REMOVING STEERING WHEEL

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CITMAN
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REMOVING STEERING WHEEL

Post by CITMAN »

I HAVE A 1995 CITROEN ZX 1.4I. OVER THE PAST FEW MONTHS THE BULBS WHICH LIGHT UP THE SPEEDO, TACHO, TEMP AND PETROL GAUGES HAVE BEEN POPPING OFF ONE BY ONE. MY QUESTION IS THAT TO GET THE DASH OUT I WILL HAVE TO REMOVE THE STEERING WHEEL, BUT I CANNOT FIND A TORQUE WRENCH SETTING FOR THE STEERING WHEEL NUT OR IS IT JUST A CASE OF TIGHTENING IT AS HARD AS I CAN.
ALSO IF THE WAY OF CHANGING THESE BULBS WITHOUT REMOVING THE STEERING WHEEL
shaunthesheep
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Post by shaunthesheep »

citman, there is no way that i know of to change bulbs without removing steering wheel.
looked in my hanyes manual for xantia torque for steering wheel nut is; 30nm OR 22 ibf ft. hope this is of some help for you.
dom
Chrisk
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Post by Chrisk »

I have changed all the bulbs you mentioned on my ZX without removing the steering wheel. All I did was adjust the height to its lowested point. Remove the top half of the steering column. This then gives you access to the two lower surround screws, remove both of these and the top two. The surround can then be removed once you have diconnect the 3/4 switches. Unscrew the two lower screws that hold the clocks in place, disconnect the speedo cable and the relevant wiring and you can remove the whole assembly over the top of the steering wheel. It isn't difficult to do but watch your knuckles when removing the speedo cable!!!!!
Chris
MW
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Post by MW »

Are you sure you're really up for this removing the steering wheel lark? I had to have the wheel on my 95 Xantia removed last year because the ignition switch had died, and talk about a performance!
The airbag's classified as a pyrotechnic device, so the garage had to go through all kinds of elaborate safety procedures before the work could even start. (No, I didn't try doing the job myself). Sounds like Chris's idea of changing the bulbs without removing the wheel will be well worth the effort, even if it's a bit fiddly.Mike
Mike
gjb02
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Post by gjb02 »

Garages have the ability to scare you into thinking your airbag is akin to some form of bomb strapped to your wheel, and if you touch it....Common sense says the Airbag works from an electrical signal triggering the very small reaction (Its actually a small chemical reaction that creates alot of gas very quickly, it doesn't really explode as such), if you disconnect the battery and wait ten minutes you will be safe!! BUT DON'T TRY IT IF REALLY THINK ITS GOING TO END IN TEARS!! I have removed refitted several airbags for access, and I haven't had a single one blow up in my face. The garages elaborate safety requirements are meant to stop the less competent mechanics from making an expensive powdery mess, they cost a fortune to replace! Just take thinks slowly be gentle and everthing will be fine, have confidence in your abilities, you could save a fortune. I SAY AGAIN DO NOT ATTEMPT THIS UNLESS YOUR ARE CONFIDENT, COMPETENT AND JUST A LITTLE BIT MAD!<img src=icon_smile_big.gif border=0 align=middle><b></b>
Gareth
Edited by - gjb02 on 25 Aug 2002 11:36:48
allmond
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Post by allmond »

I agree. Because of my job I work with cars which have been in serious crashes on a daily basis. We are very wary of damaged cars until they have been made safe.
The official advice from my employers is disconnect the battery and wait as long as possible, at least 10 minutes. Any residual current will have drained away and so can't set off the airbag.
So long as you observe this elementary safety precaution, nothing can go wrong, go wrong, go wrong......
Oh, by the way, capital letters are the equivalent of SHOUTING, or if you're into Terry Pratchett books, speaking like Death.
If you don't know who Terry Pratchett is, don't worry about it.
Jamie
Edited by - allmond on 25 Aug 2002 13:13:45
gjb02
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Post by gjb02 »

Sorry about the SHOUTING, I'm not completely ofait with the etiquets of internet chat. I was just trying to put emphasis on the safety issues involved. Terry Pratchett - Discworld novels, very funny!!
Gareth
NiSk
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Post by NiSk »

Interesting things, air bags . . .
Since I am a volenteer truck driver for the Swedish Army (bit like the Terratorials) we get invited to all sorts of strange displays.
Last year we witnessed the power of an air bag.
The workshop lads had strapped an air bag to the center of a VW LT wheel (complete with tyre) and placed another (LT)wheel on top of it.
They then detonated the air bag . . . the LT wheel (with tyre) flew about 30 feet up in the air . . . I'd guess the wheel weighed about 20 - 25 kg.
It certainly gave us all a bit of respect for this bit of "safety" equipment.
//NiSk
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Post by RichardW »

IIRC an airbag goes off at about 155 MPH. It is designed to cushion your head/chest as it deflates, so it needs to inflate quickly. If you come across a crashed car - DO NOT stick your head through the driver / passeneger window unless you can see that either a) the air bag has gone off, or b) the car is not fitted with an air bag. If it goes off against the side of your head, you are unlikely to feel very well....
Other than that, they're not scary. At all.....
Richard
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