14-16 MDX Heated Steering Wheel DIY
#1
Instructor
Thread Starter
14-16 MDX Heated Steering Wheel DIY
Below are my pictures I took while installing my heated steering wheel on my 16 MDX. Sorry some of the pictures are blurry, I was doing this late at night with my phone camera on my own. Most of the pictures are self explanatory and just add color to the install instructions referenced. I will provide a couple of tips when I feel are warranted.
Install instructions are at: https://estore.honda.com/acura/accessories/installation-instructions/list.asp?year=2014&model=MDX&modelName=MDX
After removing the two airbag hex bolts, swing the airbag up from the bottom up like in the picture. Then pull down on the white tabs on each side of the plug for the gray and green plug till the plug disconnects. The white tabs must be pulled down on both sides simultaneously for the plug to disconnect. Then for the black plug with the purple wire connected to it, I used a trim tool corner and pushed on the indention of the plug where it says 'push' on it and pulled down on the plug using my other hand after hearing a click indicating the plug was disconnected from the tab it connects to.
Be sure to scribe a mark with a sharpie from the white plastic wire holder mounted to the steering straight down all the way till it touches the steering wheel key hole. Doing this will make it easy to to align your steering wheel after transferring the white plastic wire holder to your new wheel and your car should drive straight with the wheel centered afterward.
I did not do this and had to take my wheel off two times after the fact to get it lined up correctly, when loosening your wheel it is going to turn a little bit if you can have someone hold the wheel while you loosen it, it will be easier to remove. Also, I did not need a steering wheel puller, the wheel easily came off after removing the steering wheel bolt.
I used an old half inch torque wrench to loosen the the 10mm hex steering wheel bolt, I only use this torque wrench for loosening as it hasn't torqued bolts to spec in years. Do not use a torque wrench you use to torque bolts with as loosening with a torque wrench can negatively affect it's calibration. I would have used my impact to loosen the bolt but the baby was asleep in the room above the garage, use breaker bar, or long 1/2" ratchet, good luck if you use a 3/8" ratchet...
After unclipping this panel I disconnected the engine start/stop button first, then the temp sensor, then I slid the temp sensor hose off of it and pulled the temp sensor hose up and off the holster it is held onto by the panel and then removed the panel. When reinstalling, make sure to put the hose back into the holster or you likely won't be able to get the panel clipped down at all the points of contact.
Here I'm just showing how to remove the steering wheel cable reel/steering angle sensor. There are 3 tabs, I disconnected the top first, then the two sides ones and slid it off the pegs it sits on. From there I used two trim tools, one on each side and removed the steering angle sensor from the old steering wheel reel and then installed on the new reel.
Picture of the new steering wheel reel with the steering wheel angle sensor mounted to it, notice the new port on the bottom of the new steering wheel reel for the heating element in the new wheel. The old reel doesn't have that port.
Picture showing where the plug for the heating element is taped to, cut it loose and remove the plug cover on it.
Mount your new steering cable reel and then connect the 3 old plugs to it along with the new heated steering wheel plug. I believe there might be a tie to mount the new heated steering wheel wire to if you want to use it, can't remember off the top of my head.
From here it is smooth sailing, I recommend going inside with a screwdriver and some trim tools, get comfortable sitting on the couch and transfer all of your switches/hardware from the old wheel to the new one following honda's instructions. This was probably the most time consuming portion of the install and my back was killing me afterward since I did this standing up in my garage. Make sure you connect all plugs to their respective ports on the new steering wheel before mounting the new wheel up.
Put everything back together, double check you connected each plug, especially your two new plugs added for the heating element before snapping panel(s) back in place. When you're done, start the car, verify all switches on the steering wheel work and then enjoy your new christmas lights, mine came on after driving about a tenth of a mile. Take your car for a quick drive and make sure the wheel is pointed straight.
All codes being thrown are related to steering, ie AWD, Traction, Vehicle Stability, Etc. It has been reported in the thread below and in the instructions that you may need to clear codes with an HDS along with having them reset your steering wheel cable reel sensor. If that is the case it should only take them 10 minutes to do. I figured worse case is they have to recalibrate the steering angle sensor using an HDS. My appointment is this Friday and I will follow up the thread to confirm or amend this. Good luck, if anything is unclear please post your questions/comments and I will do my best to respond.
Heated steering wheel install troubles - Acura MDX Forum : Acura MDX SUV Forums
Install instructions are at: https://estore.honda.com/acura/accessories/installation-instructions/list.asp?year=2014&model=MDX&modelName=MDX
After removing the two airbag hex bolts, swing the airbag up from the bottom up like in the picture. Then pull down on the white tabs on each side of the plug for the gray and green plug till the plug disconnects. The white tabs must be pulled down on both sides simultaneously for the plug to disconnect. Then for the black plug with the purple wire connected to it, I used a trim tool corner and pushed on the indention of the plug where it says 'push' on it and pulled down on the plug using my other hand after hearing a click indicating the plug was disconnected from the tab it connects to.
Be sure to scribe a mark with a sharpie from the white plastic wire holder mounted to the steering straight down all the way till it touches the steering wheel key hole. Doing this will make it easy to to align your steering wheel after transferring the white plastic wire holder to your new wheel and your car should drive straight with the wheel centered afterward.
I did not do this and had to take my wheel off two times after the fact to get it lined up correctly, when loosening your wheel it is going to turn a little bit if you can have someone hold the wheel while you loosen it, it will be easier to remove. Also, I did not need a steering wheel puller, the wheel easily came off after removing the steering wheel bolt.
I used an old half inch torque wrench to loosen the the 10mm hex steering wheel bolt, I only use this torque wrench for loosening as it hasn't torqued bolts to spec in years. Do not use a torque wrench you use to torque bolts with as loosening with a torque wrench can negatively affect it's calibration. I would have used my impact to loosen the bolt but the baby was asleep in the room above the garage, use breaker bar, or long 1/2" ratchet, good luck if you use a 3/8" ratchet...
After unclipping this panel I disconnected the engine start/stop button first, then the temp sensor, then I slid the temp sensor hose off of it and pulled the temp sensor hose up and off the holster it is held onto by the panel and then removed the panel. When reinstalling, make sure to put the hose back into the holster or you likely won't be able to get the panel clipped down at all the points of contact.
Here I'm just showing how to remove the steering wheel cable reel/steering angle sensor. There are 3 tabs, I disconnected the top first, then the two sides ones and slid it off the pegs it sits on. From there I used two trim tools, one on each side and removed the steering angle sensor from the old steering wheel reel and then installed on the new reel.
Picture of the new steering wheel reel with the steering wheel angle sensor mounted to it, notice the new port on the bottom of the new steering wheel reel for the heating element in the new wheel. The old reel doesn't have that port.
Picture showing where the plug for the heating element is taped to, cut it loose and remove the plug cover on it.
Mount your new steering cable reel and then connect the 3 old plugs to it along with the new heated steering wheel plug. I believe there might be a tie to mount the new heated steering wheel wire to if you want to use it, can't remember off the top of my head.
From here it is smooth sailing, I recommend going inside with a screwdriver and some trim tools, get comfortable sitting on the couch and transfer all of your switches/hardware from the old wheel to the new one following honda's instructions. This was probably the most time consuming portion of the install and my back was killing me afterward since I did this standing up in my garage. Make sure you connect all plugs to their respective ports on the new steering wheel before mounting the new wheel up.
Put everything back together, double check you connected each plug, especially your two new plugs added for the heating element before snapping panel(s) back in place. When you're done, start the car, verify all switches on the steering wheel work and then enjoy your new christmas lights, mine came on after driving about a tenth of a mile. Take your car for a quick drive and make sure the wheel is pointed straight.
All codes being thrown are related to steering, ie AWD, Traction, Vehicle Stability, Etc. It has been reported in the thread below and in the instructions that you may need to clear codes with an HDS along with having them reset your steering wheel cable reel sensor. If that is the case it should only take them 10 minutes to do. I figured worse case is they have to recalibrate the steering angle sensor using an HDS. My appointment is this Friday and I will follow up the thread to confirm or amend this. Good luck, if anything is unclear please post your questions/comments and I will do my best to respond.
Heated steering wheel install troubles - Acura MDX Forum : Acura MDX SUV Forums
Last edited by tommypenguin; 12-20-2016 at 11:58 AM.
The following 4 users liked this post by tommypenguin:
#2
Bravo. You are braver then I am and I do a lot of tinkering. The heated steering wheel is the one thing I miss on my '17. It baffles me that it doesn't come standard when you get heated seats. I've had a heated steering wheel on lesser model cars as part of the cold weather package. I had no need to step up to the advance package just to get this. The dealer said they could do it, but it was like $550ish for He wheel and another $300+ for The labor. I kind of wish I had it done and let them roll it into the monthly payment
#3
Below are my pictures I took while installing my heated steering wheel on my 16 MDX. Sorry some of the pictures are blurry, I was doing this late at night with my phone camera on my own. Most of the pictures are self explanatory and just add color to the install instructions referenced. I will provide a couple of tips when I feel are warranted.
Install instructions are at: https://estore.honda.com/acura/accessories/installation-instructions/list.asp?year=2014&model=MDX&modelName=MDX
After removing the two airbag hex bolts, swing the airbag up from the bottom up like in the picture. Then pull down on the white tabs on each side of the plug for the gray and green plug till the plug disconnects. The white tabs must be pulled down on both sides simultaneously for the plug to disconnect. Then for the black plug with the purple wire connected to it, I used a trim tool corner and pushed on the indention of the plug where it says 'push' on it and pulled down on the plug using my other hand after hearing a click indicating the plug was disconnected from the tab it connects to.
Be sure to scribe a mark with a sharpie from the white plastic wire holder mounted to the steering straight down all the way till it touches the steering wheel key hole. Doing this will make it easy to to align your steering wheel after transferring the white plastic wire holder to your new wheel and your car should drive straight with the wheel centered afterward.
I did not do this and had to take my wheel off two times after the fact to get it lined up correctly, when loosening your wheel it is going to turn a little bit if you can have someone hold the wheel while you loosen it, it will be easier to remove. Also, I did not need a steering wheel puller, the wheel easily came off after removing the steering wheel bolt.
I used an old half inch torque wrench to loosen the the 10mm hex steering wheel bolt, I only use this torque wrench for loosening as it hasn't torqued bolts to spec in years. Do not use a torque wrench you use to torque bolts with as loosening with a torque wrench can negatively affect it's calibration. I would have used my impact to loosen the bolt but the baby was asleep in the room above the garage, use breaker bar, or long 1/2" ratchet, good luck if you use a 3/8" ratchet...
After unclipping this panel I disconnected the engine start/stop button first, then the temp sensor, then I slid the temp sensor hose off of it and pulled the temp sensor hose up and off the holster it is held onto by the panel and then removed the panel. When reinstalling, make sure to put the hose back into the holster or you likely won't be able to get the panel clipped down at all the points of contact.
Here I'm just showing how to remove the steering wheel cable reel/steering angle sensor. There are 3 tabs, I disconnected the top first, then the two sides ones and slid it off the pegs it sits on. From there I used two trim tools, one on each side and removed the steering angle sensor from the old steering wheel reel and then installed on the new reel.
Picture of the new steering wheel reel with the steering wheel angle sensor mounted to it, notice the new port on the bottom of the new steering wheel reel for the heating element in the new wheel. The old reel doesn't have that port.
Picture showing where the plug for the heating element is taped to, cut it loose and remove the plug cover on it.
Mount your new steering cable reel and then connect the 3 old plugs to it along with the new heated steering wheel plug. I believe there might be a tie to mount the new heated steering wheel wire to if you want to use it, can't remember off the top of my head.
From here it is smooth sailing, I recommend going inside with a screwdriver and some trim tools, get comfortable sitting on the couch and transfer all of your switches/hardware from the old wheel to the new one following honda's instructions. This was probably the most time consuming portion of the install and my back was killing me afterward since I did this standing up in my garage. Make sure you connect all plugs to their respective ports on the new steering wheel before mounting the new wheel up.
Put everything back together, double check you connected each plug, especially your two new plugs added for the heating element before snapping panel(s) back in place. When you're done, start the car, verify all switches on the steering wheel work and then enjoy your new christmas lights, mine came on after driving about a tenth of a mile. Take your car for a quick drive and make sure the wheel is pointed straight.
All codes being thrown are related to steering, ie AWD, Traction, Vehicle Stability, Etc. It has been reported in the thread below and in the instructions that you may need to clear codes with an HDS along with having them reset your steering wheel cable reel sensor. If that is the case it should only take them 10 minutes to do. I figured worse case is they have to recalibrate the steering angle sensor using an HDS. My appointment is this Friday and I will follow up the thread to confirm or amend this. Good luck, if anything is unclear please post your questions/comments and I will do my best to respond.
Heated steering wheel install troubles - Acura MDX Forum : Acura MDX SUV Forums
Install instructions are at: https://estore.honda.com/acura/accessories/installation-instructions/list.asp?year=2014&model=MDX&modelName=MDX
After removing the two airbag hex bolts, swing the airbag up from the bottom up like in the picture. Then pull down on the white tabs on each side of the plug for the gray and green plug till the plug disconnects. The white tabs must be pulled down on both sides simultaneously for the plug to disconnect. Then for the black plug with the purple wire connected to it, I used a trim tool corner and pushed on the indention of the plug where it says 'push' on it and pulled down on the plug using my other hand after hearing a click indicating the plug was disconnected from the tab it connects to.
Be sure to scribe a mark with a sharpie from the white plastic wire holder mounted to the steering straight down all the way till it touches the steering wheel key hole. Doing this will make it easy to to align your steering wheel after transferring the white plastic wire holder to your new wheel and your car should drive straight with the wheel centered afterward.
I did not do this and had to take my wheel off two times after the fact to get it lined up correctly, when loosening your wheel it is going to turn a little bit if you can have someone hold the wheel while you loosen it, it will be easier to remove. Also, I did not need a steering wheel puller, the wheel easily came off after removing the steering wheel bolt.
I used an old half inch torque wrench to loosen the the 10mm hex steering wheel bolt, I only use this torque wrench for loosening as it hasn't torqued bolts to spec in years. Do not use a torque wrench you use to torque bolts with as loosening with a torque wrench can negatively affect it's calibration. I would have used my impact to loosen the bolt but the baby was asleep in the room above the garage, use breaker bar, or long 1/2" ratchet, good luck if you use a 3/8" ratchet...
After unclipping this panel I disconnected the engine start/stop button first, then the temp sensor, then I slid the temp sensor hose off of it and pulled the temp sensor hose up and off the holster it is held onto by the panel and then removed the panel. When reinstalling, make sure to put the hose back into the holster or you likely won't be able to get the panel clipped down at all the points of contact.
Here I'm just showing how to remove the steering wheel cable reel/steering angle sensor. There are 3 tabs, I disconnected the top first, then the two sides ones and slid it off the pegs it sits on. From there I used two trim tools, one on each side and removed the steering angle sensor from the old steering wheel reel and then installed on the new reel.
Picture of the new steering wheel reel with the steering wheel angle sensor mounted to it, notice the new port on the bottom of the new steering wheel reel for the heating element in the new wheel. The old reel doesn't have that port.
Picture showing where the plug for the heating element is taped to, cut it loose and remove the plug cover on it.
Mount your new steering cable reel and then connect the 3 old plugs to it along with the new heated steering wheel plug. I believe there might be a tie to mount the new heated steering wheel wire to if you want to use it, can't remember off the top of my head.
From here it is smooth sailing, I recommend going inside with a screwdriver and some trim tools, get comfortable sitting on the couch and transfer all of your switches/hardware from the old wheel to the new one following honda's instructions. This was probably the most time consuming portion of the install and my back was killing me afterward since I did this standing up in my garage. Make sure you connect all plugs to their respective ports on the new steering wheel before mounting the new wheel up.
Put everything back together, double check you connected each plug, especially your two new plugs added for the heating element before snapping panel(s) back in place. When you're done, start the car, verify all switches on the steering wheel work and then enjoy your new christmas lights, mine came on after driving about a tenth of a mile. Take your car for a quick drive and make sure the wheel is pointed straight.
All codes being thrown are related to steering, ie AWD, Traction, Vehicle Stability, Etc. It has been reported in the thread below and in the instructions that you may need to clear codes with an HDS along with having them reset your steering wheel cable reel sensor. If that is the case it should only take them 10 minutes to do. I figured worse case is they have to recalibrate the steering angle sensor using an HDS. My appointment is this Friday and I will follow up the thread to confirm or amend this. Good luck, if anything is unclear please post your questions/comments and I will do my best to respond.
Heated steering wheel install troubles - Acura MDX Forum : Acura MDX SUV Forums
The following users liked this post:
psheu (12-08-2021)
#5
Instructor
Thread Starter
I went to Acura on Friday, they ended up having to recalibrate my steering angle sensor. An additional step I wish I would have taken was to scribe where the white tabs were on the old reel using a sharpie. Then after pulling the steering angle sensor from the old reel I would have turned the steering reel clockwise to lock and counted exactly how many turns it took to get it to lock. When when installing the steering wheel angle sensor to the new reel I would have made sure to have that reel turned the same amount of turns as the old reel with the tabs located exactly where I scribed the old reel to try and prevent the sensor from needing to be recalibrated. I feel confident that would have saved me the hassle of having the dash light up with steering related warnings but would need someone to confirm.
If you still get steering related warnings after attempting my solution please post your findings so we can get this DIY to be more comprehensive. If you do have to take the car to the dealer to have them recalibrate the steering wheel angle sensor, leave all of the dash panels off as they will have to pull the wheel to get to the steering wheel angle sensor and re-center it, then recalibrate. I was told that had I done this they would have only charged me an hour of labor.
Either way, install at the dealer was 300$ for the wheel plus 550$ for the wheel had I paid them for everything. Ended up paying 350$shipped for the wheel from bernardi and 225$ to have them recalibrate the steering angle sensor still came out ahead. This is not a hard job and just requires patience with removing dash panels. You might need a second person to hold the wheel while you unbolt the 10mm hex, other than that it's mostly a busy work kind of job.
If you still get steering related warnings after attempting my solution please post your findings so we can get this DIY to be more comprehensive. If you do have to take the car to the dealer to have them recalibrate the steering wheel angle sensor, leave all of the dash panels off as they will have to pull the wheel to get to the steering wheel angle sensor and re-center it, then recalibrate. I was told that had I done this they would have only charged me an hour of labor.
Either way, install at the dealer was 300$ for the wheel plus 550$ for the wheel had I paid them for everything. Ended up paying 350$shipped for the wheel from bernardi and 225$ to have them recalibrate the steering angle sensor still came out ahead. This is not a hard job and just requires patience with removing dash panels. You might need a second person to hold the wheel while you unbolt the 10mm hex, other than that it's mostly a busy work kind of job.
#6
Below are my pictures I took while installing my heated steering wheel on my 16 MDX. Sorry some of the pictures are blurry, I was doing this late at night with my phone camera on my own. Most of the pictures are self explanatory and just add color to the install instructions referenced. I will provide a couple of tips when I feel are warranted.
Install instructions are at: https://estore.honda.com/acura/accessories/installation-instructions/list.asp?year=2014&model=MDX&modelName=MDX
After removing the two airbag hex bolts, swing the airbag up from the bottom up like in the picture. Then pull down on the white tabs on each side of the plug for the gray and green plug till the plug disconnects. The white tabs must be pulled down on both sides simultaneously for the plug to disconnect. Then for the black plug with the purple wire connected to it, I used a trim tool corner and pushed on the indention of the plug where it says 'push' on it and pulled down on the plug using my other hand after hearing a click indicating the plug was disconnected from the tab it connects to.
Be sure to scribe a mark with a sharpie from the white plastic wire holder mounted to the steering straight down all the way till it touches the steering wheel key hole. Doing this will make it easy to to align your steering wheel after transferring the white plastic wire holder to your new wheel and your car should drive straight with the wheel centered afterward.
I did not do this and had to take my wheel off two times after the fact to get it lined up correctly, when loosening your wheel it is going to turn a little bit if you can have someone hold the wheel while you loosen it, it will be easier to remove. Also, I did not need a steering wheel puller, the wheel easily came off after removing the steering wheel bolt.
I used an old half inch torque wrench to loosen the the 10mm hex steering wheel bolt, I only use this torque wrench for loosening as it hasn't torqued bolts to spec in years. Do not use a torque wrench you use to torque bolts with as loosening with a torque wrench can negatively affect it's calibration. I would have used my impact to loosen the bolt but the baby was asleep in the room above the garage, use breaker bar, or long 1/2" ratchet, good luck if you use a 3/8" ratchet...
After unclipping this panel I disconnected the engine start/stop button first, then the temp sensor, then I slid the temp sensor hose off of it and pulled the temp sensor hose up and off the holster it is held onto by the panel and then removed the panel. When reinstalling, make sure to put the hose back into the holster or you likely won't be able to get the panel clipped down at all the points of contact.
Here I'm just showing how to remove the steering wheel cable reel/steering angle sensor. There are 3 tabs, I disconnected the top first, then the two sides ones and slid it off the pegs it sits on. From there I used two trim tools, one on each side and removed the steering angle sensor from the old steering wheel reel and then installed on the new reel.
Picture of the new steering wheel reel with the steering wheel angle sensor mounted to it, notice the new port on the bottom of the new steering wheel reel for the heating element in the new wheel. The old reel doesn't have that port.
Picture showing where the plug for the heating element is taped to, cut it loose and remove the plug cover on it.
Mount your new steering cable reel and then connect the 3 old plugs to it along with the new heated steering wheel plug. I believe there might be a tie to mount the new heated steering wheel wire to if you want to use it, can't remember off the top of my head.
From here it is smooth sailing, I recommend going inside with a screwdriver and some trim tools, get comfortable sitting on the couch and transfer all of your switches/hardware from the old wheel to the new one following honda's instructions. This was probably the most time consuming portion of the install and my back was killing me afterward since I did this standing up in my garage. Make sure you connect all plugs to their respective ports on the new steering wheel before mounting the new wheel up.
Put everything back together, double check you connected each plug, especially your two new plugs added for the heating element before snapping panel(s) back in place. When you're done, start the car, verify all switches on the steering wheel work and then enjoy your new christmas lights, mine came on after driving about a tenth of a mile. Take your car for a quick drive and make sure the wheel is pointed straight.
All codes being thrown are related to steering, ie AWD, Traction, Vehicle Stability, Etc. It has been reported in the thread below and in the instructions that you may need to clear codes with an HDS along with having them reset your steering wheel cable reel sensor. If that is the case it should only take them 10 minutes to do. I figured worse case is they have to recalibrate the steering angle sensor using an HDS. My appointment is this Friday and I will follow up the thread to confirm or amend this. Good luck, if anything is unclear please post your questions/comments and I will do my best to respond.
Heated steering wheel install troubles - Acura MDX Forum : Acura MDX SUV Forums
Install instructions are at: https://estore.honda.com/acura/accessories/installation-instructions/list.asp?year=2014&model=MDX&modelName=MDX
After removing the two airbag hex bolts, swing the airbag up from the bottom up like in the picture. Then pull down on the white tabs on each side of the plug for the gray and green plug till the plug disconnects. The white tabs must be pulled down on both sides simultaneously for the plug to disconnect. Then for the black plug with the purple wire connected to it, I used a trim tool corner and pushed on the indention of the plug where it says 'push' on it and pulled down on the plug using my other hand after hearing a click indicating the plug was disconnected from the tab it connects to.
Be sure to scribe a mark with a sharpie from the white plastic wire holder mounted to the steering straight down all the way till it touches the steering wheel key hole. Doing this will make it easy to to align your steering wheel after transferring the white plastic wire holder to your new wheel and your car should drive straight with the wheel centered afterward.
I did not do this and had to take my wheel off two times after the fact to get it lined up correctly, when loosening your wheel it is going to turn a little bit if you can have someone hold the wheel while you loosen it, it will be easier to remove. Also, I did not need a steering wheel puller, the wheel easily came off after removing the steering wheel bolt.
I used an old half inch torque wrench to loosen the the 10mm hex steering wheel bolt, I only use this torque wrench for loosening as it hasn't torqued bolts to spec in years. Do not use a torque wrench you use to torque bolts with as loosening with a torque wrench can negatively affect it's calibration. I would have used my impact to loosen the bolt but the baby was asleep in the room above the garage, use breaker bar, or long 1/2" ratchet, good luck if you use a 3/8" ratchet...
After unclipping this panel I disconnected the engine start/stop button first, then the temp sensor, then I slid the temp sensor hose off of it and pulled the temp sensor hose up and off the holster it is held onto by the panel and then removed the panel. When reinstalling, make sure to put the hose back into the holster or you likely won't be able to get the panel clipped down at all the points of contact.
Here I'm just showing how to remove the steering wheel cable reel/steering angle sensor. There are 3 tabs, I disconnected the top first, then the two sides ones and slid it off the pegs it sits on. From there I used two trim tools, one on each side and removed the steering angle sensor from the old steering wheel reel and then installed on the new reel.
Picture of the new steering wheel reel with the steering wheel angle sensor mounted to it, notice the new port on the bottom of the new steering wheel reel for the heating element in the new wheel. The old reel doesn't have that port.
Picture showing where the plug for the heating element is taped to, cut it loose and remove the plug cover on it.
Mount your new steering cable reel and then connect the 3 old plugs to it along with the new heated steering wheel plug. I believe there might be a tie to mount the new heated steering wheel wire to if you want to use it, can't remember off the top of my head.
From here it is smooth sailing, I recommend going inside with a screwdriver and some trim tools, get comfortable sitting on the couch and transfer all of your switches/hardware from the old wheel to the new one following honda's instructions. This was probably the most time consuming portion of the install and my back was killing me afterward since I did this standing up in my garage. Make sure you connect all plugs to their respective ports on the new steering wheel before mounting the new wheel up.
Put everything back together, double check you connected each plug, especially your two new plugs added for the heating element before snapping panel(s) back in place. When you're done, start the car, verify all switches on the steering wheel work and then enjoy your new christmas lights, mine came on after driving about a tenth of a mile. Take your car for a quick drive and make sure the wheel is pointed straight.
All codes being thrown are related to steering, ie AWD, Traction, Vehicle Stability, Etc. It has been reported in the thread below and in the instructions that you may need to clear codes with an HDS along with having them reset your steering wheel cable reel sensor. If that is the case it should only take them 10 minutes to do. I figured worse case is they have to recalibrate the steering angle sensor using an HDS. My appointment is this Friday and I will follow up the thread to confirm or amend this. Good luck, if anything is unclear please post your questions/comments and I will do my best to respond.
Heated steering wheel install troubles - Acura MDX Forum : Acura MDX SUV Forums
The following 2 users liked this post by tommypenguin:
gilla_monster (09-16-2022),
shenofjo (04-28-2023)
Trending Topics
#9
Nice work. I got about 1/3 of the way through your pictures before I thought..."Nah I'm not doing that"
Also, people, seriously...do you HAVE to quote his entire block of pictures to ask a single-line question? Holy hell.
Also, people, seriously...do you HAVE to quote his entire block of pictures to ask a single-line question? Holy hell.
The following 4 users liked this post by rogersmj:
#10
Parts Required
Hi,
Can you give me an idea on which parts you had to purchase and the part #'s please ?
Steering Wheel - Yes
Cable Reel - Yes
Wire Harness for Steering Wheel - ?
Control Module - ?
New Switch on Steering Wheel - ?
Anything Else - ?
My 14 Adv/ Ent has ACC / LKA etc.
Thank you !
Can you give me an idea on which parts you had to purchase and the part #'s please ?
Steering Wheel - Yes
Cable Reel - Yes
Wire Harness for Steering Wheel - ?
Control Module - ?
New Switch on Steering Wheel - ?
Anything Else - ?
My 14 Adv/ Ent has ACC / LKA etc.
Thank you !
#11
Wow, a lot more work than I would have thought to install that. Nice guide!
One thing that almost made me cry about this thread though: Ugh, not one, but TWO guys included ALL the photos in their reply posts - why? Why do people include the whole bunch of photos when they reply to a post? It's so easy to cut them out.
One thing that almost made me cry about this thread though: Ugh, not one, but TWO guys included ALL the photos in their reply posts - why? Why do people include the whole bunch of photos when they reply to a post? It's so easy to cut them out.
#12
Pro
I went to Acura on Friday, they ended up having to recalibrate my steering angle sensor. An additional step I wish I would have taken was to scribe where the white tabs were on the old reel using a sharpie. Then after pulling the steering angle sensor from the old reel I would have turned the steering reel clockwise to lock and counted exactly how many turns it took to get it to lock. When when installing the steering wheel angle sensor to the new reel I would have made sure to have that reel turned the same amount of turns as the old reel with the tabs located exactly where I scribed the old reel to try and prevent the sensor from needing to be recalibrated. I feel confident that would have saved me the hassle of having the dash light up with steering related warnings but would need someone to confirm.
If you still get steering related warnings after attempting my solution please post your findings so we can get this DIY to be more comprehensive. If you do have to take the car to the dealer to have them recalibrate the steering wheel angle sensor, leave all of the dash panels off as they will have to pull the wheel to get to the steering wheel angle sensor and re-center it, then recalibrate. I was told that had I done this they would have only charged me an hour of labor.
Either way, install at the dealer was 300$ for the wheel plus 550$ for the wheel had I paid them for everything. Ended up paying 350$shipped for the wheel from bernardi and 225$ to have them recalibrate the steering angle sensor still came out ahead. This is not a hard job and just requires patience with removing dash panels. You might need a second person to hold the wheel while you unbolt the 10mm hex, other than that it's mostly a busy work kind of job.
If you still get steering related warnings after attempting my solution please post your findings so we can get this DIY to be more comprehensive. If you do have to take the car to the dealer to have them recalibrate the steering wheel angle sensor, leave all of the dash panels off as they will have to pull the wheel to get to the steering wheel angle sensor and re-center it, then recalibrate. I was told that had I done this they would have only charged me an hour of labor.
Either way, install at the dealer was 300$ for the wheel plus 550$ for the wheel had I paid them for everything. Ended up paying 350$shipped for the wheel from bernardi and 225$ to have them recalibrate the steering angle sensor still came out ahead. This is not a hard job and just requires patience with removing dash panels. You might need a second person to hold the wheel while you unbolt the 10mm hex, other than that it's mostly a busy work kind of job.
I did exactly as you described and moved the white tabs on the sensor from the full clock wise posistion to match the new reel but it did not work. My dash is a Christmas tree. Looks like I’ll be going into Acura for recalibration.
#13
Pro
#14
Part Number: 08U97-TZ5-210A
MSRP: $500 (Can be found from legit Acura dealers for ~$345)
Installation instructions: http://techinfo.honda.com/rjanisis/p...II03445-22.pdf
#15
Thanks for posting - looks like you did a great job with this. I own a 2016 MDX Advance, and today spoke with a dealer about buying the heated steering wheel kit, 08U97-TZ5-210A. When they got back to me they told me that this option is incompatible with my vehicle. They said it could be used on almost any other 2016 MDX configuration, event the Advance if it had the entertainment system, but not without it.
If anyone has any other information about this, please let me know.
If anyone has any other information about this, please let me know.
#16
This is an official Acura accessory. I'm not sure why people are so amazed that this has been installed. Acura does a fantastic job including all the relevant parts into one accessory kit, and their instructions are top-notch.
Part Number: 08U97-TZ5-210A
MSRP: $500 (Can be found from legit Acura dealers for ~$345)
Installation instructions: LinkDeny
Part Number: 08U97-TZ5-210A
MSRP: $500 (Can be found from legit Acura dealers for ~$345)
Installation instructions: LinkDeny
Thanks
#17
Anyone know what the difference is in the 14-15, and 16+ steering wheels are? Acura shows different part numbers, but it would be nice to get a newer 16+ wheel, maybe aspec with the red stitching, in my 2014.
#18
Instructor
None. That's the difference. Its the same wheel used in the 14-15 model and the 16+ model. For a moment there was no paddles on the back, but there are after doing a quick Google Search.
The following users liked this post:
vtloki (03-13-2022)
#19
Instructor
OP: Not sure if you are still on this forum, but thank you for this huge write-up. I am looking at upgrading my OEM steering wheel to an ASPEC wheel w/ the heated option.
#23
Instructor
Just finishing this up. Notes: No mention of the 10 amp fuse (passenger side box #11). No mention of the relay. No idea where it goes. Great. Haven't driven it yet, really wanted to make sure it worked before I buttoned everything up.
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shenofjo (04-28-2023)