Removing steering wheel

[Legoman]

Leather rooted. Needs a recover. How do I remove the steering wheel without setting off the airbag?

[shogun]

this is from E34, will help http://bmwe32.masscom.net/billrickar...eringwheel.htm
E34, E32 retrofit steering wheel info also has good drawings/instructions https://bmweba.com/eba-01-29-9-788-348/
The battery must be disconnected, before you start

On my 11/88 without airbag and nut: At first, turn ignition on and off. This will disable the steering wheel locking mechanism. Without doing this procedure you can't remove the steering wheel. After that, leave your keys in the ignition.
http://bmwe32.masscom.net/sean750/da...usterBulbs.htm

shop manual page 32-33/1 says: pull off steering wheel - for version with nut this is only possible after unlocking the steering lock. https://www.bmwtechinfo.com/repair/main/481en/index.htm
That means for me (at least I understand it like that), if there is a bolt, this is not necessary. I just mention that with unlocking the steering lock, because I once broke the pin of the turn signal lever, because I did not do this.
Maybe someone can confirm that this is not necessary with the bolt version.

[Legoman]

Brilliant, thanks for that. The E34 instructions look perfect. That's the same wheel I have in my E32. Next question: I want to recover the wheel with a Parchment colour stitch to match the upholstery because the whole thing is just too much black being black leather with a black stitch, a black airbag boss topped off with a black roundel logo in the middle.

In order to give the trimmer the correct colour, where can I get the correct Paint (RAL/Glasurit)/RGB/Pantone colour codes for PERGAMENT LEDER (0440) from?

[f00g0057]

https://www.bmwtechinfo.com/repair/main/481en/index.htm[/URL]
That means for me (at least I understand it like that), if there is a bolt, this is not necessary. I just mention that with unlocking the steering lock, because I once broke the pin of the turn signal lever, because I did not do this.
Maybe someone can confirm that this is not necessary with the bolt version.

Thanks, now I know why my left turn signal doesn't reset after a turn. They removed my steering wheel when they changed the rod to the steering box. And didn't center the wheel when done.

[shogun]

Either get a new, used turn signal lever, or repair it. There are many different versions of turn signal levers, with airbag, without, etc. I had 5 used levers on stock and no one fitted 100%, so I drilled out the rivets of the housing of the original one and another one, and just transfered the return plastic pin and closed the housing with some thin bolts/nuts, works now since more than 5 yrs

[gregeast]

The short answer is to disconnect the battery and wait 30 minutes

[Legoman]

When getting a colour-coded ///M stitch done on a wheel recover, which colour line of stitch goes to the outside (closest to the driver), blue or red? I've tried doing a google image search on such factory wheels for new cars, but it doesn't seem to be a 'thing' anymore. They appear to be all black now.

[shogun]

On the E36 M3 blue comes closest to the driver, red stitches towards center board, see here http://www.leather-restoration.co.uk...?identifier=17
https://www.reddit.com/r/BMW/comment...wheels_i_wrap/
https://www.bimmerforums.com/forum/s...eering-Wheel**

[MFever]

I have a 90 aibag car... how hard is it to do the opposite? I want to install a alpina 3 spoke non airbag wheel.

[shogun]

I assume you have to disconnect the airbag control module. Never done such a change, also check if that modification is street legal. In some countries removing the airbag system is not street legal. Where I live they even check during the inspection the airbag light function in the cluster.

[MFever]

No one checks here... just wondering if there would be issues with the splines... would the hub fit on the airbag column?

[The Chauffeur]

I have a 90 aibag car... how hard is it to do the opposite? I want to install a alpina 3 spoke non airbag wheel.

It's actually very straightforward when you know what type of column you have. I did it on mine (e34, though, I assume it's almost, if not the same); the e34 had at least three different types of hub during production, I assume the e32 went thru similar changes.

As someone mentioned before, disconnect the battery and wait for a while. Remove and disconnect the airbag from the wheel, and then the wheel itself; after that, it's just a question of following the orange connectors to remove the module, and also the crash sensors from the engine bay.

[Legoman]

Trying to remove my steering wheel now, but this doesn't look like any of the above guides. I don't have two screws in the lower section of the column shroud at all. I have a single plastic flange expanding rivet instead and another the same in the middle of the top shroud as well. That's it for visible exposed fasteners. I've removed both, but it doesn't make anything look even remotely likely to move. How are the shroud halves connected together if not by screws?

There's already a crack in the lower shroud from where it looks like someone's had a go at removing it before and cracked it, so I don't want to make this even worse if I can possibly help it.

This is what I have. How does this come apart without snapping all the plastic?
https://www.realoem.com/bmw/en/showparts?id=GD82-EUR-07-1992-E32-BMW-740iL&diagId=32_1928

[Timm]

They are joined by fixings molded into the two halves - best tool is a wide plastic trim remover - they come apart with an awful crack - not for the faint hearted!

[The Chauffeur]

I have the same shrouds on mine. One thing that works for me is to shove a finger thru the opening for the turn signal stalk, then you just pull it down gently but firmly (if that makes any sense), to unsnap the tab closest to the opening; after that, the rest of them will be easier. I've removed them many times, and luckily, all the tabs have survived

[Legoman]

Thanks for that. I ended up using a plastic paint scraper to wedge in the seam between the two halves and used that to slowly lever them apart. I couldn't use the finger in the stalk opening holes strategy I'm afraid as that's precisely where the pre-existing crack is that I didn't want to make any worse. There are blanking sections in the lower half with no reinforcement ribs behind in the moulding with a much reduced plastic thickness for easy snapping open along break lines for the purpose of using the same piece for either RHD or LHD vehicles and for various equipment levels (cruise control or non-cruise control etc.). It is one of these blanking sections in my lower shroud that hasn't been snapped out for an extra stalk on the LHS that my car doesn't have, where the crack is. As it's a section that's designed to snap out very easily, it really wasn't going to take any more stressing at all, so I had to avoid that area entirely.