8 replies to this topic

[jbartlett83]

Hello, I recently bought a '95 sidewalk and have been contemplating making some alterations. I should probably say that I have no mechanical experience before I continue.

I was tempted to buy a new steering wheel among other things as mine is fairly knackered but cannot for the life of me find out how to remove the steering wheel. If anyone can help me then I would very much appreciate it as google doesnt seem to have a clue.

Oh and I also dont seem to have an interior light fitting which causes the odd problem or two at night, if anyone knows a cheap/easy way to fit one or if it is even possible for a beginner like me then I would appreciate any advice given.
Thanks!!

Josh

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Edited by jbartlett83, 13 January 2008 - 09:01 PM.

[Pauly]

Hello fellow sidewalk owner!, welcome to the forum.

I would suggest you get a haynes manual as it covers most things you will do on a mini.

Removing the steering wheel isn't too hard, what I did was get a flat plade screw driver and prise the center cap off they take a bit of prising to get off but it should come out, make sure the road wheels are straight, then you need a socket of suitable size (forgot the size you need I think its 1" 5/16 not to sure), undo the nut so its loose you might need a long breaker bar for this, DO NOT TAKE THE NUT COMPLETELY OFF, then hit the wheel from the back either with your hands or a soft mallet to release it off the splines of the steering column, take the nut off and remove the wheel.

Hope that helps.

Edited by Pauly, 13 January 2008 - 09:18 PM.

[redhotmini]

yeah dont take the nut completely off, otherwise the steering wheel has a tendency to suddenly come flying off and smacking you in the face. once the steering wheel has become free from the splines, then unwind the nut fully and remove said steering wheel. fitting the new one is easy, make sure the road wheels are straight, and just drop the new steering wheel on. if it doesnt go on freely, make sure its lined up on the splines, it may need a wiggle to get it on (sounds a bit dodgy lol). once its on, fit the locking washer and nut, and tighten up.

like pauly says, a haynes manual is definately recommended.

[minimender]

When refitting loose fit and check for straight ahead position and correct cancellation of indicators by trying them and turning wheel back and to.
If not then adjust by pulling steering wheel off and moving round a bit until you get it right.
Then fit and tighten nut.

[Sprite_It_Up]

He is right i did that and almost knocked myself out lol, easy peasey job to do, make sure you get a friend or family member to hold the steering wheel while you undo the bolt holding it in place, cause putting too much pressure on it will break it and then you got bigger problems. like above, look in haynes manual dude. or should say on the 'boss' box that comes with it

[redhotmini]

and some of the boss's that come with your new steering wheel dont have the pins in for the self cancel. if thats the case, check in the box for two little roll pins - if you turn the boss upside down, you should see two small holes either side of the splined hole in the centre, thats where the roll pins fit. just tap them in carefully with a hammer.

[jbartlett83]

Hey guys thanks a lot for the help! And so incredibly quick Well to look at the steering wheel seems to be completely one-piece but I have have just been out and looked and now cannot believe I was so stupid I had assumed that the front would come off but couldnt see a seam. Anyways I will have a look around for a new steering wheel. Any suggestions?

Oh and any idea about the interior light? Has anyone fitted one themselves?

[Dan]

The car may have had a new headlining fitted and the interior lamp left out. Feel above the B pillar on the left side of the car, about 2" up from the top of the window and door frame. You should feel the bracket behind the headliner. Making sure you are cutting inside the rectangular mounting hole in the bracket, cut a cross in the headliner to the corners of the mounting and push the flaps of headliner back into the opening. Be careful doing this, you can only cut it once! You don't want to leave exposed metalwork if the cut isn't lined up with the mounting properly. You should find the wiring inside. An interior lamp can be found at any Mini specialist, such as the link to Mini Spares Centre at the bottom of every page of the forum.

Actually I've just searched Mini Spares and they don't seem to stock the correct lamp for your headlining which is a little odd. Try Moss Europe, the part number for the lamp you need is AFU3003. Or phone Mini Spares, it may just not be listed on the website.

Edited by Dan, 14 January 2008 - 12:05 PM.

[jbartlett83]

Well thankyou very much to everbody you have been a massive help! Now I need to decide what to buy first andhow much money to spend! I can see this becoming somewhat of an addiction haha. Oh and thanks for the recommendation to buy the Haynes manual, i picked one up today from my local motaman. It seems to have a lot of helpful stuff in it and I am sure it will come in handy more than once.