C.J. Posted April 21, 2007 Share Posted April 21, 2007 It's currently pointing to about '10 o'clock' instead of 9 if you get my drift, and it's really getting on my wick. Can the wheel be removed and re-aligned with no danger of the air bag going off in my face whilst removing it to straighten it up? 1996 300 Cheers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BogMonster Posted April 21, 2007 Share Posted April 21, 2007 Disconnect battery and leave for 30 min or so (the book says 10 I think but I am careful!) and the airbag system will discharge. Wearing non-static clothing (NOT a synthetic fleece for example!) you can undo the two torx screws that go through from the back of the wheel and remove the bag, the connector just pulls off. You can then straighten the wheel by 1 spline and it should be about right I guess. Do NOT switch the ignition on with the bag disconnected or you will trigger a fault code and a flashing warning light which can only be reset by a trip to a dealer and a conversation with Testbook. When reconnecting the battery and switching the ignition on I always stand outside the car the first time but never had one go blooey yet Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jwriyadh Posted April 21, 2007 Share Posted April 21, 2007 You have checked that it is indeed the steering wheel that is out of alignment haven't you? Search on this site for a description of doing the job correctly. Think it was a Discovery that some guy had front ended. jw Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C.J. Posted April 21, 2007 Author Share Posted April 21, 2007 Disconnect battery and leave for 30 min or so (the book says 10 I think but I am careful!) and the airbag system will discharge. Wearing non-static clothing (NOT a synthetic fleece for example!) you can undo the two torx screws that go through from the back of the wheel and remove the bag, the connector just pulls off. You can then straighten the wheel by 1 spline and it should be about right I guess.Do NOT switch the ignition on with the bag disconnected or you will trigger a fault code and a flashing warning light which can only be reset by a trip to a dealer and a conversation with Testbook. When reconnecting the battery and switching the ignition on I always stand outside the car the first time but never had one go blooey yet Job done....ish. still not straight, but better. Needs to go around another spline I reckon. I'll do it again in the morning. The SRS light is on, and horn isn't workin' since I had the steering box done. No apparent broken wires visible, but me twirling the wheel in my boredom whilst my mate was huffin' and puffin' underneath whilst it was disconnected from the box has obviously done some wiring damage further inside the steering column I suspect, yes?. Bloody numbskull that I am. The car hasn't been 'front ended' by the way. Thanks for your help Boggy. I wouldn't have tackled it without your instructions, and was amazed how easily the wheel came off. I had a lump hammer ready tbh! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RRX Posted April 21, 2007 Share Posted April 21, 2007 Probably done the same thing as me and broken the bit that connects the steering wheel to the column. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C.J. Posted April 21, 2007 Author Share Posted April 21, 2007 Probably done the same thing as me and broken the bit that connects the steering wheel to the column. If that's the case, I bet you didn't break it through sheer ignamaramousy like me, useless duffer that I am. Fix one item and break another I suspect. Good job i'm not a brain surgeon or you'd end up losing a leg. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BogMonster Posted April 22, 2007 Share Posted April 22, 2007 The SRS light is on, and horn isn't workin' since I had the steering box done. No apparent broken wires visible, but me twirling the wheel in my boredom whilst my mate was huffin' and puffin' underneath whilst it was disconnected from the box has obviously done some wiring damage further inside the steering column I suspect, yes?. Bloody numbskull that I am. Yes you will have broken the tape inside the rotary coupler behind the steering wheel if it has gone more than about a turn too far in either direction. A new one costs about £200 odd easy to change (wheel off unplug plug in wheel on) but F expensive! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C.J. Posted April 22, 2007 Author Share Posted April 22, 2007 Yes you will have broken the tape inside the rotary coupler behind the steering wheel if it has gone more than about a turn too far in either direction. A new one costs about £200 odd easy to change (wheel off unplug plug in wheel on) but F expensive! GULP! Anyone got a 2nd hand one for sale? Anyone breaking a 300...apart from me that is. What is the exact manufacturers description of the required part then? I assume it's the plastic thing that's attached to the back of the wheel? I sometimes even amaze myself JUST how stupid I am. At least the wheel is dead straight now Boggy. Fully expecting the engine to blow now though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gav- Posted April 23, 2007 Share Posted April 23, 2007 sorry to put the spanner int he works surely the drag link just needed adjusting?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C.J. Posted April 23, 2007 Author Share Posted April 23, 2007 sorry to put the spanner int he workssurely the drag link just needed adjusting?? Nah. Tried all that first. Boggy. You were sadly correct. Stripped it down today, and the tape has snapped. To put it mildly, I'm pretty damned annoyed with myself. Have placed an ad in the classifieds section for a 2nd hand one, and franticly searching through LR specialists. A few on flea bay for other makes and models for about 30 quid. Why is this one so damned expensive? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BogMonster Posted April 23, 2007 Share Posted April 23, 2007 They have a finite life anyway as does anything that goes backwards and forwards all the time so they are probably never going to be cheap since there will always be old vehicles looking for one. I guess because it is "safety" they can charge a stupid price for it - no idea what they run at now but when I got my last Disco, replacement airbags were £1000 a side give or take.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C.J. Posted April 24, 2007 Author Share Posted April 24, 2007 Managed to get a 2nd hand one for £50 delivered with a 1 month warranty via an online part search outfit called 1stchoice.co.uk. Well worth a try for those 2nd hand bits you may need. Very efficient system. Been bombarded with emails this morning, with various prices ranging up to a staggering £250. That particular one wanted £100 for the ring and £150 for delivery! This has been a costly mistake for me that will NOT happen again. I'm embarrased to admit what I did tbh, but it'll p'raps teach me a lesson going public. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
First_Fleet Posted April 29, 2007 Share Posted April 29, 2007 Managed to get a 2nd hand one for £50 delivered with a 1 month warranty via an online part search outfit called 1stchoice.co.uk. Well worth a try for those 2nd hand bits you may need.Very efficient system. Been bombarded with emails this morning, with various prices ranging up to a staggering £250. That particular one wanted £100 for the ring and £150 for delivery! This has been a costly mistake for me that will NOT happen again. I'm embarrased to admit what I did tbh, but it'll p'raps teach me a lesson going public. sorry to put the spanner int he workssurely the drag link just needed adjusting?? Seems to me that if you had simply adjusted the drag link as mentioned above by gav, you would have saved yourself a shed load of strife & dosh. I carried out the same operation a week ago & after I had finished, a slight turn of the link tube aligned the wheel without the need to remove it & find the "correct" splines. Indeed, the Workshop Manual describes this method as the one to use to centralise the steering wheel. A bit late for you now, but it may help someone else later on. I Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BogMonster Posted April 29, 2007 Share Posted April 29, 2007 Not necessarily, because if the steering box gets too much off centre it will start to get play in it with the road wheels in the straight ahead position (check the amount of play at full lock to see what I mean) so to do it properly you should actually centralise the steering box, then straighten the wheel, then adjust the drag link so the wheels are straight ahead Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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