Comment. The work is shown on a car equipped with an airbag. On a car without an airbag, the work is easier, you only need to remove the steering wheel pad.
To complete the job, you will need a special airbag remover and a new steering wheel nut. In the absence of a puller, it can be made from an old slotted screwdriver with a blade width of 5-6 mm. To do this, in the middle of the blade, you need to make a small groove.
Removing
1. We prepare the car for work («Preparing the car for maintenance and repair»), remove the terminal from the negative terminal of the battery.
Warning! On a vehicle equipped with an airbag, wait at least five minutes after disconnecting the battery to avoid airbag deployment before continuing work. Lay the removed airbag module with the actuator down and away from the workplace.
2. We set the front wheels of the car to the position of rectilinear movement.
3. Through the holes in the steering wheel upholstery with a homemade puller...
... first on one side, and then on the other side, pressing the outer antennae of the spring clips (airbag removed for clarity)...
...we release the two holders of the airbag module.
4. Taking the airbag module away from the steering wheel, disconnect the tips of the two wires.
5. Use a slotted screwdriver with a thin blade to release the wire block retainer.
6. Disconnect the wire block from the airbag module.
7. In order to avoid injuries in case of involuntary deployment of the airbag, place the removed module away from the workplace with a decorative overlay up.
8. If necessary, install the steering wheel in its original position. in any way possible (marker, felt-tip pen, thin chisel) make alignment marks on the shaft and steering wheel.
Comment. When the steering wheel is removed, the movable part of the slip ring is not automatically locked against rotation. As a result, during assembly, the central position of the movable part of the ring may be disturbed. In this case, there is a high probability of damage to the slip ring when the steering wheel is turned to one of the extreme positions. To fix the ring, the steering wheel is equipped with a special stopper.
And on the contact ring there is a special hole. By inserting a stopper into this hole, you can fix the movable part of the slip ring in a certain position.
When disassembling, it is necessary to lock the contact ring and do not remove the stopper until the steering wheel is installed on the steering shaft.
9. We insert the stopper into a special hole for fixing the slip ring.
10. Using a 24 mm socket wrench with an extension, unscrew the steering wheel mounting nut and leave the nut on several turns of the shaft thread.
11. By successive blows of the palms on the rim of the steering wheel on the right and left sides, we knock it off the splines of the shaft.
12. Having unscrewed the nut, remove the steering wheel from the shaft, while pulling the slip ring wires together with the pads from the hole in the steering wheel hub.
Installation
We install the steering wheel in reverse order, aligning the marks made earlier and installing a new self-locking nut. Steering wheel nut torque 32-51 Nm (3.2-5.2 kgf·m).
Recommendation. If you need to install the steering wheel in a new position (For example. if the spokes are at an angle when the car is moving in a straight line), put the wheel on the shaft and fix it with the nut, without completely tightening it. After driving straight for a few meters, make sure it is in the correct position. If necessary, rearrange the steering wheel to the required number of splines and tighten the nut.