75ZT Community

Today after yet another cleaning out of the shed i found the steering wheel i was going to replace my slighty marked old one with on the MG ZT.
bit like out sight out of mind so decided no time like the present below is how i went about fitting it, probably no different than to anyone else but thought photo's may help new members whom have not undertaken this job before and might be thinking of doing it in the future. (Make sure you have your radio code)

First get yourself a little torch and take a look at the angle of the torx bolts 30mm which hold the air bad facia onto the steering wheel Fig 1 & Fig 1a
1

Torx bolts are 30mm Fig 1a
1a

The tools you will need are torx 30mm, 13mm spanner,17mm long socket and a bar,and a small fine screwdriver. Fig2-3
2

3

Loosen the first torx bolt Fig 4
4

Start engine and turn the steering wheel round and loosen the other torx blots 30mm Fig 5
5

Now make sure the wheel is straight and the front wheels are straight ahead, turn off the engine and disconnect the battery,once disconnected leave for at least 30 minutes get the new wheel ready have a coffee etc Fig 6
6

The new steering wheel ready for exchange with the old one Fig 7
7

Now the 30 minutes have passed you are ready to undo the torx bolts 30mm fully Fig 8
8

Once undone the air bag is ready to be lifted up and forward so you can unplug the wiring, you would be best sitting the the drivers seat now for full removal of the air bag, the torx bolts will stay where thay are as they are captive Fig 9
9

Turn the air bag clockwise and over and rest it on the steering wheel bottom rim upside down Fig 10-11
10

With the air bag turned over you will see a yellow and blue locking catch Fig 11
11

The yellow and blue locking catch will need to be removed next,do this with the thin small screwdriver Fig 12
12

This will prise open easy Fig 13
13

You can now lift the locking catch up fully Fig 14
14

The yellow wiring plug can now be disconnected by pulling up gently Fig 15
15

The air bag can now be set to one side out of the way, the next step is to unplug the steering wheel harness which serves the horn and remote audio, and the cruse control switch if fitted Fig 16
16

Press and pull free Fig 17-18
17

18

With the harness plug removed we/you can now remove the sreering wheel bolt 17mm Fig 19
19

Make a quick mental note of the lining up pointer on the steering wheel Fig 20
20

Make sure you have the steering wheel lock on with steering wheel in the up right postion as possible and fit the 17mm long socket and bar onto the bolt ready to release the bolt Fig 21
21

Hold the steering wheel also if you need to as the bolt can somtimes be very tight Fig 22
22

Once the bolt as released you can undo it with the socket or your fingers which ever you prefer Fig 23-25
23

24

25

With the bolt removed you will now be able to see the mark on the steering wheel column and the alignment pointer on the steering wheel Fig 26-27
26

27

Now you must feed the yellow air bag wiring and connector through the square hole in the top of the steering wheel as you slowly pull the wheel of the splines and column Fig 28
28

The steering wheel is now removed and the new one can replace it,Fig 29
29

Make sure though that you note the postion of the clockspring which the yellow wiring is connected to, you can even tape it up if you like in the postion it needs to be upright in this case to stop it turning but as you will have the new steering wheel next to you on the passenger seat hopefully you dont have to i did not. Fig 30
30

You can now fit the new steering wheel offer it up to the column making sure you align the pointer and the mark on the spline/column also thread through the yellow wiring if marks are aligned and you are happy push the steering wheel slowy onto the column Fig 31
31

Make sure the plug harness sits square in the top hole Fig 32
32

You can once again check that the marks are aligned by pulling the steering wheel up and little and feel if it moves freely Fig 33-34
33

34

If you are satisfied plug the harness back in at the top Fig 35-36
35

36

The next step is to fit the steering wheel bolt finger tight first Fig 37-38
37

38

Holding the steering wheel and the socket and bar in place fully tighten the bolts do not over tighten, i pinch it up and then a 3mm turn Fig 39
39

We are now ready to fit the air bag back into postion with the air bag cover upside down Fig 40
40

Now locate and offer the yellow locking catch to the air bag pushing down firmly until it plugs fully in Fig 41-42
41

42

Now push home the locking clip Fig 43
43

Make sure the clip is fully locked down Fig 44
44

You can now turn over and clockwise the air bag ready to refit Fig 45
45

With the air bag fitted back in postion it can be tightened back you with the two torx bolts from behind Fig 46
46

Reconnect the battery tast the horn and indicators etc Fig 47
47

Horns and all the rest working you can now tighten up the torx 30mm do not over tighten so you damage the torx end Fig 48
48

Job is now finshed good luck if you intend doing this job Arctic

Nice pics Steve, the only thing you forgot was the need to have someone creep up on you with a blown up empty crisp bag as you remove the airbag !

Nice one Steve. Hopefully I can make use of this if / when I fit my cruise control switches.......

Thanks Steve. Very detailed and informative. Gave me the confidence to change the clock spring without worrying too much about the airbag which was my biggest concern. I knew that I had all the tools I needed - there were no surprises waiting for me!
All done well within the hour.
A tip for anyone changing the clockspring which I have not seen elsewhere - there's a lot of importance given to getting the clock lined up correctly. Not to worry though, as long as the wheels are straight ahead, there's an white indicator on the clock spring that should be visible. As long you can see that, and the text is the right way up, you'll have no problems.
Thanks again.

Very useful guide as I will be fitting a refurbished steering wheel. I had not heard of the "clock spring" ...could you explain a little more about that and what it looks like, please?