Member Since: 16 Jan 2018
Location: Gibraltar
Posts: 597
D3: My steering wheel controls wiring fix
Hi all,
And first off thanks to those I’ve already tapped for advice on this.
I’ve spent the day sorting out why my steering wheel controls weren’t working.
Situation :
The control buttons on the right module didn’t work at all. Of the buttons off the left, only the cruise control would engage if the + button was pressed, but touch anything else and thing shut down.
This in part meant I could not access any of the instrument panel settings as navigation required the steering wheel controls. Also, I kept getting and HDC fault reporting that special functions were not available. However, they always were.
Also noticed that the car would pretty commonly throw a 'HDC fault' error on starting the car, but this would always sort itself out and HDC and Special Programs have always been available.
Diagnostics:
Initial suggestions were that the clock spring was likely at fault.
I used Chris Fowler’s guide to gain access to the clock spring unit so I could test it.
Surprisingly, the clock spring tested out OK, so started to look at the wiring loom for the controls in the steering wheel itself.
This was helped by using the Land Rover wiring diagrams, that I managed to find on the net, to map out the cables, and identify the one cable that had actually snapped.
The Repair :
I managed to harvest a new section of cable from an old ATX PC power switch loom. I spliced this in and covered the solder joint up, then refit everything.
With the steering wheel off, I was able to observe the there was a reasonable amount of play between the steering wheel and the clock spring unit, resulting in some movement of the wiring loom. My suspicion is that this is responsible for the wire becoming fractured.
My solution to this was to cut down a Calpol/Junifen dosing syringe to socket over the locating pin for the clock spring unit.
Click image to enlarge
This managed to reduce a fair amount of the play between the two, but wasn't able to eliminate it.
The Result
Perfect result!
All the missing functions have returned, all from repairing just a single wire.
This includes not just all the audio/mode functions as well as the cruise control functions and voice control switch!
Running through and testing the clock spring avoided un-necessarily replacing it, and this allowed me to drill down to the steering wheel wiring loom as the actual cause of the fault.
Bizarrely the HDC fault seems to have gone away as well? Surely coincidence, but even so, a welcome one for while it lasts.
Please tell me what you think, and I hope it’s of benefit to someone.
Edited: To improve reading as first draft was not great.
Last edited by XDAndy on 25th Jan 2018 12:01 pm. Edited 1 time in total
22nd Jan 2018 10:15 pm
XDAndy
Member Since: 16 Jan 2018
Location: Gibraltar
Posts: 597
Update:
My diy fix seems to be holding strong, but I was premature on the “HDC fault” on starting.
However, I was at my local LR dealer this am getting another sunroof drain hose and breather cap, and thought I’d ask them about the wiring loom.
The LR part number for a new loom is QTV500020, and they sell it for £28.38 inc vat; seems cheaper than most online/amazon/ebay by a couple of £’s
So, all in all, if my fix doesn’t hold, it won’t break the bank to get a new one.
Unhelpfully, the loom from the clock spring to the airbag does not come as a separate part and only comes with the clock spring. Let’s hope that stays ok!
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