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Removing steering wheel

Discussion in 'Prius v Accessories and Modifications' started by Weirderal, Sep 13, 2022.

  1. Weirderal

    Weirderal Junior Member

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    I'm on my way to installing fog lights, starting with the part that seemed to have the most scarcity: replacing the turn signal stalk with one with the fog light switch, too. Got the part today.

    But I left the topic broad in case anyone else encounters this problem:

    I got the airbag off fine. But my progress stopped with the 19mm knut holding the steering wheel on (pictured, sorry for crap quality). The Youtube guides make it look so easy. But it's incredibly tight.

    WD-40 couldn't get it loose.

    I tried a makeshift breaker bar, but all it could do is actually turn the steering wheel, and the wheels by extension.

    Anyone else have this problem? I have no idea how I can loosen this myself.
     

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  2. ChapmanF

    ChapmanF Senior Member

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    The torque on that nut isn't really super high, but you do need something like a real breaker bar, or just the torque wrench that you of course will be using to put it back on, and figure out how you'll brace your arms between it and the wheel so that you are playing the one off the other, not just spinning the wheel around.

    Also, before you go back out to finish the job, make sure you also have a proper steering wheel puller. You can usually borrow one from the local car parts place.

    You'll find plenty of YouTube videos where somebody just removes the nut and then manhandles the steering wheel until it pops off. Strictly bush league. The splines on the column shaft and in the wheel are very fine and very easy to mash flat. A steering wheel puller will pop the wheel right off, straight, without messing those up.
     
  3. Weirderal

    Weirderal Junior Member

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    Okay, guess I'll have to teach myself to use the puller....as for the torque wrench, it says "5 TURNS" right on the plastic piece behind the nut. Is more precision than that really needed?
     
  4. Air_Boss

    Air_Boss Senior Member

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    I’ve never pulled the Prius wheel (done the Roadster many times) but is the ‘plastic piece behind the nut’ a sacrificial crush washer? If so, you will need to source a new replacement.
     
  5. Weirderal

    Weirderal Junior Member

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    Hoping link to YouTube won't get removed...but I timestamped that, there's a circular plastic piece with a couple wires coming out of it that's left on once the wheel is removed. No idea what it would be called, but it's almost certainly not sacrificial.
     
  6. ChapmanF

    ChapmanF Senior Member

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    The spiral cable very likely has a range of 5 turns (2½ turns either side of center) before the wires break. Nothing to do with the torque on the wheel nut.

    The nut torque should be looked up in the Prius v repair manual.

    In my 2010 liftback manual, it's 37 foot pounds.

    So if you've got a two-foot breaker bar, you only need 18½ pounds out at the end of the handle. The trick is just how you brace against the wheel so you can do that without turning it.

    Toyota Service Information and Where To Find It | PriusChat
     
    #6 ChapmanF, Sep 14, 2022
    Last edited: Sep 14, 2022
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  7. Weirderal

    Weirderal Junior Member

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    That makes sense. A couple other threads on here say it's 37 lb-ft. So now I get to figure out if I'm buying or renting a torque wrench, and how much precision is necessary...
     
  8. Tombukt2

    Tombukt2 Senior Member

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    Good ordy use 20 V elec gun off instantly . Move wheel side to side it lifts off. Even in rust states. If you enjoy tq bolts have at it on install . This is a 4 minute job including removing bag pad 2 torx screws . Wella
     
  9. Weirderal

    Weirderal Junior Member

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    I don't have any power tools yet. Even when I do get a power drill, it's going to be corded. I wouldn't use any cordless tools often enough to keep the batteries healthy.

    What can I say? I'm a millennial who's only lived in apartments since age ~18. I'd love to be some DIY jack-of-all-trades, but little projects like this are about all I can safely attempt. Can't do anything to my dwelling space, and anything big under the hood would risk upsetting the landlord. And I'd much prefer garage space for that kind of work anyway.

    Getting as far as I did on that first attempt removing the wheel will make getting that far again a cakewalk; it really is easy up to that point. I just don't want to mess up whatever components are at risk of getting messed up on actually removing the whole wheel.
     
  10. Tombukt2

    Tombukt2 Senior Member

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    It just wiggles off tip leave nut on very loose then wheel don't hit you in face when it flows up . Spin nut lift wheel . Look at all wires to buttons realizing their rubber mounted n just pull up my other buttons were in much better shape . I didn't think in my '09 the fog lights had a special switch My '05 has the fog lights it is a tourer I put that combination switch in my '09 The only difference I can see I saw it anyway was that the rear wiper has an intermittent position as well as a high that my '09 did not have but now it does I don't notice anything on the switch for the fog lights I just thought they came on with the low beams My '09 does not have fog lights The wiring may be there but the holes in the bulbs and the fixtures are not so it must not have been a tourer. But I have the Tourer combination switched installed from the '05 in the '09 just plug and play and the rear window wiper now delays
     
  11. Air_Boss

    Air_Boss Senior Member

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    A picture is worth a thousand words...
     
  12. Tombukt2

    Tombukt2 Senior Member

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    Post your email address and I'll send you videos tool sizes and all kinds of nonsense it's very difficult to post here you have to resize everything blah blah blah you got to be kidding but yeah I generally take photographs and all that stuff of this stuff since I've been doing this since like 1972 horse back then all you had was the Canon A1 that was a 35 mm film camera so I developed my pictures right here on site of course that's a lost art now
     
  13. Tombukt2

    Tombukt2 Senior Member

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    And there are already thousands of YouTube videos other than the torx bit which can be manual l-type or the type that fit on your quarter inch drive gun is about the specialty as it gets. So to me these are very basic homeowner type hand tools torx bits are used everywhere now star-shaped bits whatever you want to call them even the ones with the hole in the center for security purposes used almost daily can be generally bought at Walmart that makes it mainstream and homeowner.
     
  14. Air_Boss

    Air_Boss Senior Member

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    Thanks. My comment concerned the crush washer under nut vs. clockspring under wheel issue.
     
  15. ChapmanF

    ChapmanF Senior Member

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    You're showing an attitude so far that will serve you well long term. Let the cavalier cowboys work on their own cars.
     
    #15 ChapmanF, Sep 14, 2022
    Last edited: Sep 14, 2022
  16. Tombukt2

    Tombukt2 Senior Member

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    When the wheel comes off nothing else happens you've got one or two wires that go through the wheel that literally pull off their respective pieces and you're holding a steering wheel in your hand The clock spring and all of that the combination switch stays on the shaft you have to squeeze a clamp and pull it off and unplug some plugs not in said order. Even removing the clock spring and combination switch I can't see how one could really totally screw this up. Even separating the clock spring from the combination switch it's like three little tabs that literally pulls off there's no spring to break it's just called the clock spring internal there may be a low level spring and if you look at the forward face of the unit you'll see a window and some red lines that look like if you turn the clock spring you'll eventually get these red lines to line up with this arrow and other doodad if you just look at it for a second don't study too long you'll see what I'm talking about. Not too much of an engineering feat here apparently what happens is it's the wiring goes bad in the clock spring on one end or something along those lines and it just stops making things work what are the odds so far all the used ones I've taken out have plugged right up and worked so who knows and it's fast as it can be changed 14 minutes or something you got to be kidding me pay $300 for it now I can change them a whole lot more than that for way less My time isn't worth $100 an hour at present rates
     
  17. Weirderal

    Weirderal Junior Member

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    Update:
    Rented a torque wrench and steering wheel puller from Autozone, bought breaker bars and proper extensions.
    Very difficult, but I managed to finally loosen the retaining nut.

    The steering wheel puller turned out to be a joke or something...it didn't have that 4-way gold-looking piece the YouTube tutorials did, just two handle pieces and something that looked like a socket, none of which fit into anything accessible on the wheel.

    I pulled it off as carefully as I could by hand (didn't slam it up and down or anything, just a long, steady pull.

    Managed to finagle the rest off and get the new turn signal/fog light switch on, and reinstalled everything. The torque wrench worked.

    I've driven the car several times since then and I'm convinced I did everything right--nothing feels different or "wonky".

    To my pleasant surprise, with the low beams on, turning the fog light switch on illuminates the fog light indicator on the dashboard and you can hear a relay switching on--and I didn't touch anything under the hood yet.

    Now I just need to figure out how to tap into that relay with this wiring kit that came with the housings and trim pieces and I'll be set.
     
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  18. ChapmanF

    ChapmanF Senior Member

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    In my 2010 liftback, the output of that relay is pin 8 of the connector 2C on the aft-facing (easy to reach) edge of the instrument panel junction block. That wire harness connector probably has no wire or pin there, so you just pick up the right repair terminal and add it to the pin 8 position, spliced to a wire through the firewall. There is also a fuse position already labeled for the fogs, in that instrument panel fuse box.

    According to this post, those details seem unchanged for the v. That post also gives the part number of the correct repair terminal.
     
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  19. Weirderal

    Weirderal Junior Member

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    I got the repair terminal, but I'm having a devil of a time finding the pin/position labels...is there a diagram somewhere I'm missing?

    Haynes doesn't seem to have a separate set of manuals for the v.
     
  20. ChapmanF

    ChapmanF Senior Member

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