Noise in your steering wheel? (with horn problems?) (Airbag wheel) --> Read this.

[naiwiboo]

Ok this is to clear up any issues people may be having about funny clunky/metallic noises coming from their steering wheel when they turn corners, here's the lowdown. Also, this comes in conjunction with your horn intermittently blasting on for no reason while you turn corners. (i've tried to include as many keywords in case people are searching for this too)

This noise, which is best descirbed as a metal-to-metal 'tink/clunk' noise, which can also be felt through the wheel occurs most obviously when turning the wheel to 180 degrees and beyond. It can also be felt, along with a lighter 'tinkle/rattle' noise when travelling along bumpy roads, train tracks, etc.

As a bit of history, my car first developed this noise after i had travelled over some unmade, corrugated dirt road and has continued on from there. situations like this can cause the problem, and from there on you're stuck with this annoyance.

The reason i write this is because this annoyance turned into a 'not roadworthy' the other day when i took my car in to get its rwc ticket, ready to sell the car. The guy claimed that because he doesn't have a technical knowledge of the steering wheel, he couldn't rule out that it was a problem with the airbag (even though the airbag light came on and disappeared as prescribed) and therefore he wouldn't give me the rwc.

Cut a long story short, after being hassled by many nissan dealerships about how they don't have a manual for the car and therefore they can't work on it (how incompentent must the mechanics be to need a book?), and other people wanting over $200 to fix the problem because its 'technical' and involves a shock-horror 'airbag', i decided to take matters into my own hands.

If you have this problem please do not be fooled into thinking its some massive effort to fix.

Quite simply, my routine to fix the problem (all up 20 mins) was this:

Phone Repco, ask if they have a T50H attachment (T50 torx tamperproof)

Go to Repco, buy T50H for $9.09

Come home

Disconnect battery, pump brake pedal (discharges any extra charge)

Pull airbag fuse

Remove Shroud around steering wheel (5 phillips head screws)

Disconnect airbag wire (biggish brown clip in right of steering column, covered in foam, sits just next to ignition)

Disconnect other connection of airbag wire (right under steering wheel, centre-not even sure if i did this)

Pop out two little plastic covers out of the side/rear of the steering wheel

Use T50H with ratchet, undo bolts-mine needed some arm strength to initially get moving-CAREFUL-the airbag wants to fall foward with them out

VERY CAREFULLY and slowly remove airbag (it's attached to the front of the steering wheel) about 4inches

Sight noise-causing-weight, sits at the top of the wheel, in a little 'holster' type arrangement (as soon as i touched it a bit i recognised the sound immediately)

Remove annoying little weight

Throw weight in bin & swear at it

Place airbag back in place

Tighten T50 bolts

Replace plastic covers

Re-connect wires

Replace shroud, do up screws

Reconnect battery, replace airbag fuse

Check car starts(a good sign)/airbag light boots up (and then disappears) ok

DONE

Now, i don't know about horn function after this has been done, it should be ok, but i had already diverted the horn wire to a switch (horn is the brown one in connection of 4 wires-follow them from the steering wheel back-you splice*not divert* the common ground-black-to your new switch as well) a few months back, so i still had horn functionality whilst i didn't actually know what the problem was inside the wheel.

And also, on my series 1 anyway (1995), you don't need any special gadgets to reset the airbag light, it works fine

I can happily say now, however, that it's all fixed and thank god the problem is gone for good. For those with an inquiring mind, the weight is there as a counter balance for road vibrations, honestly the difference is like 10% more daihatsu-feel without it, within like a week you won't remember any different, plus if you've had the problem for months like me, having a noiseless steering wheel is heaven on earth

So, if you have any a-hole mechanic/nissan man/import specialist telling you its a tough job and it will cost lots, tell them to stop being a clown!

Any questions, fire me a PM

PLEASE-i bear no responsibility for anyone taking apart steering wheels that have airbags in them because there is always is a chance they can go off (although in theory they need charge to). I have merely documented my process. Also please note it is totally illegal and against ADRs to replace an airbag wheel with a non airbag wheel!

[benm]

This is a well documented problem if you cared to do a search

[naiwiboo]

um yeh well documented in drips and drabs and intermingled with lots of other stuff about police helping people with beeping horns, people rewiring brakes to horns, people not knowing what the problem was, etc.

thought i might put it all down from problem definition through to cause and solition - plain and simple in one post so the next poor bastard that has this problem doesnt have to trawl 5 posts over an hour like i did or worse still get ripped off by some b/s artiste mechanic!

just trying to make the world of cars a bit easier to live in dude

[benm]

[plaganis]

Naiwiboo, this is an excellent documentation of the problem. I've had this problem for a few days now and I believe it's due to the stiffer suspension that has recently been installed giving the car a harder ride. I removed the shroud around the steering yesterday only to discover that the clunk was coming from within the steering/Airbag. Thought it was a difficult job, but now sounds too easy. Thanks heaps.

For your info I don't have any associated horn problems!

[dilmah]

I had this exact problem and I fixed it by following these instructions exactly, and it worked like a dream!

It was always rattling around from the day i bought it, but one day it started setting off the horn on almost every corner I took. It was funny for all my friends, but had to be fixed. I did everything mentioned in the first post except for "Disconnect other connection of airbag wire", as it was too hard to unclip, and wasn't necessary as the previous step already disconnected the other end.

I ended up just cable tying the counterweight to the brackets inside the steering wheel cos I figured Nissan put it in there for a reason so I didn't want to just throw it away.

Thanks!!

[(B1) MR_fanny]

great write up....saved me thinking. heres a pick to contribute to the thread. i lacka-banded mine so it still keeps some gyroscopic functionality..lol

[dilmah]

great write up....saved me thinking. heres a pick to contribute to the thread. i lacka-banded mine so it still keeps some gyroscopic functionality..lol

good idea! i wonder what the original idea was behind suspending it with rubber bits? maybe the faster you turn the wheel the more help it gives you (centrifugal force, etc.). but hopefully those rubber bands wont deteriorate after a few years in hot sunlight and cold winters and stuff...

[(B1) MR_fanny]

lol...id be over the moon if they last a few yr. ill just replace em with another one. good to know that its only simple job if they do die in the ass.

[monty zoomer]

6 screws in the column shroud, just did mine almost snapped it of before i found the sixth screw at the back!!! but all fixed now took about 15 mins!!!