Note: Operation shown on a vehicle equipped with an airbag. On a car without an airbag, the work is easier to perform; you only need to remove the steering wheel cover.
To complete the job, you will need a special airbag remover and a new steering wheel mounting nut. If you don't have a puller, you can make one from an old slotted screwdriver with a blade width of 5-6 mm. To do this, you need to cut a small groove in the middle of the blade.
Removal
1. Prepare the car for work ("Preparing the car for maintenance and repair"), remove the terminal from the negative terminal of the battery.
Warning: On vehicles equipped with an airbag, to prevent the airbag from deploying, wait at least five minutes after disconnecting the battery before continuing work. Place the removed airbag module with the actuator facing down and away from the work area.
2. Set the front wheels of the car to the straight-ahead position.
3. Through the holes in the steering wheel upholstery using a homemade puller...
...first on one side, then on the other, pressing the outer antennae of the spring clamps (for clarity, the airbag has been removed)...
...we release the two airbag module holders.
4. After moving the airbag module away from the steering wheel, disconnect the ends of the two wires.
5. Using a slotted screwdriver with a thin blade, release the wire connector retainer.
6. Disconnect the wire connector from the airbag module.
7. To avoid injury in the event of an accidental deployment of the airbag, place the removed module away from the work area with the decorative cover facing up.
8. If necessary, install the steering wheel in its previous position. by any available means (marker, felt-tip pen, thin chisel) we make installation marks on the shaft and steering wheel.
Note: When removing the steering wheel, the movable part of the contact ring is not automatically fixed from rotation. As a result, the central position of the movable part of the ring may be disturbed during assembly. In this case, there is a high probability of damage to the contact ring when turning the steering wheel to one of the extreme positions. To secure the ring, the steering wheel is equipped with a special stopper.
And there is a special hole on the contact ring. By inserting a stopper into this hole, the movable part of the contact ring can be fixed in a certain position.
When disassembling, it is necessary to lock the contact ring and not remove the lock until the steering wheel is installed on the steering shaft.
9. Insert the stopper into the special hole to secure the contact 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 successively hitting the steering wheel rim with your palms on the right and left sides, we knock it off the shaft splines.
12. After unscrewing the nut, remove the steering wheel from the shaft, while pulling the contact ring wires together with the pads out of the steering wheel hub hole.
Installation
We install the steering wheel in the reverse order, aligning the previously made marks and installing a new self-locking nut. Steering wheel fastening nut with a torque of 32-51 N·m (3.2-5.2 kgf·m).
Recommendation. If it is necessary 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), place the wheel on the shaft and secure it with the nut without tightening it completely. After driving straight ahead for a few meters, make sure it is in the correct position. If necessary, move the steering wheel to the required number of splines and tighten the nut.