Hey Gang, I've got a new mod for you all, it's something I've been working on for the last four months.
I present to you, the OEM Steering Wheel Swap! (with steering wheel controls.)
First off, what you need:
Steering Wheel
-Must have Steering Wheel Controls (SWC) from factory
-Must be from the following:
- 03-06 Camry
- 03-06 Tundra
- 03-07 Sequoia
- 03-09 4runner
- 04-10 Sienna
- 03-07 Highlander
(I'll refer to this bunch as "CTS4SH" for other parts)
They come in Gray, Tan and Black. Black is the hardest to find, so you're more likely to find the other two.
Turn Signal Cancel Cam
-If you don't know what this is, it's what turns off your turn signal after turning.
- Must be from CTS4SH.
Audio Switches
-Left Side Switches
-There are two options for the right, you can have Bluetooth Controls or none, which you can put a filler panel in. BT Controls are uncommon, so the panel is more likely to be found.
- Must be from CTS4SH.
12 Pin Wire Harnesses
-You'll need three of these. The White ones come from the steering columns on CTS4SH. Black is part of the steering wheel itself.
-Two White 12 Pin Harnesses
-One Black 12 Pin Harness
(You'll see why we need three later.
Airbag Wire Harness (Steering Column Side)
-Will come from the same place you get your 12 Pins from.
-This connector will connect the existing steering column airbag wires to the new clockspring
Single Stage Airbag & Clockspring
-This is the hardest part to find.
-MUST BE FROM:
- 2003-04 Tundra
- 2003-04 Sequoia
-The Airbag NEEDS SWC from factory. There are some 03-04s that don't have SWC, you can swap the single stage charge to any SWC Airbag from CTS4SH.
-Make sure the Clockspring and the Airbag both are SINGLE PLUGS. They'll be orange.
-Vehicles with Single Stage Detonators that can be swapped in:
- 00-05 Celica
- 00-05 Corolla
- 03-04 Tundra (without SWC)
- 03-04 Sequoia (without SWC)
Cruise Control Stalk
-Must be from a 92-98 Camry
-Get as much of the CC Wires as you can.
Preparations
Now we get on to the fun part.
To start, once you have everything, you should have a pile of parts akin to:
-1 SWC Steering Wheel
-1 SWC Airbag (Single Stage)
-1 Single Stage Clockspring
-1 Turn Signal Cancel Cam
-3 12 Pin Wire Harnesses (2x Wht, 1x Blk)
-1 Airbag Wire Harness
-1 Left Side SWC Switches
-1 Right Side SWC Blanks (optional)
-1 Right Side SWC Switches (optional)
-1 Cruise Control Stalk
Now we'll get started.
First, take one of your two White 12 Pin harnesses and smash it with a hammer, you'll need one of the pins to escape unharmed to use.
To add the pin to the connector, you just pop up on the retainer with a small flathead and slide in the wire where I did in the picture (White w/Red Stripe). You don't need to use the same color wire that I did, but you'll need a wire there.
This wire will be used for the Cruise Functions. You need to add a wire because the new steering wheels all originally used just two wires for the cruise control, where the 4Runners use three. To avoid any headache with resistors or soldering, we'll be using a compatible Cruise Control. Luckily, the 12 Pin connector for the steering wheel side of the clockspring has an extra unused wire. We'll be using this wire for our three wire cruise control.
Now that you've got the new pin in place, we'll start wiring up the Cruise Control. These wires will all be spliced where the old cruise control wires were on the steering wheel.
(CC Wires - Black 12 Pin Wires)
White w/Black Stripe - Black
Red - Red
White - White w/Black Stripe
It should look something like this:
The Cruise Control won't directly screw into where the old one was on the new steering wheel. I used Zip Ties to get it in place where it'd fit through the rubber grommet on the popout.
Next up is the Airbag.
I spent months trying to find an undetonated SWC Airbag with a single stage connector and came up short. Instead, I got a detonator from a 2003 Sequoia and a dual stage airbag from a 2005 Sequoia. They can be unbolted and bolted onto the compatible bag. I don't recommend you do this, but this is what I did.
Dual Stage Sequoia Airbag
With "New" Detonator
INSTALLATION
First,
DISCONNECT YOUR BATTERY. I CAN'T MAKE THIS MORE CLEAR.
I'll spare you the details of removing your old steering wheel and clockspring, as they have been covered many times in this forum. Timmy the Toolman has a great video discussing removing the steering wheel.
Where I'll start is at the turn signal cam cancel. What I did to remove it was just give it a tug on both sides and it popped right off. Remove the spring behind it and now you're ready to install.
When installing the new cancel cam, make sure that the little ram thing is on the left side of the wheel. You can test that it's working by pulling your turn signal and rotating the cancel cam. If you rotate the cam one way then back, it'll turn off the signal.
New Cancel Cam installed
Now we get to wiring. (woo.)
This is the diagram that I made that should spell it out.
If that seems intimidating, don't worry, I'll walk you through it. First off, snip off the end of your old clockspring airbag connector. Take your new airbag connector and splice it.
(Steering Column Airbag Wire - New Connector)
Blue - Yellow w/Black Stripe
Green - Yellow
Snip off the end of your four wire clockspring connector. We'll be connecting four of the wires on the White connector to them.
(Steering Column Clockspring Wires - New 12 Pin Connector)
Green w/Red Stripe - Black w/Yellow Stripe
Green w/Black Stripe - Red w/Yellow Stripe
Green - Wire you added to the 12 Pin Connector (I used White w/Red Stripe)
White w/Black Stripe - Brown
That's the hard part done. I used some electrical tape to tidy up any excess wires and tucked them up under the steering column.
The extra 12pin wires are your choice as to what to do with.
The solid Green wire is your Illum wire, and doesn't need to be connected. I connected mine to the extra Illum wire from when I swapped the 99 radio bezel in.
The other three are the radio interface wires, you can run them to wherever you're connecting the steering wheel controls to. I should mention the Brown/White one is the ground, so I ground it to the ground on my radio harness.
Now you can reinstall the clockspring. Make sure to follow the instructions on it so it's oriented correctly. Plug in both connectors on the steering column.
The plastic steering column cover comes next. You'll need to cut a little out of the bottom one to fit the new clockspring.
Before (Old clockspring)
After (New Clockspring/ Cut Plastic)
Reinstall the phillips screws on both sides, and now we can get the steering wheel on.
Put the steering wheel onto the column, making sure that it's the same orientation that you took off the old one.
Bolt on the steering column retaining bolt.
Plug in the black 12 pin connector to the clockspring, and the single stage airbag connector.
Last but not least, connect the ground spade connector to the bottom of the airbag for the horn.
Put the airbag in place and use your Torx to screw it down, reinstall the little covers and you're done!
Before:
After:
(With wrap and black controls)
I'm planning to get a black wrap and buttons for my wheel, but they won't arrive for a while. I'll update this thread when I have them.
That's all, enjoy your new steering wheel!
Linear Mode
