Steering wheel controls

I bought a double DIN unit and plan to install. Not interested in putting in a PAC system.

Can the steering wheel buttons just be removed? I feel two screw holes in the back of the wheel...does that allow access to how the buttons are attached?

Thoughts??

You don't need to remove the buttons them selves as far as I know. Just disconnecting or not hooking up the wires to the radio will suffice.

No, I want to remove them to not have them there period...no use having them, if they don't work......

can they be removed?

I don't know.

Rickw wrote:

I don't know.

I know... Mr. Turtleman himself did this AWESOME modification........

Just unscrew and unclip...

When you take them off, is there an obvious void where they used to be? Or can you not even tell they were there in the first place? Mine don't work and the paint is all rubbed off, it's the worst looking part of my interior.

The airbag is left with very minor indentations but the steering wheel itsself will have a noticable gap between the wheel and the airbag, where the brackets went through to mount the buttons. I've had mine off for about 5 months and it's still got a bit of a gap even after an attempt at reconditioning the edges to a straighter position with heat and force.

1995 Riviera all steering wheel control buttons are inop

That's your second post. Now you'll have to do MUCH better than that if your expecting any kind of help.
Or are you just letting us know that your buttons are inop. If so, congratulations.

Hi Sanger.

Yep, Rick has a point, it's a little tough to tell what's going on and this is not a common problem.

If all the buttons are inoperable I'd suspect a broken ground connection in the column.

For the rest of you reading this: What you may not be aware of is that the steering wheel switches are only that - switches that put a different resistance (depending on which switch you press) onto one circuit or another (radio or climate control in our case). This causes a certain voltage signal to be sent into the wiring harness to the component. If the radio switches work but the climate control does not, probably start troubleshooting at the radio and work your way back up into the steering column. Most likely a loose connector or pinched/cut wire. Likewise for the climate control. But if all the switches are out, problem as likely as not is in the wiring inside the steering column. Use the "search" function on this site to find a write up about how to tear-down the steering column to repair the tilt wheel to get an idea of what you might be getting into to execute this repair. Not particularly difficult but time consuming and involving removing the air bag--a very specific task.

Albertj


PS to Sanger: Has you car been wrecked or stolen? Did you get it new/used from where/who? tell us that too it will be helpful.

Albertj

And........

when worse comes to worse...when all is sed and done....and the cows have come home....and the fat lady has sung....and the early bird caught the worm....Sanger's hand can be held while he attempts to fix it himself !

Jump right in and tell him what the problem is and the recommended fix based on the information we have so far.

sounds like the OP needs a FSM to diagnose this problem. Keep an eye out for factory service manuals, they regularly appear on ebay, or you can buy one directly from 'helm, inc.' The FSM has troubelshooting info for your question.

i think the problem lies in the area of the daby doober. when i delved into that area i found the doohiky all tangled up with the booble banger..i had a hell of a time disengaging the doubledingle,but in the end it all boiled down to the daby doober...so..ya know..it all boils down to experience......

robotennis61 wrote:

i think the problem lies in the area of the daby doober. when i delved into that area i found the doohiky all tangled up with the booble banger..i had a hell of a time disengaging the doubledingle,but in the end it all boiled down to the daby doober...so..ya know..it all boils down to experience......

guys, no need to be complete jerks here. just ignore it if you don't want to help him.

There's not much technical here besides the "daby doober," which I'm having a lot of trouble trying to identify in the FSM -- I think it might be the clockspring in the steering wheel but I am not sure. The steering wheel buttons are wired thru that clockspring. I've never heard of a clockspring failing BUT I saw last week that Ed Morad has one posted for sale so I suspect he's sold more than one.

Albertj

As if there aren't enough fuses scattered around in all the different fuse blocks, my manual says that there is also a 2 amp steering column fuse at the base of the column...

Eldo wrote:

As if there aren't enough fuses scattered around in all the different fuse blocks, my manual says that there is also a 2 amp steering column fuse at the base of the column...

They are right, and it is no big deal. When you remove the panel under the dash that fuse practically falls into your face unless you anchor it with a clip or ziptie.

Albertj

albertj wrote:

Eldo wrote:

As if there aren't enough fuses scattered around in all the different fuse blocks, my manual says that there is also a 2 amp steering column fuse at the base of the column...

They are right, and it is no big deal. When you remove the panel under the dash that fuse practically falls into your face unless you anchor it with a clip or ziptie.

Albertj

Cool... Sanger is going to try it this weekend.

BUT, if it works I get the +point!! My Contribution ratio is plenty good, but I need more integrity points, dammit... .
.

Took the panel off this morning but did'nt see any fuses....Wondering if Albertj could be correct with it being the clockspring. Thanks for the input.

What do you mean by "Clockspring" ???

1995-99 Buick Riviera Clockspring

The clock spring in your car is a very important part of your vehicle?s airbag system. The clock spring sits behind the air bag and allows the mounting of steering wheel mounted accessories such as cruise control and audio controls. It also provides power to the airbag so it can deploy during a crash. The electrical connections to the steering wheel and the airbag have to be in the form of a spring because the steering wheel turns and the electrical connection must be maintained no matter the angle of the steering wheel. Over time and many turns the clock spring wears out and may cause failure of electrical components on the steering wheel or worse, failure of the airbag to deploy. If your airbag light is on or your steering wheel mounted controls aren?t working anymore, replace your clock spring