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Greetings!
To celebrate my one week purchase of a 2014 MSM EX 6-spd, I thought I would share my installation of an OEM leather steering wheel as my first post to this forum.
Background:
I had black heated leather seats installed by the dealer before I picked up the car. To complement the new leather interior, I ordered an OEM steering wheel online (78501-T2A-U51ZA).
Please note, this mod involves removing and re-installing your steering wheel/airbag. This thread is for your reading pleasure only and represents what I did to my own car. Any changes you make to your vehicle after reading this, you do at your own risk.
Tools Needed:
T27 screw driver, 10mm hex socket, ratchet wrench with long extensions, phillips screwdriver, Sharpie/Marker
Time to completion: 30-45mins
Steps
The first step for me was disconnecting the negative battery terminal and wait 10mins.
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Next I removed the 2 T27 screws from the left and right side of the steering wheel.
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The airbag should be loose and you can carefully pull it away and turn it slightly to access the wires on the back. There are 3 plugs total. One is for the horn, and the other two are the first and second stage airbag leads. DO NOT use a screw driver to pry the plugs off! In the picture you can see white tabs on the airbag plugs, pull on the two tabs with your fingers, and the plugs will disconnect. The horn plug was actually a little bit of a pain for me and I had to pull fairly hard to remove the plug.
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Next I unplugged the steering wheel controls plug (White plug in top center of steering wheel).
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Next using your 10mm hex socket, you'll have to unscrew the main retaining bolt. This is the most difficult part and the bolt is very tight. You'll want someone to hold the steering wheel while you try to loosen the bolt.
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The steering wheel will simply pull away from the steering shaft at this point. Ensure you Note the orientation of the steering wheel so that you can put the new one on in the same position. You don't want to be a tooth off. I used a sharpie to mark the top and bottom of the steering wheel on the steering column shaft.
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Once I had the steering wheel off, I placed it next to the new leather one, and began transferring all the parts. This was easy and the only tool required was a phillips screw driver.
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Once all the parts are transferred over, you can install the leather steering wheel. Mark sure you orient the steering wheel to the reference marks you made. Also, the connector with the airbag wire moves around. You'll need to ensure it lines up and indexes with the steering wheel for it to position correctly. Make sure the steering wheel is fully seated before putting in the main retaining bolt.
![]()
I put a little loctite on the treads and tightened the bolt. I don't have a torque spec, but I made it Very tight.
The rest is the reverse of dis-assembly. Some places recommend you replace the two airbag screws.
The last step is to enjoy. I personally really like the feel of the leather steering wheel much more than the original one.
![]()
To celebrate my one week purchase of a 2014 MSM EX 6-spd, I thought I would share my installation of an OEM leather steering wheel as my first post to this forum.
Background:
I had black heated leather seats installed by the dealer before I picked up the car. To complement the new leather interior, I ordered an OEM steering wheel online (78501-T2A-U51ZA).
Please note, this mod involves removing and re-installing your steering wheel/airbag. This thread is for your reading pleasure only and represents what I did to my own car. Any changes you make to your vehicle after reading this, you do at your own risk.
Tools Needed:
T27 screw driver, 10mm hex socket, ratchet wrench with long extensions, phillips screwdriver, Sharpie/Marker
Time to completion: 30-45mins
Steps
The first step for me was disconnecting the negative battery terminal and wait 10mins.
Next I removed the 2 T27 screws from the left and right side of the steering wheel.
The airbag should be loose and you can carefully pull it away and turn it slightly to access the wires on the back. There are 3 plugs total. One is for the horn, and the other two are the first and second stage airbag leads. DO NOT use a screw driver to pry the plugs off! In the picture you can see white tabs on the airbag plugs, pull on the two tabs with your fingers, and the plugs will disconnect. The horn plug was actually a little bit of a pain for me and I had to pull fairly hard to remove the plug.
Next I unplugged the steering wheel controls plug (White plug in top center of steering wheel).
Next using your 10mm hex socket, you'll have to unscrew the main retaining bolt. This is the most difficult part and the bolt is very tight. You'll want someone to hold the steering wheel while you try to loosen the bolt.
The steering wheel will simply pull away from the steering shaft at this point. Ensure you Note the orientation of the steering wheel so that you can put the new one on in the same position. You don't want to be a tooth off. I used a sharpie to mark the top and bottom of the steering wheel on the steering column shaft.
Once I had the steering wheel off, I placed it next to the new leather one, and began transferring all the parts. This was easy and the only tool required was a phillips screw driver.
Once all the parts are transferred over, you can install the leather steering wheel. Mark sure you orient the steering wheel to the reference marks you made. Also, the connector with the airbag wire moves around. You'll need to ensure it lines up and indexes with the steering wheel for it to position correctly. Make sure the steering wheel is fully seated before putting in the main retaining bolt.
I put a little loctite on the treads and tightened the bolt. I don't have a torque spec, but I made it Very tight.
The rest is the reverse of dis-assembly. Some places recommend you replace the two airbag screws.
The last step is to enjoy. I personally really like the feel of the leather steering wheel much more than the original one.
