DIY: Replace dreaded steering-lock on 2009s and early 2010s.

akmofo · 01-25-2013, 03:57 PM

I'm pretty sure I read this whole thread, and no one has mentioned this yet..

say you take the whole thing apart, like Korrupt did here:

DIY: Replace dreaded steering-lock on 2009s and early 2010s.

Couldn't you just manually rotate the gear into the correct position (depressing the two buttons), then either cut the brown wire, pull the fuse, or possibly cut the motor power on the circuit board itself? (I haven't opened mine yet, going to do it tomorrow).

When the gear is in the position where the two switches are pushed in, is the mechanical lock pushed out and into the steering column? The pictures are hard to tell how the locking mechanism works, but he does say in the last picture "This piece has to be taped down or removed so that you can turn the wheel".

I know Fritz has mentioned he has some detailed instructions, but haven't gotten a response from him yet.

SouthArk370Z · 01-25-2013, 04:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by akmofo

Couldn't you just manually rotate the gear into the correct position (depressing the two buttons), then either cut the brown wire, pull the fuse, or possibly cut the motor power on the circuit board itself? (I haven't opened mine yet, going to do it tomorrow).

If the switches are still working, that should do the trick. If grease has gotten between the contacts, it sounds like you have the ability to cut traces and/or solder jumpers to get the proper open/close status. The proper positions are in one of the multitude of SLU posts (Links to posts about Steering Wheel Lock may help locate it, maybe not) or, IIRC, the FSM.

Quote:

Originally Posted by akmofo

When the gear is in the position where the two switches are pushed in, is the mechanical lock pushed out and into the steering column? The pictures are hard to tell how the locking mechanism works, but he does say in the last picture "This piece has to be taped down or removed so that you can turn the wheel".

I've never taken one apart, but going by what I've seen and read, the "lock pin" makes the switches when it retracts fully.

Good luck. Take pics and post a DIY when you figure it out.

akmofo · 01-25-2013, 04:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SouthArk370Z

If the switches are still working, that should do the trick. If grease has gotten between the contacts, it sounds like you have the ability to cut traces and/or solder jumpers to get the proper open/close status. The proper positions are in one of the multitude of SLU posts (Links to posts about Steering Wheel Lock may help locate it, maybe not) or, IIRC, the FSM.

I've never taken one apart, but going by what I've seen and read, the "lock pin" makes the switches when it retracts fully.

Good luck. Take pics and post a DIY when you figure it out.

Thanks,

It's sad I'm somewhat excited to rip this thing apart, out of spite to Nissan and their $1000 quote to fix it. Would probably be more excited not to have to do it at all.

Will be taking some hi-res photos with my SLR.

SouthArk370Z · 01-25-2013, 04:29 PM

It may not be the pin that makes the switches, it may be the plastic ring that the motor turns. It's been so long since I read those posts that I can't remember for sure. If you haven't done so already, download the FSM (any of the 2009-2011 should have the same info) LINK. LOTS of good info in there. If you have problems finding the info you need, let me know and I will see what I can do.

akmofo · 01-25-2013, 04:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SouthArk370Z

It may not be the pin that makes the switches, it may be the plastic ring that the motor turns. It's been so long since I read those posts that I can't remember for sure. If you haven't done so already, download the FSM (any of the 2009-2011 should have the same info) LINK. LOTS of good info in there. If you have problems finding the info you need, let me know and I will see what I can do.

Yeah, looking at it, I was thinking the interior section of the gear ring is what hits them.

bfowlzr33 · 01-25-2013, 09:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by akmofo

I'm pretty sure I read this whole thread, and no one has mentioned this yet..

say you take the whole thing apart, like Korrupt did here:

DIY: Replace dreaded steering-lock on 2009s and early 2010s.

Couldn't you just manually rotate the gear into the correct position (depressing the two buttons), then either cut the brown wire, pull the fuse, or possibly cut the motor power on the circuit board itself? (I haven't opened mine yet, going to do it tomorrow).

When the gear is in the position where the two switches are pushed in, is the mechanical lock pushed out and into the steering column? The pictures are hard to tell how the locking mechanism works, but he does say in the last picture "This piece has to be taped down or removed so that you can turn the wheel".

I know Fritz has mentioned he has some detailed instructions, but haven't gotten a response from him yet.

wtf! how come ive never seen this! +1 to you sir

akmofo · 01-26-2013, 12:20 PM

I haven't gotten to test this yet with my car as it's at the dealer, but pulled the thing apart today (which was a pain in the ***, and I kind of mangled it)

Here are the pics of the internals.

Also, made a video showing how the gear works, buttons get hit, and how to unlock the gear if it's locked in the outer position:

Nissan Steering Lock internals, and Unlocking from Locked Position - YouTube

Also, here are the high-res versions of the pictures. The forum only lets me do up to 600k.

https://picasaweb.google.com/1027199...eat=directlink

Background: the car is at the dealer, the dealer wanted $1000 to fix it, so I went there last night and pulled the part out and brought it home. What's weird is that when I pulled it out, it was already in the unlocked position, and I think the switches were being hit. but maybe not all the way in. Regardless, the temporary plan is to just leave the board/motor assembly out of the steering lock all together. The gear is in the unlocked position, and I'll put the board/motor assembly into something else so I can get the car home.

I will say that when I opened it up, you can see in the pictures that the switches were totally covered in grease.

I use a circuit tester, and tested the switches from the bottom of the board. (See the last picture of the bottom of the board). Going from left to right, and connectors 1-6.

When the switch is all the way out, 1, 3, 4, 6 are all connected.

When the switch is depressed (there's only in, no half-way as theorized by Fritz in other post).
1 and 6 get disconnected and 2,3,4,5 are all connected.

This leads me to believe that ripping the switches off the board completely wouldn't work. Also, I don't think if you were to solder 2,3,4,5 together it would work either, because 1 and 6 would still be connected.

SouthArk370Z · 01-26-2013, 02:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by akmofo

I haven't gotten to test this yet with my car as it's at the dealer, but pulled the thing apart today (which was a pain in the ***, and I kind of mangled it)...

Fantastic job! Repped.

Now if we could just find someone to reverse-engineer the electronics, a plugin module to fake out the BCM could be built. Maybe someone could build/sell them a lot cheaper than the ~$700 Nissan wants.

Baer383 · 01-26-2013, 03:03 PM

Your efforts are commendable but this has already been tried with no success the electrical parts are to fragile to be taken apart screwed around with and put back to together then expected to work.

akmofo · 01-26-2013, 04:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SouthArk370Z

Fantastic job! Repped.

Now if we could just find someone to reverse-engineer the electronics, a plugin module to fake out the BCM could be built. Maybe someone could build/sell them a lot cheaper than the ~$700 Nissan wants.

Now that I've gotten mine working again, I'd say the worst part of a self-repair is just getting the switch open. Took me probably an hour once I had my drill charged, and used the correct Dremel cutter.

It super easy to just move the gear back into the unlocked position, and pull the motor like I did then put it back together. All in all, it should only take a couple hours. I spent a lot longer trying to understand how everything worked, but really the only important parts are pulling the motor to prevent accidental lock engagement, and forcing the buttons down. You could even forgo reinstalling the lock all together (there would be an empty hole which could cause problems), put the board inside something, and/or tape the buttons the down.

01-25-2013, 04:29 PM	#4 (permalink)
SouthArk370Z Premium Member Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: South Arkansas Posts: 8,435 Drives: 2014 Challenger Rep Power: 324198	It may not be the pin that makes the switches, it may be the plastic ring that the motor turns. It's been so long since I read those posts that I can't remember for sure. If you haven't done so already, download the FSM (any of the 2009-2011 should have the same info) LINK. LOTS of good info in there. If you have problems finding the info you need, let me know and I will see what I can do. __________________ Steering Lock Links - Search The370Z Bookmarklet - FSM @ NICOclub Mankind has progressed past the need for war but we haven't evolved that far. - NachoMahma

01-26-2013, 03:03 PM	#9 (permalink)
Baer383 A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Lawrenceville,Ga Posts: 4,293 Drives: My foot up your azz Rep Power: 30	Your efforts are commendable but this has already been tried with no success the electrical parts are to fragile to be taken apart screwed around with and put back to together then expected to work. __________________ 2013 ZL1 754 rwhp 747 rwtq

Thread Tools
Show Printable Version Email this Page
Display Modes
Switch to Linear Mode Hybrid Mode Switch to Threaded Mode

Similar Threads
Thread	Thread Starter	Forum	Replies	Last Post
Just joined the "Dreaded Steering Lock Club"	Timotay	New Forum Member	2	03-06-2013 04:40 PM
Need a steering lock assembly!!	bfowlzr33	Wanted	8	01-02-2013 04:40 PM
Dreaded steering lock	Jim Roberts	Exterior & Interior	2	12-12-2012 03:08 PM
Steering lock repair	fritz	DIY Section (Do-It-Yourself)	38	02-22-2012 09:30 PM

01-25-2013, 03:57 PM	#1 (permalink)
akmofo Base Member Join Date: Jan 2013 Location: Nevada Posts: 22 Drives: 370z Rep Power: 13	I'm pretty sure I read this whole thread, and no one has mentioned this yet.. say you take the whole thing apart, like Korrupt did here: DIY: Replace dreaded steering-lock on 2009s and early 2010s. Couldn't you just manually rotate the gear into the correct position (depressing the two buttons), then either cut the brown wire, pull the fuse, or possibly cut the motor power on the circuit board itself? (I haven't opened mine yet, going to do it tomorrow). When the gear is in the position where the two switches are pushed in, is the mechanical lock pushed out and into the steering column? The pictures are hard to tell how the locking mechanism works, but he does say in the last picture "This piece has to be taped down or removed so that you can turn the wheel". I know Fritz has mentioned he has some detailed instructions, but haven't gotten a response from him yet.