How-to: Adding OEM steering wheel control buttons to OEM 3 spoke steering wheel

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2001 BJFP MT
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2016 BMYFS AT
I'm sure every MSP and MP3 owner will know by now; their cars don't have cruise control, so their steering wheel has no extra buttons. That's just the way it is. Other Proteges have cruise control or audio control switches depending on country. The very cheap models just don't at all. Over the weekend, I helped my friend install the factory cruise control switch on a 3 spoke steering wheel he got from the junk yard. The steering wheel came from a DX but he has an older LX which has cruise control. This meant I had to cut a hole to install the switch. Using the same basic idea I did back in 2005 to install my Nardi steering wheel, I made a hole template from my spare P5 steering wheel, but this time, I took the time to do it right, scanned it, and sharing it with you all.

This is a guide for cutting a hole on your steering wheel trim and installing the factory switches. I have made a template to help you how to cut the hole in the exact size as factory, which will save you money from having to buy a steering wheel trim that has the hole in it. All you will need to buy is the switch and screws! This is not a how-to for installing factory cruise control or audio control switches on your car! To add those features on a car that doesn't have them, you will most likely have to run new wires to connect to other electronics. This guide is perfect for those of you who with cruise control upgrading to a Nardi steering wheel or a MSP steering wheel, neither of which have cruise control buttons. For you MSP and MP3 owners, the best suggestion I have is to add the audio control switches (used from UK/Europe), run some wires, and buy an Autoleads PC99-X46 converter with appropriate headunit interface harness. This guide is also perfect for those of you who is upgrading from a 4 spoke to 3 spoke steering wheel from the junk yard but the steering wheel came out of a DX model which has no cruise control but your car does!


You will need to remove your steering wheel if it's already on the car. You MUST disconnect the battery! Failure to do so may result in accidental airbag deployment which may cause harm or injury or death! So disconnect the battery now, and go grab a coffee or beer while you continue to read this guide. You will want to wait about 15 minutes before you start messing with it!

Make sure your car is parked on level ground and the wheels are turned straight and the steering wheel is perfectly straight.

So, with that said, you first need to remove the airbag from the steering wheel. There's two rubber caps hiding the bolt holes on the 3 spoke steering wheels. Just use your fingers to lift them off. You will need a 10mm socket and a short extension to reach the two bolts. A deep socket works too.

Once the bolts are out, you can carefully pull the airbag off the steering wheel and disconnect the two electrical connectors behind it. The little white one is for the horn/buttons, the big yellow one is obviously for the airbag. Set the airbag aside and far away from you, carefully, face up.

Now remove the steering wheel. Make sure again that it is straight and lined up with the column or you will need to fix it now! Remove the nut holding the steering wheel in. It is a 21mm. You may probably need a steering wheel puller to pull the steering wheel off as it is a tight fit on the steering column! You will need two M8x1.25 bolts to thread into the puller holes of the steering wheel in order to use the puller.

Now you have the steering wheel off, you will need to remove the plastic trim that surrounds the middle of the wheel. Remove the 3 screws as shown.
steering%2520wheel%2520before.jpg


If you look at the plastic trim, you will see casting lines of where the hole would go. But it is not exactly the shape and location of it. Look at both pics and you will see why.
casting%2520lines.jpg
P5%2520casting%2520line.jpg


So because of that, I made a template based off of the spare P5 steering wheel I have in order to cut the hole at the perfect location and shape.
Print out the PDF I attached and cut out the template and tape it on the trim as shown. If you have a Nardi wheel (it will say Nardi and "Made in Italy" on the hub), DO NOT cut on the dotted lines. You will need the full template to trace out and cut the hole as it has no casting lines!.
cutting%2520template.jpg


Trace the lines out on the template and for the parts not covered by the template (on non-Nardi wheels), just follow the casting lines a little bit on the inside. You then remove the template and cut the plastic. I cut the straight portions with a Dremel and finished off the curved part with an Exacto-Knife. When cutting the curved part, you are following the casting line (non-Nardi wheels). You don't want to be cutting at the line, but slightly inside!
steering%2520wheel%2520cut.jpg


Deburr the plastic with a file, Dremel grinding wheel, a knife, or whatever that you feel comfortable using. I torched the plastic slightly after doing the deburring to melt down any residual flakes and to eliminate any small cracks on the plastic to strengthen the edges.

The final result should look like this:
switch%2520hole%2520comparison.jpg


Now it is time to install the switch to the steering wheel. First reinstall the plastic trim back on. You will need the 3 spoke switch. The 4 spoke switch won't work as the mounting bracket is a different shape.
cruise%2520switch.jpg


If you got a used switch, the person who removed the switch may have just cut the horn wire. You don't need the horn wire attached to the switch's connector as you will be reusing the one still riveted on the steering wheel. You will need a very small precision screw driver to take the horn wire out of the connector. First pry up on the orange safety lock tab. Then you pry down on the little plastic locking finger tabs as shown in the pic. While you are doing that, pull the wire out. It will take some practice and coordinated effort.
switch%2520connector.jpg


Now slip the switch through into the steering wheel and screw down the switch. Now you can take the bare terminal for the horn and slip it into the connector. Make sure the plastic orange lock tab is still up before you do this or you will fail! Once that is done, push the orange lock tab back in.
steering%2520wheel%2520after.jpg




Now, put the steering wheel and airbag back on the car the same way it came out. Enjoy the perfect factory look fitment! :D
steering%2520wheel%2520after2.jpg





If you are installing these buttons on a real Nardi steering wheel, you will need to fabricate a bracket to hold it on due to the different shape of the steering wheel hub. Refer to my old thread about this:
http://www.mazdas247.com/forum/showthread.php?123631479-Nardi-Torino-steering-wheel-installation


Bonus: if you want to add cruise control to your car or want to add audio control buttons to your car, I included the appropriate wiring diagrams and testing procedures for the switches. These switches operate on resistance values and the electronics will know based on the dropped voltage what command is being sent. The 99-00 audio control switches have different resistance values and therefore if you swapped a 3 spoke steering wheel with the proper audio control switches, it will not directly work with the factory headunit. You will need to modify the switch (replace the resistors) to make it work with the factory 99-00 single DIN headunit. If you're running an aftermarket head unit, you don't have to worry as the converter interface box will make it work.
 

Attachments

  • BJ Steering Wheel Switch Template.pdf
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