Steering Wheel Installation Write-up

[OptionZero]

I just installed my quick release, hub, and steering wheel into my s14, and thought a quick write up might help those who are looking into doing the same. I scrounged info from Zilvia, Fresh Alloy, ImportNut's FAQ, and others, and hope to simply add or combine it so people have some help if they want to do it in the future.

If you have an S13: no air bag, so nothing to worry about. I believe the Momo hub is only $60 bucks or so, and has hardware to keep the horn function.

If you have an S14 w/ airbag: do what I did, buy the HKB Boss hub, it comes with everything you need to keep the horn, turn signal cancel, AND includes hardware to trick the ECU into thinking the driver airbag is still active, which allows the PASSENGER airbag to stay active. Momo doesn't make an s14-specific hub, you'll lose horn, airbag, and turn sig cancel unless you do serious custom work.

What I used:
HKB Boss Hub (www.racingdimension.com)
NRG Quick Release (SRT Motorsports goup buy here on Zilvia)
Momo Millenium steering wheel (ebay, used)

Tools:
Torx Tamper Proof T-50 L-key (www.mcmaster.com, it's the one with the pin-in-hole design). If you buy the HKB hub, DO NOT BUY a wrench, it comes with it. Other hubs will probably not come with it.
Flathead screw driver
19mm socket w/ extension
allen/hex wrench set (two small sizes needed, sorry I don't have the specific size)

Step Zero:
When you park your car, make sure the wheels are are straight as possible.

Step One:
Pop off the plates on each side of the OEM Steering wheel. Sorry i dont have pix of this. There is one on the left, which comes off easily, and one on the right, where the cruise control stuff is.

Step Two:
Remove the Torx screws, one on each side, which will be visible once you remove the plates. They take some effort to loosen.

Step Three:
Remove the stock airbag, once the Torx screws are off, it should come right off

Step Four:
Unplug all the harnesses, one for the airbag, one for the horn function (green, I believe)

Step Five:
Remove OEM Steering wheel. First, use the 19mm socket to remove the nut at the very center of the steering wheel. I found it necessary to have someone else hold the wheel while I used the socket, just to keep the wheel from rotating. It is fastened quite securely. Once the wheel is off, you should see the yellow clock spring assembly.

Step Six:
Look at the center of the clock spring assembly, and you'll see a blue ring with 3 prongs on it. That controls the turn signal cancellation function.
Place the HKB hub over the clock spring assembly as shown,, and make sure the holes line up with the pegs of the blue ring.. The center shaft has grooves on it, so when you put it on, make sure the hub is as centered as possible (where it says "top" on the hub should point straight up if you are using a Momo or Sparco 6-bolt pattern). Hopefully, you have the front wheels as straight as possible, so the steering wheel will be aligned upon completion. If you are using Nardi, I believe the bolt pattern is different, so TOP will not be TOP for you, but rather rotated one hole over. Try bolting on the steering wheel to see which one fits and how it's aligned. If you are using Nardi, at this point, you're done, because the NRG quick release does not work with Nardi (i think).





Step Seven:
Stick the wiring through the right side hole on the HKB hub and fasten the nut back on the center shaft.



Step Eight:
HKB provides a small resistor to trick the airbag system. It is the small plastic piece with two prongs (red wires). Insert the two prongs into the airbag extension as shown



Step Nine:
Take the small green connector and connect it to the horn wiring as shown



Step Ten:
NRG provides two circular metal plates with its Quick Release. One goes between the hub and the quick release to help conduct the current for the horn. It is VERY important, I could not get the horn to work until I realized that metal plate actually did something.
Take one of the green wires that NRG provides, and attach it to the plate as shown



Step Eleven:
Take the red wire provided by NRG and connect that to the horn connector extension (the green piece) that HKB provided. One end hooks up to the horn connector, the other goes into the Quick Release male piece.
Take the metal plate w/ the green wire now attached, and connect that also to the Quick Release male piece. The male piece is the one with the dimples.



Step Twelve:
Stuff the wiring into the center of the hub. Be careful none of the connectors become loosened in the process.




Bolt the Quick Release to the hub. The metal plate from NRG has many slots for you to stick screws through; if you are using a Momo 6-bolt pattern, use the slots that are recessed towards the center (the inner circle).



Step Thirteen:
Take the horn button, stick the wiring through the center of the steering wheel. Attach the green wire and red wire as shown. Then connect the red and green wires to the plugs inside the quick release, and the wheel to the quick release.



Viola, now you have horn, turn signal cancel, and working passenger airbag.
If your airbag light is still on, you can reset it. Turn your car key in the ignition to the ON position. Open your driver side door, and you'll see the pinswitch (detects if door is open or not). Press the button 5 times inside of 7 seconds. Then press it once more. Turn the car off, then on again. Repeat the 5 buttons inside of 7 seconds, then one more. The air bag light should be fixed.

[ghambino]

Holy crap you have a giant horn button on your wheel. Average button is like less than 2.5inches diameter. Or maybe my eyes are deceiving me.

[d4vech3n]

nice write up, i have some no-name hub that came with the wheel. I rig it to still have the turn signal cancel and my horn works. The NRG works with the nardi btw.

[SilviaDriver]

the reason why i didnt buy a s14 specific HUB is becuz its expensive and also i believe you can build a harness to bypass the SRS

NRG also fits Nardi

[Drifterz2]

I have a Momo Jet fighter wheel and a Momo s14 specific hub in my old `95 s14. how do i get the horn to work or am i better off buying a new hub if i want evrything to work in my new `96 S14

[WILDACEX187]

great write up. i have a momo with 3 horn buttons and i got all three to work but now one of them isnt working. i think i'll have to redo the wiring .

[S13 Charlie]

Great writeup man! This is one of the most thorough and informative writeups I've ever seen. I especially like it because I am about to install a momo hub and a quick release on my S13. (Replacing the no-name hub that came with my steering wheel. Does anyone have a trick to unsticking a stubborn steering wheel? i.e. When I un-bolt the 19mm center nut, my wheel doesn't happily pull off the splined shaft, it must be stuck after 14 years of not having to move..

Cheers,

C

[papershot]

also if you're like me and can't find anyone with one of those torx keys you can take a pair of vice grips and get it out easy.

to unstick the wheel just sit in the seat and pull. if it doesn't come off go work out then try again

[OptionZero]

The Torx L-key is $4-5 from www.mcmaster.com- i bought one not knowing HKB provides one. I do not believe Momo comes with one (i had a momo for a while)

As for the horn button, what you see is the rubber covering. There's a small horn button underneath it, but this just has the MAD EURO_TYTE MOMO LOGO on it, haha

IF YOU DO WANT TO KNOW HOW TO CUSTOM RIG EVERYTHING, GO HERE:
http://importnut.net/steeringswap.htm

There is much more wiring involved, plus, I believe, some soldering and drilling.
The HKB hub was $85, the Momo is $55-60. So not doing the work was worth the $40 to me.
Also, that write up does not have provisions for airbag- it tells you to remove the passenger side airbag, because it will not work.
The HKB hub has the resistor attachment to trick the ECU into thinking the driver side still works, so the passenger one is still functional.

SilviaDriver, thanks for the Nardi info. I think Nardi has a different pattern, so how it affects you is how you center the hub on the steering column shaft. The arrow that points up will be off center, because it was designed for a Momo pattern as far as i kno.

S13 charlie:
Don't try to take the hub off without the steering wheel, try to stick the steering wheel back on after you unbolted that nut. Then apply force and wiggle it. I also tapped the hub with a hammer a coupla times. It does take effort to remove, but push and shove the wheel in different directions until it loosens- thats what I had to do. I leaned all my weight on it one way, then pulled it, then wiggled it more, and suddenly it popped off. Be careful you don't smack yourself in the head....don't ask

[kingsol]

when you're tugging an pulling that hard it's better to leave the nut on a few threads instead of having it totally off.

[ghambino]

Right, for a stuck steering wheel its best not to take the 19mm nut all the way out. Once you've done that just go tug on it as hard as you can. If that does not work try a little dab of pb blaster(just a little). I don't think the lub should cause any harm but I'm not certain.

[SRT Motorsports]

great writeup! Hope you enjoy the new wheel

[OptionZero]

[henrymm]

well, i kinda need it cause i installed my steering wheel wrongly and the wheel has to be tilted to go straight so got any ideas the remove the hkb hub??? its seems to just love staying there. tried everything

[OptionZero]

BE CAREFUL REMOVING THE HUB! Look below at the bottom half of the hub, and it has a hole with the rubber peg through the hole? that peg is very snug in the hole, it could be whats making it so tight

BE CAREFUL REMOVING IT, if you rip it out too hard, the whole clockspring will get FUCKED

If you want to remove the hub, attach the steering wheel to it, bolt it up. Then tug and pull the wheel, wiggle it around, and pull it out. Leave the nut on there a few threads for your own safety

[SilviaDriver]

how long did this all take you?

[OptionZero]

if i had done everything right i could do it in 20 min probably, but when I put the hub on the first time, it wasn't centered, and when i removed it, i broke the clockspring and had to wait a few days to replace it.

once you see the wiring, it's not that complicated, there's only 2.

Most time consuming part is manually taking off the 6 hex screws from the QR to the HUB, the the 6 from the wheel to the QR. It's not hard, its just annoying.

If i had to do it from the start, removal of steering wheel, everything else...yeah, i'd say 20 minutes, maybe 30 minutes

Definitely not that hard if you have all the tools and don't screw up and have to go back...or have to pay $50 for that stupid clockspring...

[Xren17]

OptionZero, did you happen to measure the resistor value? That'll help people with a non-specific S14 hub make their passenger airbag work also. Also if you are having problems with removing the hub, you can borrow a steering wheel/hub remover from Autozone for free.

-Ren

[OptionZero]

sorry, i didn't...anyone have an uninstalled hub?

[TurDz]

okay I was there for part of the install..



I think the dummy resistor value was 2 ohms....does that sound resonable? IIRC!!

Disclaimer: This is from pure memory (which sucks a lot of the time) so please get a double check or "common-sense" check before you proceed. You agree not to hold me responsible for any damage/injury from the information above. Thanks

[Xren17]

TurDz - I think it's easily verifiable if the resistor is 2 Ohms. I'll just check the resistance of my steering wheel airbag when I pull mine out. I hadn't realize that's all it took to make the passenger airbag work.

[SilviaDriver]

well if somebody wants to measure how much Ohms it is let me know i shall be doing my swap very soon

[theicecreamdan]

If nobody gets it done by the time I get back to San Diego I'll measure mine.

gimme a couple weeks though.

[JohnC]

Thanks for the write up.
Bumpin for resistor info.

John

[Drunk Bastard]

cool write up, great addition to the forum

[OptionZero]

Minor issue:
Sometimes the bolt that holds the hub to the steering column gets loose, and I had to retighten it twice. No big deal, but there was slight play in the steering wheel/hub, and I wanted to corrrect it.

Next time if it happens again, I might get some anti-seize and tighten it down significantly harder, i was afraid of going too hard and getting it stuck.

[driftracer]

great write up. Enjoy the wheel

[JohnC]

wrong thread sorry.

[Xren17]

Found out that the power resistor to trick the airbag system is 2 Ohms. For anyone that's looking for that info and you can pick one up at Fry's.

[chmercer]

lol

hello old thread

how are you this fine evening