Replacing steering wheel on 99 Legacy OB

[Rooster2]

I bought my car used recently. Only after I bought it, did I realize that the top arc of the steering wheel cover is loose from its steel core from about the 10 o'clock to the 2 o'clock positon. It is annoying to drive the car with the loose cover wanting to rotate in my hands. I can't think of any way to repair the existing steering wheel, so I guess my next hope is to find a good steering wheel in a wrecking yard.

 

Would a used steering wheel be expensive considering that the air bag is in the middle of the steering wheel? What work is involved in doing a swap? What steps do I need to take to prevent the air bag from blowing up in my face during replacement? Any advise is greatly appreciated.

[lmdew]

It's Easy to remove and the Airbag does not have to be replaced.

 

Make sure the steering wheel is straight ahead before you start.

 

Disconnect the battery for at least an hour to be safe

 

Look on the side of the steering wheel you will see two bolts which hold the airbag on, loosen them, they are captive so they will not come out.

 

Pull the airbag off the steering wheel and disconnect the wires

 

Disconnect the other wires that may be there for the cruise control.

 

Remove the center nut and use a puller to pull the steering wheel.

 

Put it all back together.

[RallyKeith]

I've driven a few cars with this issue, and I agree it's annoying. You may want to try drilling a few very small holes from the back side of the wheel and injecting an epoxy. That's about the only way I could come up with for trying to fix it. It's not too bad to pull the wheel off, the only problem tends to be getting the bolts out that hold in the airbag. They are in pretty tight with loctite.

 

Good Luck,

Keith

[Rooster2]

Thanks for the advise. I will try the epoxy fix first. If that doesn't work well, then I will replace the steering wheel.