No horn, Cruise control's bad and my Airbag light is on?

[Paxtonb]

First off- Whoaaaa... I'm finally a WRX owner. FIRST POST!
Just bought a salvaged 2002 WRX wagon last week (in great shape!) 21,376 miles. Replaced front bumper, headlight and driver's side airbag system +module and sensors. Everything else is like new on the car. Don't asked what I paid cause you'll hate me.
Here's the problem: The cruise control doesn't work (however the cruise control button lights up when pushed) and neither does the horn. Additionally, the airbag light is on. I've done a few days worth of reading posts and from what I can figure, the roll harness in the steering wheel is bad. Has anyone had this problem or know how to go about fixing it? Could it be something else I'm overlooking?
Thanks,
PaXrw

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[Uncle Scotty]

Maybe a MOD can move this into the Elec. & lighting forum so it can be discussed there.

[Mulder]

Maybe it will be moved, I can't do it unfortunately.
It does sound like the roll connector or "clock spring" is bad. It may have been damaged as a result of the airbag deployment. The fix is to install a new one, which will require taking the steering wheel apart again.

[JenisonWRX]

I'm also curious ... I've seen this exact problem before and I wasnt sure how to fix it.

[aura781]

its definitely the clock spring thats bad. I had the same thing b4.

heres the link to the guy who shows how to tear apart the steering wheel.

http://forums.nasioc.com/forums/show...hreadid=554611

p.s. his advice on changing the connector save me the money of getting a new clock spring.

[Paxtonb]

Appropriate posts in appropriate sections, makes sense. I will pay more attention next time!

So, how can I tell if the clock spring or roll connector is bad? Also, if I buy a new roll connector does it come with the clock spring? I've inlcuded a link to one that's for sell on e-bay. Can anybody tell me if this includes the clock spring?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...spagename=WDVW

[aura781]

this is the clock spring that went bad in mine. USD$25 is a steal. Best ask the seller for pictures of all the connectors that come out of the clock spring. i think there's a total of 4.

I m not too familiar with the various subaru models, this bugeye GL of mine being the first one i hv driven.

Best of luck! i know how it feels to drive w/o a horn.

[Paxtonb]

Just an update:
The roll connector was indeed damaged. I spent a good two hours pulling apart the steering wheel and replacing the RC. Here are some pointers for anyone who attempts to do this themselves.
1) Make sure you unhook the negative battery cable, let the car sit for 10 minutes and push in the brake for a good 20 seconds before removing the airbag.
2) Leave the nut on the last few threads of the steering wheel when pulling it loose. You will give yourself a broken nose if you attempt to remove it without leaving the nut in place. Trust me.
3) Make sure to remove all plastic trim around the steering column and the trim under the dash. The roll connector will not come out, and you won't be able to run the wires trough the steering column unless you remove all of it.
4) When inserting the new roll connector, don't spin it 2.65 turns to the right until you screwed it in place.
5) Make sure the little gray rubber pins on the front of the RC fit in the appropriate spots on the steering wheel. Also, make sure the arrow on the RC is point UP before putting the steering wheel on.
6) One last thing, the plugs that connected the RC to and from the Airbag are a pain to disconnect. Push the white tab in, pull the green tab back then release the white tab while still pulling back on the green tab. The plug should pull apart easily.
Hope this helps anyone who has the misfortune of having their RC take a cr*p.

[nhluhr]

Originally posted by Paxtonb
First off- Whoaaaa... I'm finally a WRX owner. FIRST POST!
Just bought a salvaged 2002 WRX wagon last week (in great shape!) 21,376 miles. Replaced front bumper, headlight and driver's side airbag system +module and sensors. Everything else is like new on the car. Don't asked what I paid cause you'll hate me.
Here's the problem: The cruise control doesn't work (however the cruise control button lights up when pushed) and neither does the horn. Additionally, the airbag light is on. I've done a few days worth of reading posts and from what I can figure, the roll harness in the steering wheel is bad. Has anyone had this problem or know how to go about fixing it? Could it be something else I'm overlooking?
Thanks,
PaXrw

It is possible that there is a problem in the steering wheel... however,

I had the same symptoms recently on a WRX and the issue turned out to be a little tiny short circuit on the wire going to the horn - the insulation had rubbed through on the metal where it comes through from the engine bay to in front of the radiator.

There is a fuse for this circuit in the engine-bay-fusebox. I believe it's a 20amp (blue) fuse. Check it out, it's probably blown.

If it is blown, go to the store and buy a box of replacement 20amp fuses cause the troubleshooting you're gonna do will burn several of them up.

put in a new fuse and stand over the engine bay while a friend presses the horn button. If the horn sounds no problem, your problem is not related to the horn but rather the CC lever or the Airbag wiring. If the horn doesn't fire, you will just barely be able to hear a little pop of electricity (in addition to the relay beginning to flop over). That little pop will be where the short circuit is. Of course, check all visual spots first. If you didn't hear it, maybe the short is in the steering wheel area - take off the plastic shroud on the bottom of the wheel and unbolt the airbag (do this with the battery disconnected and the wheels turned straight after having rolled straight forward for several feet to where you parked - the service manual cautions to do this to prevent triggering some sort of possible Airbag firing). You will need Torx drivers to unbolt the airbag module. The service manual ( techinfo.subaru.com ) has several troubleshooting sections on how to determine what is wrong with it.

[blkwrx02]

There is a recal on the 02 WRX cruse control. Take it to a dealer.

[Uncle Scotty]

Originally posted by blkwrx02
There is a recal on the 02 WRX cruse control. Take it to a dealer.

....and the recall has NOTHING to do with this thread.

The recall is for the cable.

[drunkguy]

i'm not trying to make money here, but help ya out.


I've got a stock '03 cruise control unit(part under the hood) that was only on the car for a few thousand miles.

Let me know if you want it.

Or if there is any other part of the CC you want, i can defantly try and get it out of the car for ya.

[Paxtonb]

Maybe, I wasn't clear....
It was the roll connector that was bad. After I took the old RC out, I opened it up to find the flat wire had completely severed itself from the internal plug.
I guess this is very common when a) airbags are actuated or b) steering wheels are removed for one reason or another and not put back together properly.
The RC kept my horn, cruise control, and airbag system from functioning, but everything is operational now.

[DumbUglyDragon]

Who the hell needs cruise control?!

[Uncle Scotty]

Originally posted by DumbUglyDragon
Who the hell needs cruise control?!

You don't drive on the highway much, do ya....