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Clock-spring 8619A018 replacement - by Eddy
(See printable pdf at the end)
NW Pajero 2012 with some or all steering wheel switches (should apply to many other years). Mine is an Exceed with all three sets.
If you know other models this applies to, let me know and I'll update the this and the pdf.
I found two clock spring replacement article on here, but one did not apply to the NW (and other similar models) and both were missing steps. I rewrote it and took pictures as I went. If you look at the side of the shroud around the column on your Pajero and can see a Torx screw (like the one in the picture) these are the instructions you need.
Warnings: Airbags can kill!
• The airbag can kill so treat it with respect. I have tried to lay out the safest method of removal but will not be held responsible if yours’s goes off because you do something silly
• Disconnect your battery/batteries before starting
• Make sure your ignition doesn’t get turned on before everything is plugged back together or a fault code will be logged and you will have to take it to the dealer or an electrician to get the airbag warning light reset (using a MUTT)
Questions from articles on the forums that I saw on Clock-spring issues:
My clock-spring was broken – the 3 sets of switches on the wheel did not work but the horn did and no errors showed on the dash for the airbag etc. Switches on wheel are cruise, volume, phone etc and this clock-spring fixed all of them.
Parts and Tools needed:
• Clock-spring - 8619A018 This seems to be the standard one for multiple Mitsubishi vehicles and for Pajero’s from the base model to the Exceed with all the buttons on the wheel. Available for about $400 from MM or $15 – $60 on eBay. I bought a local eBay one for $38. Not sure how long it will last but at 1/10 the MM price it will be interesting to see and it only takes an hour to replace once you’ve done it once before.
• 1 x 6 mm Phillips head screwdriver
• 1 medium flat-blade screwdriver
• 1 long T30 Torx bit ($25 on eBay for a full set of long and short ones)
• 1 x 17 mm socket and wrench
• Loctite for column nut
• Conductive Carbon Grease $10 at Jaycar (to lubricate the contacts on the high beam switch while you’ve got it all apart if yours hasn’t been done recently)
• Torch (to help find those screws)
Process (allow an hour or two to do this):
1. Do not remove the white lock tab in the clock-spring until you have fitted it. If you accidently do, just line it up again and refit it so it has the same number of turns each way. There’s no spring inside like a tape measure, it just stops you putting it on in the wrong position
2. Make sure the wheel is straight before you start. If you start the car at any point with the airbag unplugged it will send you to the dealer to get the light reset.
3. Disconnect your battery or batteries and wait for a while. Turn your headlights on and off to get rid of residual current. Don’t worry about the radio / MMCS – it has no codes to re-enter. Your settings will just all go back to default/zero including the trip meter.
4. Remove the two Phillips head screws holding the bottom steering column shroud in place just near the tilt adjustment lever.
5. You can remove the top and bottom shrouds at this point or wait until you have the wheel off later on. If you want to do it now, use a flat screwdriver to carefully pop the top cover off as it’s just held on by a couple of clips to the lower half. The bottom half is now easy to remove if you grab the top edge on the righthand side just above the ignition barrel and pull it out slightly, then down.
6. Disconnect the yellow and black clock-spring plugs under the steering column. Do the yellow airbag plug first. Pull the green locking clip down carefully to 900 with your fingernails first and pull the yellow plug out. Then squeeze and pull the black one out or tap it out with your hand and a medium flat screwdriver held at 450 coming from the driver’s seat side.
7. Remove the small cover from under the steering wheel to access the two connections to the wheel.
8. Pull the black and yellow cables down gently. Pull the yellow airbag cable apart by holding both ends, it has some weird sliding bit on it but came apart with a firm pull. A gentle pull down on the black cable disconnects it easily as it just clips onto an earth tab (I think it’s the horn earth wire).
9. Take the long T30 Torx bit and a ratchet. Insert it into the holes either side in the centre of the plastic shroud on the wheel and undo the Torx screws (see first picture in this article). This releases the airbag, but don’t worry, it’s still held in by 4 strong spring clips.
10. WARNING – AIR BAGS CAN KILL! This is where I’m careful even though the air bag is disconnected. Do not sit in the driver’s seat for this step!!! The airbag is now only held in with 4 spring clips. Stand outside the vehicle, reach across and grab the top of the airbag with your fingers and pull it towards the driver’s seat. Then pull the bottom out while supporting the airbag with your other hand and remove it and place it safely on the back seat.
11. Remove the two Torx screws that have fallen down inside the wheel for inserting later
12. Before you remove the wheel, there is a grey plug to remove at the bottom of it plugged into the clock-spring. Just squeeze the tab and pull it down gently
13. Take the 17 mm socket and ratchet, hold the wheel with your left hand so it doesn’t move and loosen the nut in the centre of the wheel. Do not totally remove it unless you like punching yourself in the face!
14. Place your hands behind the wheel in the 2 and 8 o’clock position and give the wheel a firm hit towards you, it should pop off with a couple of good hits as it’s on a tapered spline. You can also place your knees tightly under the bottom of the wheel and place your hands top and bottom and ‘rock’ the wheel off. You can now remove the nut that protected your face!
15. Lay the wheel on the seat next to you, rim side down as the back usually has grease on it and will make a mess of your seat or passengers later
16. The damaged clock-spring can now be removed by unscrewing the two small screws. Remove by gently inserting a screwdriver behind it. The clip will pop loose and then you can just pull it off and replace it with the new one. My new one came with a loose locking ring that had to be clipped into the back before installation. It can only align in one spot. NB: Be careful with this step. The cover on mine was loose and part of the clock spring fell out when I removed the white locking tab so I had to carefully put it back together.
17. Before you put the wheel and covers on, remove the high beam/indicator switch and lubricate the contacts it plugs into with ‘conductive carbon grease’ unless yours has been done recently. This fixes a recurring problem where the high beam won’t come on sometimes. You can see the grease on mine.
Re-assembly is the reverse of disassembly. Once again, watch the position of your steering wheel
1. Fit the two screws to hold the clock spring in
2. Fit the wheel making sure it is straight. Don’t worry about whether or not you have lined up the 3 pins for the white nylon self-cancel ring behind the wheel with the holes in the wheel. It is spring-loaded and will just lock in by itself.
3. Put thread lock/Loctite on the thread before fitting the nut. If you’ve ever had the nut come loose as I did after a supposedly ‘reputable’ steering place didn’t do this you’ll realise how scary it can be!
4. Push the grey plug back into the clock-spring below the wheel
5. Take the airbag and push it firmly or gently tap it back in place with your palm by hitting it on its four outside corners (not in the centre!)
6. Place the Torx screws back into the holes on each side and tighten them firmly
7. Plug the vertical black and yellow cables in under the wheel and push them up so they sit inside to allow you to refit the snap-in cover. It has a type of hinge on one end
8. Push the horizontal yellow clock-spring plug firmly until it clicks in place. It should only stick out about 2 mm. Gently press the green locking plate back in and then plug in the black plug - it doesn’t click as it just slides onto an earth tab
9. Replace the lower column shroud cover by pulling it out slightly and slipping it over the ignition barrel, taking care not to catch the grommet. Refit the two Phillips screws underneath.
10. Put the top cover on with a gentle tap of your hand, it just clips in place.
It took me two hours to replace my clock-spring, however I was taking pictures, writing notes as I went and reading instructions for another model. With these instructions, you should be able to do it in under an hour.
The great news, everything works again! And no airbag code.
(See printable pdf at the end)
NW Pajero 2012 with some or all steering wheel switches (should apply to many other years). Mine is an Exceed with all three sets.
If you know other models this applies to, let me know and I'll update the this and the pdf.
I found two clock spring replacement article on here, but one did not apply to the NW (and other similar models) and both were missing steps. I rewrote it and took pictures as I went. If you look at the side of the shroud around the column on your Pajero and can see a Torx screw (like the one in the picture) these are the instructions you need.
Warnings: Airbags can kill!
• The airbag can kill so treat it with respect. I have tried to lay out the safest method of removal but will not be held responsible if yours’s goes off because you do something silly
• Disconnect your battery/batteries before starting
• Make sure your ignition doesn’t get turned on before everything is plugged back together or a fault code will be logged and you will have to take it to the dealer or an electrician to get the airbag warning light reset (using a MUTT)
Questions from articles on the forums that I saw on Clock-spring issues:
My clock-spring was broken – the 3 sets of switches on the wheel did not work but the horn did and no errors showed on the dash for the airbag etc. Switches on wheel are cruise, volume, phone etc and this clock-spring fixed all of them.
Parts and Tools needed:
• Clock-spring - 8619A018 This seems to be the standard one for multiple Mitsubishi vehicles and for Pajero’s from the base model to the Exceed with all the buttons on the wheel. Available for about $400 from MM or $15 – $60 on eBay. I bought a local eBay one for $38. Not sure how long it will last but at 1/10 the MM price it will be interesting to see and it only takes an hour to replace once you’ve done it once before.
• 1 x 6 mm Phillips head screwdriver
• 1 medium flat-blade screwdriver
• 1 long T30 Torx bit ($25 on eBay for a full set of long and short ones)
• 1 x 17 mm socket and wrench
• Loctite for column nut
• Conductive Carbon Grease $10 at Jaycar (to lubricate the contacts on the high beam switch while you’ve got it all apart if yours hasn’t been done recently)
• Torch (to help find those screws)
Process (allow an hour or two to do this):
1. Do not remove the white lock tab in the clock-spring until you have fitted it. If you accidently do, just line it up again and refit it so it has the same number of turns each way. There’s no spring inside like a tape measure, it just stops you putting it on in the wrong position
2. Make sure the wheel is straight before you start. If you start the car at any point with the airbag unplugged it will send you to the dealer to get the light reset.
3. Disconnect your battery or batteries and wait for a while. Turn your headlights on and off to get rid of residual current. Don’t worry about the radio / MMCS – it has no codes to re-enter. Your settings will just all go back to default/zero including the trip meter.
4. Remove the two Phillips head screws holding the bottom steering column shroud in place just near the tilt adjustment lever.
5. You can remove the top and bottom shrouds at this point or wait until you have the wheel off later on. If you want to do it now, use a flat screwdriver to carefully pop the top cover off as it’s just held on by a couple of clips to the lower half. The bottom half is now easy to remove if you grab the top edge on the righthand side just above the ignition barrel and pull it out slightly, then down.
6. Disconnect the yellow and black clock-spring plugs under the steering column. Do the yellow airbag plug first. Pull the green locking clip down carefully to 900 with your fingernails first and pull the yellow plug out. Then squeeze and pull the black one out or tap it out with your hand and a medium flat screwdriver held at 450 coming from the driver’s seat side.
7. Remove the small cover from under the steering wheel to access the two connections to the wheel.
8. Pull the black and yellow cables down gently. Pull the yellow airbag cable apart by holding both ends, it has some weird sliding bit on it but came apart with a firm pull. A gentle pull down on the black cable disconnects it easily as it just clips onto an earth tab (I think it’s the horn earth wire).
9. Take the long T30 Torx bit and a ratchet. Insert it into the holes either side in the centre of the plastic shroud on the wheel and undo the Torx screws (see first picture in this article). This releases the airbag, but don’t worry, it’s still held in by 4 strong spring clips.
10. WARNING – AIR BAGS CAN KILL! This is where I’m careful even though the air bag is disconnected. Do not sit in the driver’s seat for this step!!! The airbag is now only held in with 4 spring clips. Stand outside the vehicle, reach across and grab the top of the airbag with your fingers and pull it towards the driver’s seat. Then pull the bottom out while supporting the airbag with your other hand and remove it and place it safely on the back seat.
11. Remove the two Torx screws that have fallen down inside the wheel for inserting later
12. Before you remove the wheel, there is a grey plug to remove at the bottom of it plugged into the clock-spring. Just squeeze the tab and pull it down gently
13. Take the 17 mm socket and ratchet, hold the wheel with your left hand so it doesn’t move and loosen the nut in the centre of the wheel. Do not totally remove it unless you like punching yourself in the face!
14. Place your hands behind the wheel in the 2 and 8 o’clock position and give the wheel a firm hit towards you, it should pop off with a couple of good hits as it’s on a tapered spline. You can also place your knees tightly under the bottom of the wheel and place your hands top and bottom and ‘rock’ the wheel off. You can now remove the nut that protected your face!
15. Lay the wheel on the seat next to you, rim side down as the back usually has grease on it and will make a mess of your seat or passengers later
16. The damaged clock-spring can now be removed by unscrewing the two small screws. Remove by gently inserting a screwdriver behind it. The clip will pop loose and then you can just pull it off and replace it with the new one. My new one came with a loose locking ring that had to be clipped into the back before installation. It can only align in one spot. NB: Be careful with this step. The cover on mine was loose and part of the clock spring fell out when I removed the white locking tab so I had to carefully put it back together.
17. Before you put the wheel and covers on, remove the high beam/indicator switch and lubricate the contacts it plugs into with ‘conductive carbon grease’ unless yours has been done recently. This fixes a recurring problem where the high beam won’t come on sometimes. You can see the grease on mine.
Re-assembly is the reverse of disassembly. Once again, watch the position of your steering wheel
1. Fit the two screws to hold the clock spring in
2. Fit the wheel making sure it is straight. Don’t worry about whether or not you have lined up the 3 pins for the white nylon self-cancel ring behind the wheel with the holes in the wheel. It is spring-loaded and will just lock in by itself.
3. Put thread lock/Loctite on the thread before fitting the nut. If you’ve ever had the nut come loose as I did after a supposedly ‘reputable’ steering place didn’t do this you’ll realise how scary it can be!
4. Push the grey plug back into the clock-spring below the wheel
5. Take the airbag and push it firmly or gently tap it back in place with your palm by hitting it on its four outside corners (not in the centre!)
6. Place the Torx screws back into the holes on each side and tighten them firmly
7. Plug the vertical black and yellow cables in under the wheel and push them up so they sit inside to allow you to refit the snap-in cover. It has a type of hinge on one end
8. Push the horizontal yellow clock-spring plug firmly until it clicks in place. It should only stick out about 2 mm. Gently press the green locking plate back in and then plug in the black plug - it doesn’t click as it just slides onto an earth tab
9. Replace the lower column shroud cover by pulling it out slightly and slipping it over the ignition barrel, taking care not to catch the grommet. Refit the two Phillips screws underneath.
10. Put the top cover on with a gentle tap of your hand, it just clips in place.
It took me two hours to replace my clock-spring, however I was taking pictures, writing notes as I went and reading instructions for another model. With these instructions, you should be able to do it in under an hour.
The great news, everything works again! And no airbag code.
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