun starts. Notice that I have my column marked but it's not at the top. I took this pictures tonight while working on the Jeep. The stock stuff will look different but you will be able to see the clock spring - the round, black, plastic unit that surrounds the steering column. Inside this clock spring is a white piece of plastic with some pawls that stick out towards the driver. This is the signal canceling portion of the clock spring assembly and it is important that you do not allow this piece to rotate as you work. You can tape the unit in place while you work.
Contrary to the name, there is no "spring" inside the clock spring housing. Instead there are 14 feet of ribbon cable that is loosely wrapped inside the housing. This ribbon cable makes the horn and airbag connections possible through the steering wheel. Do not allow the clock spring to rotate while you work with it. If you don't pay attention and allow it to move in one direction or the other you run the risk of ripping the cable out of the clock spring housing.
Those pawls that stick up towards the driver need to be cut off so they are flush with the black plastic housing of the clock spring assembly. Basically anything that sticks up above the flat surface of that black plastic clock spring housing needs to go.
Around the outside of the clock spring are three screws and screw bosses. Remove the screws and use a Dremel to grind the screw bosses down. If you're installing a Grant the screw bosses will rub against the escutcheon that goes behind the wheel and over the column and make it difficult to turn the wheel. Since the two halves of the clock spring housing clip together as well as screw together losing the screws isn't a big deal.
Screws removed and screw bosses ground down. I had the clock spring out here. Also notice that the black plastic housing for the electrical connectors is trimmed flush with the housing. I cut the housing and re-routed the wire inside the clock spring that connects to the red/yellow horn wire on right side of the flat plug on the back of the clock spring so I could solder it to the wire that is included with the Grant wheel.
http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5252/5452120129_168a20e31e_b.jpg
Now, to get the signal canceling to work you'll need a way to make the Grant adapter turn the white signal canceling unit. With the stock wheel the pawls that stuck out engaged the wheel. Since we have cut those off we'll need a new way to lock the Grant adapter to the signal canceling unit. I lined up my Grant adapter with the notch I cut in the steering shaft (the Grant adapter has an arrow and "UP" on it) and made note of where the bulk of the white plastic for the signal canceling unit was located. It should be where the pawls are that you cut off. I drilled and tapped the Grant adapter for a 3mm button head screw. This screw is threaded into the Grant adapter and screws into the signal canceling unit where one of the pawls used to be. Now the signal unit and my steering wheel are locked together and have to turn with one another. :D
Horn wire exiting through the Grant adapter. The small 3mm button head near the horn wire locks the Grant adapter and signal canceling unit together.
http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5093/5452690482_79c9ef69ce_b.jpg
So that takes care of signal canceling. Now for the horn.
My '98 TJ has a single wire that comes from the steering wheel to activate the horn. This wire is pictured here:
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4094/5452136581_970528d3bf_b.jpg
What that wire does is close the ground circuit to activate the horn relay. This is the only wire that is used and plugged in to my clock spring. Everything else is now gone.
Now it's time to install your steering wheel. B
To make the factory wiring work with the Grant wheel, I cut the one wire from the front side clock spring connector that I kept and soldered the wire from the Grant horn to it. Pass this wire through the hole in the Grant adapter and install the adapter onto the steering shaft - making sure "TOP" is lined up with the reference mark you made earlier.
Now it's time to start installing the Grant wheel. I found that I needed a shim under the escutcheon plate for the wheel. Without this shim (I used a washer), the escutcheon would rub and not allow the wheel to turn with ease.
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4105/5452169219_02092bcb8e_b.jpg
Install the escutcheon and then the wheel - make sure to route the horn wire through the wheel.
http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5298/5452174043_813cd2f5c5_b.jpg
From there it's just a matter of following the rest of the Grant instructions. Install the horn plate with three bolts, bolt the steering wheel in place, connect the horn wire, tape the horn return spring in place, and snap on the horn button.
Reconnect your battery and try the horn. If the horn doesn't work just pop the cover off, disconnect the horn wire, and try touching it to the steering shaft. If your battery is connected the horn should blow. If it doesn't, make sure you plugged the wide, flat plug into the back of the clock spring.
Once the horn is working start your Jeep and turn your signal on. Turn the steering wheel in the direction of your indicator and turn it back in the other direction. Your signal canceling should work.
Again, I wrote this from memory and snapped a few pics of the completed unit to hopefully help. I took pics of the entire process when I originally did this but that computer is kaput. :(
Hope you guys can use this.
Pic of the old wheel
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2573/4042024490_e456191dae_b.jpg
The thing is that I had read when you switch to a Grant the signal canceling and, in some cases, the horn functions of the wheel. I wanted to make sure I could make both functions work when I swapped wheels so I got to work.
The first step is to remove the stock steering wheel. But before you do that, DISCONNECT THE BATTERY. You'll be dealing with connectors inside the steering wheel - specifically the airbag connectors. Danger lurks.
(I'm going from memory on this part so bear with me. Since my Jeep is so modified there may be differences between my Jeep and yours. The overall procedure is the same, though. I'm sure there are write-ups about how to remove the steering wheel elsewhere on the net.)
Once the battery is disconnected there are some screws on the back side of the steering wheel that you can remove to unbolt the airbag assembly. Unbolt it and set it aside.
Now that the airbag is off it's time to remove the wheel. BEFORE you remove the wheel make sure you have the wheel straight. When you have the wheel straight you should mark the steering shaft so you know which way is TOP when the wheels are straight. This will be important later. I used a Dremel and a cut-off wheel to cut a vertical line on the top half of the shaft. My '98TJ needed a 21mm socket to unbolt the wheel. Remove the nut then do what it takes to pull the wheel from the steering shaft. I tried a steering wheel puller to no avail. PB Blaster and a steering wheel puller just didn't work. I cut mine off. :D
With the wheel removed it's almost time to dig into the electrical doo-dads in the steering column. To make things easier you'll need to remove the upper and lower plastic covers on the column. To make THAT easier I removed the trim bezel around the gauge cluster, removed the trim panel at the knee area, dropped the steering column to it's lowest point, then removed the upper half of the column cover. The lower half of the cover is simple to remove when the column is up.
Now, your column should be marked, the steering wheel should be off, the column covers should be off, and that panel at the knee area should be out of the way. Now it's time to get that stamped metal piece that bolts to the dash out of the way. There should be one screw on each side and two screws at the bottom. Get that thing out of the way if you don't want to cut and scrape your hands while you work.
NOW we should have clear access to the column. This is where the fun starts. Notice that I have my column marked but it's not at the top. I took this pictures tonight while working on the Jeep. The stock stuff will look different but you will be able to see the clock spring - the round, black, plastic unit that surrounds the steering column. Inside this clock spring is a white piece of plastic with some pawls that stick out towards the driver. This is the signal canceling portion of the clock spring assembly and it is important that you do not allow this piece to rotate as you work. You can tape the unit in place while you work.
Contrary to the name, there is no "spring" inside the clock spring housing. Instead there are 14 feet of ribbon cable that is loosely wrapped inside the housing. This ribbon cable makes the horn and airbag connections possible through the steering wheel. Do not allow the clock spring to rotate while you work with it. If you don't pay attention and allow it to move in one direction or the other you run the risk of ripping the cable out of the clock spring housing.
Those pawls that stick up towards the driver need to be cut off so they are flush with the black plastic housing of the clock spring assembly. Basically anything that sticks up above the flat surface of that black plastic clock spring housing needs to go.
Around the outside of the clock spring are three screws and screw bosses. Remove the screws and use a Dremel to grind the screw bosses down. If you're installing a Grant the screw bosses will rub against the escutcheon that goes behind the wheel and over the column and make it difficult to turn the wheel. Since the two halves of the clock spring housing clip together as well as screw together losing the screws isn't a big deal.
Screws removed and screw bosses ground down. I had the clock spring out here. Also notice that the black plastic housing for the electrical connectors is trimmed flush with the housing. I cut the housing and re-routed the wire inside the clock spring that connects to the red/yellow horn wire on right side of the flat plug on the back of the clock spring so I could solder it to the wire that is included with the Grant wheel.
http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5252/5452120129_168a20e31e_b.jpg
Now, to get the signal canceling to work you'll need a way to make the Grant adapter turn the white signal canceling unit. With the stock wheel the pawls that stuck out engaged the wheel. Since we have cut those off we'll need a new way to lock the Grant adapter to the signal canceling unit. I lined up my Grant adapter with the notch I cut in the steering shaft (the Grant adapter has an arrow and "UP" on it) and made note of where the bulk of the white plastic for the signal canceling unit was located. It should be where the pawls are that you cut off. I drilled and tapped the Grant adapter for a 3mm button head screw. This screw is threaded into the Grant adapter and screws into the signal canceling unit where one of the pawls used to be. Now the signal unit and my steering wheel are locked together and have to turn with one another. :D
Horn wire exiting through the Grant adapter. The small 3mm button head near the horn wire locks the Grant adapter and signal canceling unit together.
http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5093/5452690482_79c9ef69ce_b.jpg
So that takes care of signal canceling. Now for the horn.
My '98 TJ has a single wire that comes from the steering wheel to activate the horn. This wire is pictured here:
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4094/5452136581_970528d3bf_b.jpg
What that wire does is close the ground circuit to activate the horn relay. This is the only wire that is used and plugged in to my clock spring. Everything else is now gone.
Now it's time to install your steering wheel. B
To make the factory wiring work with the Grant wheel, I cut the one wire from the front side clock spring connector that I kept and soldered the wire from the Grant horn to it. Pass this wire through the hole in the Grant adapter and install the adapter onto the steering shaft - making sure "TOP" is lined up with the reference mark you made earlier.
Now it's time to start installing the Grant wheel. I found that I needed a shim under the escutcheon plate for the wheel. Without this shim (I used a washer), the escutcheon would rub and not allow the wheel to turn with ease.
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4105/5452169219_02092bcb8e_b.jpg
Install the escutcheon and then the wheel - make sure to route the horn wire through the wheel.
http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5298/5452174043_813cd2f5c5_b.jpg
From there it's just a matter of following the rest of the Grant instructions. Install the horn plate with three bolts, bolt the steering wheel in place, connect the horn wire, tape the horn return spring in place, and snap on the horn button.
Reconnect your battery and try the horn. If the horn doesn't work just pop the cover off, disconnect the horn wire, and try touching it to the steering shaft. If your battery is connected the horn should blow. If it doesn't, make sure you plugged the wide, flat plug into the back of the clock spring.
Once the horn is working start your Jeep and turn your signal on. Turn the steering wheel in the direction of your indicator and turn it back in the other direction. Your signal canceling should work.
Again, I wrote this from memory and snapped a few pics of the completed unit to hopefully help. I took pics of the entire process when I originally did this but that computer is kaput. :(
Hope you guys can use this.