Steering wheel swap - Arghhhhhh. - 986 Forum - The Community for Porsche Boxster & Cayman Owners

OK. Battery disconnected. Key in on position. Waited an hour. Removed key. Positioned the torx bit into a socket... connected to the ratchet. The socket is too snug for the holes in the back of the steering wheel. I could get one torx screw loose, but the torx bit would be stuck in that hole. What would you recommend I purchase to access those torx screws? And which sized torx end size? I see the Star Bit screwdriver set on Harbor Freight, but am concerned the screwdriver would be too long, and I wouldn't be able to line it up with the hole to access the depth. What have you used to remove those torx screws? Thank you.

I use a hex wrench. There's a standard size that fits perfectly. I've done it more times than I care to count and have never buggered the bolts. This would be best:

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Thank you! Found them. Harbor Freight $6.99 Home Depot (Husky) $9.99 Yes, I over-analyze sometimes. Which one do you recommend? Thank you, again!

Hello Starter, I replaced the steering wheel about three times (2 on the 987 and 1 on a 981) and to remove the wheel you only need two tools: A small Phillips screw driver and a fairly large Torx (55..?) for the center bolt. You need to insert the phillips into the hole at the bottom of the wheel to remove the airbag, pushing through the hole while pulling the airbag away, then unplug the airbag connector. With the airbag out of the way you will use the Torx to remove the center bolt and pull the steering wheel away. It should take you about ten minutes to swap the steering wheel. Good luck!

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Hi Giles, 98 986. The only deal... I don't have that steering wheel. The 3-spoke I'll be installing has the 2 holes on the back with the respective resident torx screws. The 4 spoke that sits in there now... 2 holes behind the steering wheel in which the torx screws reside. Thus... while 1 wheel is a 3 spoke... and the other a 4 spoke... they share the identical removal and install torx screws. I've seen a/the vids where you punch in the little hole and gently remove the bag. Mine is a different setup. Further. my steering wheel is held on by a bolt, which I'll remove with a socket. If you tell me I'm incorrect... gladly I'll return to the carport to look over the steering wheel. Otherwise... It'll be to HF or HD for that torx wrench. In any event... thank you for chiming in. I appreciate it.

I'd go with husky. It's only a few dollars more. I'm not knocking HF tools (I use them a lot), but if it's less than $10, go with a bigger name brand. Make sure you get metric .

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Husky it shall be. And yes... metric. Thank you.

TORX does not come in metric or SAE. It's TORX.

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LOL! You're absolutely correct! It's clear now that PW was totally ****************ing with me. LOL.

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Just having a little fun .

English and Metric - does anyone else here remember Whitworth British Standard wrenches?

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Sure, weighed 2 stone and cost 4 shillings 6p! :dance:

Haha! I was just doing this today. It's a T27. Use a 1/8" drive torx bit with a short extension. Then a small 1/8" ratchet. They are deep, and kind of sit in there a little funky. When you put the airbag back in (if you use an airbag) be prepared to say a few creative sentence enhancers, and possibly strip the bolts, they are very soft and it is VERY easy to cross thread them. The steering wheel bolt is 24mm, an impact wrench makes it easy work. Be careful when you pull the wheel off, it might not come right off. After removing the nut, put it back on a few turns and wiggle the wheel side to side. It might "pop". The reason to put the nut back on is to keep the hub from snapping the plastic keepers on the clock spring as it comes off. They break if you look at them funny. Then, go from there. Also, mark your nut/driveline to retighten to the same spec... once again, an impact gun is your best friend.

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Well, I don't have an impact gun. However, when restoring my bim over a decade ago... same thing, bolt. I recall it being a breeze, but we'll see. I'll loosen that bolt then start wiggling off the wheel, so it doesn't slam me in the face. I'll be extremely patient and diligent with the entire process... as I want zero reason to have to buy anything else. I'll be very careful.. I'll pay extra attention when installing the new airbag... and will exercise caution when installing the torx screws. I'll position the bag... seat the torx screw to the bag... very slowly turn the screw counter clock-wise until I hear that little "click" then start screwing it in. I do have a question for which I need some clarity... you said: After removing the nut, put it back on a few turns and wiggle the wheel side to side. With the airbag removed... I'll loosen the nut... pull the wheel until it is prepared to be completely removed (nut on so it doesn't hit my face when tugging)... remove the nut... and remove the wheel. Your recommendation to remove the nut... put it back on... wiggle it from side to side. Do I perform that step as a precursor to removing the wheel? So I understand... Remove airbag. Remove nut. Put nut back on. Wiggle wheel. Remove nut. Remove steering wheel. Is that correct? Am I missing something? I'll be returning this project later this morning. Thank you.

Porsche uses torx screws everywhere. Mostly 20,25 and 30. I recommend buying a set of torx screwdrivers

I bought a set of LONG torx sockets from HF.

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Yeah, pull the nut first so you can take the wavy washer off. Then put the nut back on. You don't have to do that, but it gives you some more room when the wheel comes off. Also, with an impact gun the nut comes off fast, so I was really referring more to that...

98 986 Tiptronic... So... air bag off, and this is the wheel I'm installing... Here is what I'm looking at, and it's confusing me... So... where do the connections go? I'm lost. Thank you.

The wires you are looking at are coming off the clock spring. The tabs are all ground. It would appear the new wheel might have a different connection for ground than the old wheel as there is a similar black connector on the base tab. The base tab would be "chassis ground", the airbag carrier completes the ground loop when the horn is pressed. The brown ones are just ground for the horn, short one goes to the base tab, long one goes to the airbag/horn plate tab. You'll have to look at the wiring in the new wheel, they may not be compatible? Or, you might need a newer clock spring? Mine isn't a Tip so I just had the horn grounds and airbag connections.

The existing wheel bolt was very easy to remove. Almost 2 easy. It felt hand tight, and then maybe a little snug with a socket. Hmmmm. When I began taking off the wheel I did see the clock spring wiggle a bit and, knowing from what I read... and a couple pictures I had seen... blue taped it so it wouldn't budge. Once I decided that the number of wires paled in comparison to that of a super-computer... I slowed down... used a couple markers to mark the new wheel connections and to where the wires from the clock springs met them. It started making sense. It wasn't so complicated (I over analyzed). Unfastening the Tip connection from the existing wheel took some time until I figured out how to disconnect the connector. I didn't want to break anything. Pulled the clock spring wires through the hole... positioned some here... some there... so that nothing risked chafing... plugged everything in. After I lined up the new wheel I remembered to remove the blue tape. The steering wheel was well seated, almost all the way in... and slowly I peeled off the tape then completely seating the wheel. Reattaching the torx screws, yes, was the most challenging. Patience was key. That took me 10 minutes until I was satisfied. OK. Positive connected. Negative connected. Turned key... started the car... fired up... and lights started going out. The only light remaining was the spoiler light... and I know that goes out after a few seconds of driving. So... Success. Thank you to those who offered up advice. PW... I did stop at HF to check out the Torx tool, as it was on my way to HD. It was the 3-pack for 6.99... and it looked cheap... and felt cheap. They did have a nice all metal torx tool (no allen. just a one piece with the standard torx sizes) for ~$8.99... but the torx, that unfold, weren't as lengthy as the cheap looking part. I passed. The Husky I purchased... and it is solid. Thank you, again, for the lead. Cheers!