Test drove a GMC Sierra 1500 Elevation (heated steering wheel)

Assuming that you disconnect the battery since you play around with the airbag?

 

@Rdrcr /Mike I'd give you a kiss if you were in front of me! Looking forward to the second step. I know there are videos but your comments on handling things are the types of thing that make a huge difference and most videos skim over.

THANKS

 

The spline bushing on the steering wheels is pressed in and not always 100% aligned from wheel to wheel. Final "dialing" of your steering wheel position (to make it straight up/down) can be done at an alignment shop.

 

Yes! It is highly highly recommended to disconnect the negative battery cable before starting work on swapping the steering wheel.

Mike

 

Waiting on mine to arrive - could have used it this morning when there was heavy layer of frost on everything.

 

Well, as luck will have it….I F’d my back up. It’s always fun re-aggravating an old injury…even more fun when you take an extra day off work to get things done around the property and…you can’t get them done, lol.

I probably won’t get the rest of this install done today. Sigh.

I’ll definitely follow up once I finish though.

Mike

 

Back injuries suck. Rest up and get better.

 

Okay, so my back is feeling marginally better today….at least good enough to be motivated to finish the heated steering wheel installation.

This installation would have been so much easier if I had an available switch blank on the left side of the dash, but, I didn’t. They’re all occupied. The only available switch blank my truck has is in the lower center dash panel right in front of the center console cup holders. So, that’s where I’m going to install the supplied OEM style heated switch.

With the negative battery cable still removed….

I started this process by removing the driver door opening sill trim panel and the kick panel. The sill trim is just held in with plastic clips and you just need to gently pull the panel starting from the rear and work your way forward. With that panel removed, you’ll need to remove the plastic nut on the kick panel near the firewall and gently pull the panel off. With these two panels out of the way, remove the two 10mm bolts/screws holding the lower driver dash panel. Now, gently pull the lower panel starting from the bottom and work your way around until the panel comes loose. There is no need to fully remove the panel. You can just leave it hanging. You’ll have more than enough room to do what you need to do.

From this point, I focused on gaining access to the lower center dash trim panel. To do this I removed the shift knob. Luckily there’s no magic trick, just twist the knob counter-clockwise and off it goes! I’m not sure if it is necessary but, I removed the top center console trim panel to help with gaining access to the lower dash panel. To do this, you’ll want some plastic trim removal tools on hand. You’ll need to lift the center console lid and work your trim tools in the gaps in the top panel near the latch area. I used two tools at once to get the panel separated. Take your time. With the top panel removed, I started on the lower center dash panel. I had a tough time getting a tool inserted between it and the HVAC control panel but, once again, patience paid off and I worked it free.

I removed the switch blank and installed the new heated steering wheel switch. It fit perfectly. No trimming or modification was required. It was now time to run the wiring to the switch. I routed the switch wiring through a small gap right where the lower dash trim meets the center console lid/lower dash area. I connected the wiring to the switch and reinstalled the lower dash trim panel.

To my surprise, I had a bit more wiring length than I originally thought. As I positioned the remaining leads, I realized that I could actually attach the ground cable and power cable without extending/splicing the wires. I removed 20 amp Door R/R fuse and installed the power wire/fuse holder in that socket. I then installed the 20 amp Door R/R fuse in the open slot in the power wire/fuse holder (please note that in my photo, the power wire/fuse holder is installed in the horn fuse slot, not in the Door R/R). There’s not much slack but, I then installed the ground wire on the lower dash trim bolt/screw. Now, reinstall the remaining trim panels and reconnect the negative battery cable. Done!

So, you may or may not need to extend the wiring for your insulation depending on where you locate your heated switch and how crafty you are with regards to running the wiring. I’m happy I didn’t have to but, I was fully prepared to do so if necessary.

I did my best to center the steering wheel but, it is off slightly and it’ll drive me insane so I’ll need to get an alignment done in the near future. And, with temperatures in the high 30’s today, I was able to use the heated steering wheel function and I can say that the steering wheel heats up nicely and the heat is throughout the rim. The overall feel and quality of the steering wheel is impressive, especially for the price. IMHO, it’s definitely worth the investment.

Mike

 

Mike,
So the horn fuse is powering your heated steering wheel? Don't you want a fuse that will power off when you turn off your truck?

 

Thanks for this!

 

Excellent question!
To be honest, I’m not sure. I figured that was what the switch is for…..but, I understand your concern. Leave the switch on….heated wheel stays on. Wiring ain’t my specialty.
Perhaps the OP can share the location he used for the power wire?

Thanks for posting this. Looks like I may have to get out my test light.

Mike

 

On mine you can leave the switch on the heat will shut down, I accidently left it on the first time I used it and when I came out the steering wheel was cold.
if you notice the light on the switch will go out, it is only on when the heat is on, a complaint by another, but not a big deal to me. I think it goes off when you open the door.
Tonight it was 50 when I got home but tomorrow morning it will be 18, so I turned it on when I pulled in the driveway, so when I remote start tomorrow the wheel heat comes on as well.

 

sorry should have read it all, 20 Door R/R fuse location.

 

^^^^
Thank you!

I’ll swap the power wire location and edit my post to the correct my error.

Mike

 

not to say mine is 100% correct the video I watched on the install did not match my fuse box so I asked a friend that does upfitting his thoughts and that was the one he suggested.

 

^^^^
Understood. Sounds good. If I need to make any additional adjustments to my setup or post(s), I’ll definitely make the correction public.

Mike

 

It would be nice if they offered a turn key kit. But may try to source all the missing components from Toyota probably a impossible task.

 

They don't make a kit, persey, and the LC200 heated wheel has a different clockspring/function than us peasant Tundra-folk...this is the best thing available with much less work then one thinks...wheels are easy to remove and the clock spring isn't complicated...to those who would rather not, just take the trim off the steering wheel hub and see what you're working with...easier than you think if you try!

 

Looking at doing this myself, thanks for the write up. Since we're removing the clock spring here, what can be marked to keep the steering wheel alignment as close as possible to center? Really want to avoid the cost of an alignment to straighten out the steering wheel if at all possible...

 

Start with your tires/wheels and steering wheel being as straight as possible...when you throw the new wheel on, visual check it...there are splines you can lock into so if it's off a smidge, do your best to clock it correctly...it all starts with the "prep."

 

The new wheel splines are not as precise as the OEM wheel (I assumed they were identical). I did my best, but I’m still off a little and being as anal as I am, I’m going to have to get my truck realigned.

However, you may have better luck positioning the wheel. One thing I didn’t do, was test fit the new wheel before moving forward with the install. Doing this may help finding that perfect position before finishing the install.

Mike

 

The splines are going to clock in about 5* increments and they are directly on the spindle shaft for the steering. You are at the mercy of how the new steering wheel was jigged up when the spline bushing was pressed into it by the manufacturer, and there are going to be some variations there. You aren't going to be able to "adjust" anything other than making sure it is grossly clocked the same way as the wheel you removed - if you clock the wheel one spline spacing left or right it will be really obvious that it isn't right (assuming you have the wheels pointed straight when you start the whole process). If it isn't exactly to your liking, then it will take an alignment to dial in the final amount of "tweak" to get it lined up.

 

Received mine today. Opened the box to discover the clock spring retainer rattling around inside the box.


So now I've for a message in to the seller about how to proceed.

 

I have to open mine, this makes me think I should do that soon.

 

Please let us know their response.

Mike

 

Is easy enough to center them, but I still would rather it have arrived pinned at “factory” center.

Centering one involves turning it one way till it “bumps” (without pushing further), then counting rotations the other way until it “bumps”, then coming back half the total number of turns to then align the two triangle marks. But the “half the total turns” is nearly 180* out from the triangle mark so I’m not sure which way I should be erring to get it to that center/home position. And maybe it doesn’t matter…I guess I could go see how many turns of the wheel before I hit my steering limits and use that to decide if I should be concerned.

They responded asking for a picture, which I just sent (of the clock spring sitting in the box on top of the wheel and the green clip loose in the bottom). So I’ll wait for the next reply.

 

My 2014 Nissan Altima 3.5SL had that....it's a beautiful thing. I really miss it. Almost better than heated seats, which my Tundra doesn't have either.

 

So this is a direct bolt on replacement, and all the controls work?

 

you transfer all your parts to this wheel and every steering wheel control I had still works.

I think heater steering wheel is better than heated seats.

 

Same here and me too.

And, I’d add that the new steering wheel itself is much nicer than OEM.

Mike