The great Steering wheel swap saga

[Bruce Nunnally]

Okay, so now that I have my new woodgrain shifter handle installed, I got ready to install my woodgrain steering wheel.

Basically:

1 pull up and remove the rear seat.

2 pull the airbag fuse under the rear seat

3 pull the sound insulating panel under the steering column (4 screws)

4 remove the connector position assurance and disconnect the steering wheel module coil connector

5 remove and disconnect the airbag (special tool to release spring holders)

6 disconnect and remove the steering wheel (tabbed foot steering wheel puller)

7 replace the new steering wheel

8 connect and replace air bag

9 connect and replace the connector position assurance for the steering wheel module coil connector

10 replace the sound insulating panel

11 replace the airbag fuse under the rear seat.

12 replace the rear seat.

First, I went over to O'Reilly Auto parts, and got a free rental for a steering wheel puller tool kit.

48 hours, $84 deposit, but fully refunded on return in the time period.

Also picked up a new torque wrench, as mine went missing.

Pulled the rear seat out.

Found the fuse panel on the front of the rear seat, under the trim, pulled off the cover, and pulled the

airbag fuse.

Pulled off the noise isolation trim panel under the steering column

Now the Shop Manual says:

Remove the connector position assurance (CPA) from the steering wheel module coil yellow connector (1).

However, lying on my back looking upward under the dash, there are NO yellow connectors.

I reexamine the data, look closer at the pictures, and then go walk the dog.

Returning, I continue to find NO yellow connector. I consider trying to skip this step, but decide

that the airbag is very expensive to replace if I fire it.

Spent a lot of time looking for a yellow connector. One connector looks promising, but it is not yellow.

Finally, I decide that the "connector position assurance" referred to in the manual, is "electrical tape" in my

vocabulary. The yellow connector is completely enshrouded in 10 yards of spiraled electrical tape.

I can get 1.5 hands on to the mummified connector bundle if I accept some scraping off a sharp edge in

the area. Again I consider skipping the connector disconnect step, or taking the time to properly

unravel the "connector position assurance" (hopefully to find a yellow connector underneath).

I decide that I am not making smart choices at this point, and decide to call it a day and put everything

back together. Put the noise isolation panel back in, re-install the fuse, the fuse box cover, and the

rear seat. Put the new wood steering wheel back on the shelf.

I do have a quote from a mechanic to come to my house and install. Given that if the air bag does fire

it can be a very bad thing, just from the cost of the airbag even if no one is hurt, no need to hurry.

Returned the steering wheel puller kit (neat kit, but pricey).

[JimD]

Bruce, I think I can forecast the ultimate resolution for your case.

Terminology!

The people responsible for writing Service Manuals are located too far away from the design/assembly people. They might not be in the same time zone. And they might not speak the same native language. Plus, the inter-departmental phone numbers are a corporate secret.

[Logan]

Technically, in the GM online service manual, they do not have you disconnect that wire.

What they do have you do is, pull the SIR fuse, wait 1 minute for the air bag capacitors to leak down, and simply remove the air bag off the wheel.

That being said, I did attach a picture of the column harness. C203 is what should be disconnected. #11 in the picture.

At the actual air bag, there should be 2 air bag connectors. 1 is stage one, 2nd is stage two.

As for CPA's. They are not electrical tape. CPA's are plastic conformation inserts. They can only go in if 2 wiring connectors are properly 'snapped' together. Used on critical systems..like air bag or a ignition switch.

[Bruce Nunnally]

Thanks Dave. Here is the photo from the shop manual that claims to show where the steering wheel coil connector is:

Now, of course at this stage of the current project the end of the dash is not open as shown in the diagram, but

I assume they are trying to show me what the connector looks like and kind of where it is in the flow.

Remove the connector position assurance (CPA) from the steering wheel module coil yellow connector (1).

Disconnect the steering wheel module coil yellow connector (1) from the vehicle harness yellow connector (3).

If my target connector is not the one I see wrapped up in tape, will it actually be YELLOW? Because as mentioned,

I have not found a yellow connector set in sight yet.

In the procedure for wheel module coil replacement it shows this diagram for the wheel module coil wires:

I do easily find the wide connector, and I looked for the other connectors which must be alongside it.

There is one that is taped up immediately against the wide connector, then several non-yellow connectors.

The one that was my favorite to be the correct one that was not taped up was white not yellow.

I can re-examine it and see if it has 4 prongs or 6 I suppose.

I love the idea of just pulling the rear seat fuse then waiting 10 minutes if that is safe. The whole under the dash

part is less fun for me.