Post 338980 by red_hot_volvo on 2010-10-17 22:59:22
Hi folks, I've just got a secondhand wood and leather OE steering wheel for my C70 to replace my existing damaged leather one and whilst I understand that you must disconnect the earth lead for half an hour before you touch the airbag and why you must do that (!), one thing I'm unconvinced about is once I'm all done is hooking up the negative lead again with the ignition on in position II, now I know that ECU's don't like spikes or surges being applied to them, it's got a nasty tendancy to blow them up, so what's the story here, has anyone experienced a catastrophic blow up by reconnecting the earth lead with the ignition on or should it be OK?
Post 338981 by The Flying Moose on 2010-10-17 23:05:08
Im affraid I have no say whatsoever on the C70 front however I have changed the steering wheel which included removing the airbag on my 850 and had no problems and actually disconected the airbag as soon as the battery was off. Works fine with no airbag light etc. If its like the 850 also two Torx screws hold the airbag from behind the wheel and it slips off when these are remove after the cables are disconnected of course.
No idea if its of any help to you but thats my experience.
Post 339011 by t5 pete on 2010-10-18 10:28:02
Just dissconect the battery and away you go once the new wheel is back on connect the battery back up.
On one of the cars i was breaking i forgot to take the battery of and it didnt cause any problems either but just to be safe dissconnect the battery.
As said above you will need to take the air bag off to remove the wheel theres 2 trox screws at the back of the steering wheel.
Post 339035 by red_hot_volvo on 2010-10-18 14:54:26
Thanks for the replies, but my main question is, both haynes and other forum threads say that you reconnect the negative lead with the ignition switched on and to me this doesn't seem right, has anyone had any bother disconnecting and reconnecting their steering wheel airbag and reconnecting the battery without the ignition being on? I'd rather do it that way, less chance of blowing up an ECU.
Post 339036 by The Flying Moose on 2010-10-18 15:01:17
Nope never had anyproblem with reconnecting without the ignition on. Concept seems unusual to say the least.
Post 339045 by p fandango on 2010-10-18 15:43:10
i'd of thought with the ignition on you've got even more chance of it spiking than doing it the normal way with everything off
Post 339052 by JUDGENINJA on 2010-10-18 16:41:36
.....but Haynes are always right!!!!.......
Just to confirm.. I had no issues either with the 850.... on and off multiple times..
I've got issues with the V40, but its the front passenger seat air bag... It's fun when you start wiggling wires under the seat... bum clenching!!!
Post 339055 by p fandango on 2010-10-18 16:43:44
[quote=JUDGENINJA;339052].....but Haynes are always right!!!!.......[/quote]
yeh, i always disconnect the battery, firmly place the handbrake on, leave the car in gear & chock the wheels every time i need to change a sidelight bulb lol
Post 339065 by JUDGENINJA on 2010-10-18 17:32:13
[quote=p fandango;339055]yeh, i always disconnect the battery, firmly place the handbrake on, leave the car in gear & chock the wheels every time i need to change a sidelight bulb lol[/quote]
..but of course if it is inline with work you have a fully documented risk assessment and have the signed off by the manager/QA and a company director before any work can commence.. Safety first after all.
Post 339157 by red_hot_volvo on 2010-10-18 22:55:33
Ha,Ha, very good! Just wanted to know what you guys have done in the past, every bit of sense within me said that connecting the battery with the ignition on was just wrong, you WILL blow something up, I just wanted to know what the kosher SP was on this one to see if it was right, normally I just use Haynes manuals as a double check reference guide, but this was something that didn't quite add up...
Although messing about with airbags is something that should be tackled with care, I've heard from friends about them firing and ripping seats clean out of the floor, breaking arms and stuff like that! I could personally live quite happily without an airbag system in a car!
Post 339159 by red_hot_volvo on 2010-10-18 23:03:36
[quote=p fandango;339045]i'd of thought with the ignition on you've got even more chance of it spiking than doing it the normal way with everything off[/quote]
I know, that's what I'm saying, ECU's don't like spikes, blows them up, I know this only too well!
Post 341348 by silverback02 on 2010-10-30 17:00:17
Red Hot,
I completely AGREE with you. Leave the Ign OFF, and battery OFF,
until everything finished.
Then re-connect Battery BEFORE turning on IGN,
Otherwise the possability of at least an Airbag Warning light on, (Dealer to turn off) anything up to a blown ECU.
Take care, and good luck with it.
Joe.
Post 341387 by Jimcoted on 2010-10-30 19:24:22
I have just changed the steering wheel on my V70 T5 and have in the past taken another off, refurbed it and then replaced it. On each occasion I disconnected the earth lead from the battery, removed the airbag, changed the wheel replaced the bag and then connected the battery back up without a problem. Sadly Haynes do get things wrong like when they said de-pressurise the system on my XM before changing the rear spheres, sphere turned and ripped the pipes out!! I wrote threatening to sue them, they sent me compensation and then acknowledged me by name in the later editions for "technical Assistance" which probably referred to my advice of "Getting that fat b*****d out of the vintage car and working on reliable information"
Post 341395 by T5frankie on 2010-10-30 19:45:12
[quote=Jimcoted;341387]I have just changed the steering wheel on my V70 T5 and have in the past taken another off, refurbed it and then replaced it. On each occasion I disconnected the earth lead from the battery, removed the airbag, changed the wheel replaced the bag and then connected the battery back up without a problem. Sadly Haynes do get things wrong like when they said de-pressurise the system on my XM before changing the rear spheres, sphere turned and ripped the pipes out!! I wrote threatening to sue them, they sent me compensation and then acknowledged me by name in the later editions for "technical Assistance" which probably referred to my advice of "Getting that fat b*****d out of the vintage car and working on reliable information"[/quote]
so you got it on at last? hope you like it it definately is a better wheel than the grey 'R' one i have now but it didnt match any more
Post 341398 by Jimmie on 2010-10-30 19:55:32
[quote=leighkaicraigmia;341395]so you got it on at last? hope you like it it definately is a better wheel than the grey 'R' one i have now but it didnt match any more[/quote]
I thought all saffy steering wheels were grey,whats wrong with yours?.
Post 341399 by T5frankie on 2010-10-30 20:00:03
[quote=Jimmie;341398]I thought all saffy steering wheels were grey,whats wrong with yours?.[/quote]
They are only grey if you have the aluminium dash inserts, mine had the light wood effect looked too yellow for me so i replaced it for the aluminium inserts, the wheel is just a bit boring looking now and dont feel as nice as the wood one
Post 341569 by red_hot_volvo on 2010-10-31 16:31:46
Yeah, definately anything Haynes writes I have now decided is a load of sh*te, take most of it with a pinch of salt, reference guide only! I have now done my steering wheel, using my method of everything being off then disconnect the battery, do the wheel swap, reconnect the battery with everything off and switch on, everything fine and now I have a nice wood and leather wheel which even feels better than the original, it's slightly thinner and feels a lot better for it! Thanks for all the replies.