2. Wait a few
minutes for the airbag to discharge, then remove the 2 philips screws
that hold
the steering column
cover on the bottom.
Make sure you disconnected the batteryThen
you remove the bottom cover on the steering column. When thats removed
you will see a orange connector.
Thats the airbag
connector. Squeeze the clip ends and seperate the connector. Remove the
end that goes to the steering
wheel from the post
its fastened to.
Using a T27 torx socket or driver then remove the 2 screws on the back of the steering wheel that hold the airbag in place.
Next you
carefully
lift the airbag assy off of the wheel and disconnect the plug on the
back.
It comes straight out to remove. Then set the airbag aside in a place
where
it won't get disturbed or damaged.
Then you remove
the 22mm self-locking nut that holds the steering wheel on. This nut is
to be replaced as it's only intended to be used
once. The torque
when
reinstalling is 59 ft.lbs. Once that nut is removed, mark the
steering
shaft and the wheel with a marker. A line across both so you can put
the
wheel back on in the same place. Put the key in the ignition next and
turn
to the run position. The wheel will then lift off.
Once the wheel is
out of the way you remove the 2 philips screw that are in the top of
the instrument cluster and carefully pull the
cluster out far
enough to remove the wiring connectors on the back. There are little
levers you
raise to release the connectors.
Next lay the
instrument cluster down on a towel or mat to protect the face and on
the back is most of the bulbs. To get
to the 3 that
provide
the main illumination at night you have to turn the 2 latches
counterclockwise 1/4 turn and swing the back
panel up. The rest
of the bulbs are on the back panel.
This car was a
1990 525i, it had:
6 - 1.5 watt bulbs
3- 3 watt bulbs
13- 1.2 watt bulbs
The 1.5 watt
bulbs
I had to get from Bmw, all the rest were available through aftermarket
sources. The 1.5s provide the lighting
for the gear
indicator on an automatic,the check instrument display, the service
indicator and
the odometer. These are the ones that are on most of the time.
The 1.2s I wasn't as concerned about changing since they aren't on nearly as much. These are all the warning lights, turn signals, bright indicator etc.
The 3 watts I changed since they are the gauge lighting at night.
I think that
about
covers it all. Then put it back together in the reverse. Make sure you don't hook up the battery until the
very
last. Turn the key off after the steering wheel is installed,
then
reconnect the battery.
Otherwise it will
trigger an srs code and have to be reset. One other note, On most of
the other e34 models the battery is under the rear seat. To gain access
just pull up really hard on the front bottom of the seat. While your in
there you can look at the bottom of the steering wheel where the copper
paste is and spread it around
if you have a squeaking problem. A few other notes as well. Some models
will
have a nut holding the steering wheel on , some will have a bolt
instead. You don't abolutely have to replace the bolt or nut, you can
just use loctite on it if needed. Also some airbags will take a
t27 torx, some will take
a t29 torx.