VX Exec - Steering wheel controls and trip computer

[Langas]

Hey Guys,
Hey Guys, I have just bought myself a nice 2001 VX Exec and have a few very minor little issues that I'd like to sort out:

1) Steering wheel audio controls don't work - I replaced the steering wheel yesterday and swapped the buttons over with another set to no avail...the horn works, no airbag light etc so I'm assuming the clock spring etc is all fine...any ideas on chasing this problem down?

2) The up and down buttons on the trip computer don't work - I'm not able to set the overspeed or reset the trip meter. The mode button works fine on it though....

Any thoughts on the above two little gremlins would be appreciated!

[MR_VX]

man im not sure but maybe disconnect ur battrey for a 1 min and reconnect it, it MIGHT do some thing to fix it

[Langas]

I did that yesterday when I swapped the battery over...

Neither problem is major - I am probably going to swap the headunit anyway...and I'd hardly ever use the over speed / trip meter....The trip meter hasn't been reset for the last 70,000 k's!

[Langas]

OK, It appears the trip computer/speed alert etc all works fine...was just me imagining things!

I'd still love some more info on how the steering wheel controls work - from what I've read they connect to the BCM and the BCM sends a signal to the headunit? Is this correct? I have a sneaking suspicion that its the clock spring at fault here, however I would have thought I'd get an airbag warning light and the horn not working?

Any ideas appreciated!

[ashbox]

yeah, if it was the clock spring, the horn etc wouldn't work, i'd be moreso looking into the wiring.
were they plugged in correctly

[Langas]

Yep, they were plugged in ok behind the airbag when I swapped the steering wheel...

Going to pull the head unit out and take the covers off the steering column and see what I can sus out with the multi meter on the weekend.

Has anyone seen any wiring diagrams for these?

[teno45]

I've been playing around with the steering wheel controls on a '02 berlina, i think the controls are the same. Brown wire at the head unit is the steering wheel controls.

with your multimeter, put one lead to ground, other to brown wire, I dont think it matters which way they go...

Volume Down - 0 Ohms (Or negligable)
Volume Up - 1k5 Ohms
Mute - 3k7 Ohms
Preset Next Down - 5k Ohms
Preset Next Up - 9k7 Ohms
Mode - 19k7 Ohms

I found these to be pretty close to what my car was. Also, the plug on top of the steering wheel, your looking for the brown wire still.

Hope this helps!

[Langas]

I mucked around with the multimeter between the brown wire in the HU harness and ground but it was always open circuit regardless of what button was pushed.

Time to make sure the wire between the head unit and steering column is ok...

[Langas]

Righteo, Can anyone give me some more info as to how these buttons are wired?

Do they go via the BEM? ie Steering wheel => BEM => Radio? Or are they wired straight into the headunit?

I pulled the airbag off and the covers off the steering column tonight - I found the brown wire on the plug that connects to the clock spring no worries. I could measure 0.7ohms between that wire and ground and also 0.7ohms between the headunit and that brown wire....BUT between the head unit and ground it was open circuit.

I also tried to measure from one side of the clock spring to the other- the connector behind the airbag to the connector on the top of the steering column, however it was open circuit. This leads me to believe I may have a buggered clock spring??

Any ideas would be MUCH appreciated!

[Langas]

Well, I bit the bullet, went to the wreckers today and got a replacement clock spring....popped it in and bingo! Stereo controls work!!

I'm very happy I managed to fix this annoying little gremlin!

PROBLEM SOLVED