How to change the Clock Spring on a VT

[Thumpin]

I've been putting this job off for ages but I finally purchased a new clock spring and was going to fit today. I didn't get far as I didn't have a socket to remove the steering wheel bolt.
Where would I get one. The bolt is about 16mm with double star shaped head (if that makes sense).

Also the new clock spring has these instructions printed onit about turning it to the right and then left until the green indicator is in the centre?
I thought if I had the wheels straight then it would just drop straight in without having to index anything.
I would appreciate any advice from anyone that has done a clock spring replacement.

I thought I might make some photo instructions of how to do this job for future JC readers (unless its already been done but I can't find it)

[accentstencil]

I don't recall using anything special to remove the steering wheel on my old VT, just a socket or spanner I think. It was a long time ago so I could be wrong.
I can't help with the clock spring except to say, disconnect the battery first if you haven't already done so.

[lonleylad]

the clock spring needs to be centralised when you fit.....it needs to be turned either left or right until it stops,then turn back 2.5 turns and green indicater shows..this is for when you are turning the steering wheel..if you dont set it you will break it ...make sure you centalise the steering wheel first before you start...there are some very important points you have to do first before you attemp this as it could be dangerous to your health,,to many to list here...best bet is you can get a workshop disc for vt onwards on ebay cheap to guide through the process

[Thumpin]

the clock spring needs to be centralised when you fit.....it needs to be turned either left or right until it stops,then turn back 2.5 turns and green indicater shows..this is for when you are turning the steering wheel..if you dont set it you will break it ...make sure you centalise the steering wheel first before you start...there are some very important points you have to do first before you attemp this as it could be dangerous to your health,,to many to list here...best bet is you can get a workshop disc for vt onwards on ebay cheap to guide through the process

Thanks lonleylad, I've atually finished the clockspring replacement process and all is well. Once I saw the existing unit fitted then I understood what the green window does. Once I removed the old clockspring, I did some continunity tests and found the open circuit for the airbag loop.
I took some detailed photo's of each step of the process which I plan on loading here with some instructions for JC future enquiries. Just got to find some spare time...
So hopefully you can see the story soon.

[Mick1988]

16mm socket to remove the steering wheel bolt, regardless of the star shape

Centering the clock spring is so that you put it on with 3 turns to one side and 3 turns to the other. If you didn't follow the centering procedure you might have 5 turns one way and only 1 turn the other which would cause an issue.

[Andyyleigh83]

Did the airbag light turn off after this procedure?

[Andyyleigh83]

I'm in the process of doing this atm the air bag light is on, I had a scan tool pluged in and have told the computer has logged a code which is uneraserable which I don't know if it's true or not. Any help appreciated

[ashbox]

let me guess, you turned the ignition on while the airbag was out?

trip to holdens or your mech with a tech 2, the code can be removed

[Thumpin]

I'm in the process of doing this atm the air bag light is on, I had a scan tool pluged in and have told the computer has logged a code which is uneraserable which I don't know if it's true or not. Any help appreciated

SRS error codes can only be cleared via a scan tool. Disconnecting the battery won't remove the error.
The light will still appear after you have completely finished the job. You can then attach the scan tool and check for code. If the clock spring was the only fault, the code should show as "history" and you just clear it. This will remove your airbag idiot light.

Sorry I haven't posted the photo procedure of clock spring replacement. I'll do it ASAP...

[Andyyleigh83]

I understand what yous have told me but will the tech2 show which part of the srs system is creating the problem? Such as the clock spring or the body control module or the seat belt pre-tensioners? Or will I have you go though and elimate one price of the system at a time? I know the air bag has not been deployed

[Thumpin]

I understand what yous have told me but will the tech2 show which part of the srs system is creating the problem? Such as the clock spring or the body control module or the seat belt pre-tensioners? Or will I have you go though and elimate one price of the system at a time? I know the air bag has not been deployed

The scan tool can narrow down the location of the fault. When I had mine checked it indicated the drivers airbag was at fault. Since not much can go wrong with the actual airbag, I made an educated guess that the clockspring was the culprit.
When I had the clocksprings side-by-side on the bench, I did a few continunity tests and I found the open circuit in the old clockspring which confirmed it was past its use-by date.
Who is operating the Tech2 scan tool for your situation??

[Andyyleigh83]

lube mobile are coming out this week, i cant move the car out the garage due to a stereo install. i bought a clock spring second hand and some Isopropyl alcohol to clean the contacts in the seat belt pretensioners so im going to give this a go on monday

[svill123]

Thanks lonleylad, I've atually finished the clockspring replacement process and all is well. Once I saw the existing unit fitted then I understood what the green window does. Once I removed the old clockspring, I did some continunity tests and found the open circuit for the airbag loop.
I took some detailed photo's of each step of the process which I plan on loading here with some instructions for JC future enquiries. Just got to find some spare time...
So hopefully you can see the story soon.

I have a similar problem with my VT Berlina. My friend plugged the scan tool in and it came up with "Error 31 - Driver Airbag Open Circuit (Capacitance Too Low).See picture below.

Ive rang around and some say clock spring some say dont. I personally believe its the clock spring but prefer to ask on here because id prefer not to go pulling apart stuff relating airbags. When you checked for continuity did you check both the airbag and horn wires. Because my horn still works. Is it possible for the airbag wire to only break hence my SRS problem. I can get a 2nd hand clock spring for around $50 and am prepared to change it myself.

[BlackVXGTS]

The VT service manual says:

"Disconnect both the battery earth and power leads and wait at least 10 seconds before performing any work on the vehicle.
"DTC 31 will set if circuits 347 or 348, (including the horn bar and air bag assembly and the clock spring coil) are open circuited".

Sounds like replacing the clock spring coil would be a good first step if the wiring looks OK. Circuits 347 and 348 run from the sensing and diagnostic (Airbag) module to the clock coil spring and then to the driver airbag inflator.

[accentstencil]

I have a similar problem with my VT Berlina. My friend plugged the scan tool in and it came up with "Error 31 - Driver Airbag Open Circuit (Capacitance Too Low).See picture below.
[IMG]ttp://i40.tinypic.com/27yvcqd.jpg[/IMG]
Ive rang around and some say clock spring some say dont. I personally believe its the clock spring but prefer to ask on here because id prefer not to go pulling apart stuff relating airbags. When you checked for continuity did you check both the airbag and horn wires. Because my horn still works. Is it possible for the airbag wire to only break hence my SRS problem. I can get a 2nd hand clock spring for around $50 and am prepared to change it myself.

Yes it is possible for just the airbag ribbon in the clock spring to break, there are two or three ribbon type wires in there depending on whether you have steering wheel audio controls.
When my air bag light came on I'm pretty sure it had error 21 and it was my clock spring.

[svill123]

Ok well i changed my clock spring today with the second hand one. The guy at the wreckers was happy enough to double check the continuity test for me, confirming that my clock spring airbag wire was broken - even though the horn works.

@accentstencils: So i guess your right it is possible thanks
@BlackVXGTS: How did you get so much detail on this. Thanks for this aswell even though i just did it this morning and only read it now i feel better that i was on the right track. I have a gregory's manual and unless i missed a section on SRS error codes, i didnt find any detail like that that you've provided. cheers mate

I took some detailed photos and plan to attatch a DIY with photos on this thread since the original creator of the thread seemed to have forgotten.

[svill123]

So here is my step by step tutorial on how to change the clock spring on a VT. Please be patient as this is the first time ive posted such a thing on the forum. I hope it helps anyone out there. It is quite a simple job and doesn't require much technical skill.
The clock spring operates the horn and airbag, and in somecases a 3-wire CS will operate the radio steering wheel controls. The reason im changing mine is because my SRS warning light turned on. If you read my posts above im trying to solve this problem.
Note: im not sure if it has fixed my problem just yet - because SRS error codes require a scan tool to be cleared, so i wont know until then. When i do i'll let people know if it fully worked or not.

Tools Needed:
16mm socket
T30H Torx socket
Torque wrench (optional)
Steering wheel puller (optional)

First things first. SAFETY. I am no expert on airbag safety but the first thing you should do is go and unplug the negative terminal (i do both for good measures it's not going to hurt). Wait atleast 2 minutes. Another precaution my old man taught me is to press the brakes just to drain any extra juice stored in capacitors and what not.
And as always, when playing with an airbag, dont go hitting it or dropping it and keep it faced away from you and store it face-up. I also unplugged the airbag fuse.
Also align your steering wheel and wheels to the straight ahead position

Behind the airbag horn pad are for 4 x T30H Torx screws. Take these out, and when you're upto the last one make sure the pad doesn't suddenly fall and yank on CS wires behind. (Even though we are changing it).



Peek in behind the horn pad and you will notice the clips attatched.
The red horn wire needs a small tipped screw driver to push in a tab and then wiggle off.
As for the yellow airbag clip, as to not force the clip off and break anything delicate I found that 2 screw drivers on either sides of the clip is the best way to evenly pop it out.



Once this is done, place the horn pad and airbag assembly somewhere safe face up.
You should now be able to see the main steering wheel retaining bolt.
Using a 16mm socket, this weirdly shaped nut should come off easily. Dont go pulling off the wheel just yet.



Next get a scriber/screw driver/marker and mark the position of the steering wheel to the shaft on the edges so that you can put it back on straight after



Ok before you go pulling off the wheel, put the steering wheel bolt back on a few threads, so this way when you pull off the wheel it doesn't suddenly jerk off smacking you in the face or wrecking any clockspring wires (even though we are changing it).
Using a bit of force pull the wheel off. Now undo the bolt, and feed the clockspring wires through the gap in the steering wheel.
You should now be faced with the clumsy column clovers.



Remove the top cover by positioning the column fully down. Either way its going to need some fidgeting but slide the top cover towards the driver and up.
Keep in mind that the rubbers on the indicators give the job a bit of resistance.
Next we remove the bottom cover. Position the column fully up. It also helps if you drop the fuse cover below the column so its out of the way.
Undo the screw highlighted in the picture below. Also the lock cylinder rubber and the indicator rubbers are going to make it a little fidgetty aswell.
Slide the bottom cover towards the driver and then down.



The clock spring is held to the column by 4 clips. They are pretty obvious but i've added some pictures anyhow





The clock spring has a wiring harness attatched. The way to unplug this is to get a screwdriver and wedge the yellow clipwedge outwards.



Take off the clock spring and your done.

When I was at the wreckers the guy checked the clock spring's continuity for me, and also said something about it needs to be 0.4ohms (I'm not sure of this).
He also said the yellow square clip on the CS has a resistor in it and can't be checked for continuity directly. (Im not sure on this either)
I noticed myself that there were little numbers on each connector. Possibly the ohmage/resistance they should be? Anyhow, i got continuity through the horn and none for the airbag wire.
To measure this your going to need a multimetre and a thin wire to jam into the clips.
Looking at the clock springs contacts. From the left, #1 - #2 are the airbags, and #3 - #4 are the horns.

Before putting the new clock spring on its best to centre it so as not to break it.
There are instructions on a sticker on the CS on how to do this.
However if not, hold the outer hub with one hand. Spin the inner hub in clockwise until it stops (Dont use any force).
Now rotate the inner hub 2.5 turns in the opposite direction until the green tab can be seen in the little window.

The installation is the reversal of above, but pay attention to:
Aligning the steering wheel and the steering shaft to the marks you put.
Tighten the steering wheel retaining nut to 40-50Nm.
Tighten the airbag assembly torx screws to 10-14Nm.

Remember to plug the battery and fuse back in before turning on the ignition.
As a safety precaution turn the ignition on standing out of the car just incase.

All done, i hoped this has helped someone.

I will post back on here after the scan tool reset if the clock spring really was the problem for my SRS light coming on.

Update: Good news for me, I just got back from the auto elec after having the code cleared and my SRS light hasn't turned on or beeped.