WTB: NB steering wheel w/ airbag

[OZMDD]

AS the title says, looking for a decent condition NB leather wheel with the the airbag still intact. PM what you've got and your price. )which should be pretty close to $50)

[OZMDD]

bump!

[whoswatchingme]

Just ordered one from Treasure Coast Miata the other day for $45 but that was w/o airbag. Just FYI

[OZMDD]

I will give you $50 for it, if you locate an airbag to include.

[Bob_MX5]

http://sanantonio.craigslist.org/pts/4193629038.html

FYI, saw this on CL. (no affiliation)

cheers,

bob

[OZMDD]

Thx!

[MC70]

I may have one available depending on what the boy decides to do with his wheel.

[Mr.E.G.]

Noob question: Can an NB steering wheel EASILY be made to work on an NA? I prefer the look of OEM steering wheels but the NA wheel is nasty.

[black roadster]

Noob question: Can an NB steering wheel EASILY be made to work on an NA? I prefer the look of OEM steering wheels but the NA wheel is nasty.

It will mount up but the airbag will not be able to work.

[OZMDD]

It will mount up but the airbag will not be able to work.

Care to explain your reasoning for this? My reading of the schematics and resistance would disagree.

[black roadster]

Care to explain your reasoning for this? My reading of the schematics and resistance would disagree.

I'm no airbag expert but the NA uses generation 1 airbags and the NB uses generation 2 airbags. The plugs are different and even if you spliced it in, I don't think it would work as the computer functionality changed and the crash sensors are also unique from NA to NB. Has anyone successfully retrofitted NB airbags into an NA and made them work? How the heck do you even verify if they work without setting them off?

I could be wrong but everything I've ever heard says they are not compatible. Personally, I don't care as I've pulled my airbags. Nothing like 10-25 year old explosive devices inches from your face.

[OZMDD]

I believe the NB1 and NA8 use the same generation of single-stage airbags. I will confirm that when my new wheel arrives. Its certainly been done many times by folks on the pointy board. As far as confirming that it will deploy...

[MC70]

We need to pop some. It would be easy enough to rig. I'm sure there are plenty of cheap wheels in salvage yards.

Unless there isa multi-step Roger pulse to fire it should work. At the end of the day as long as the correct signal reaches the firing squib it will fire.

[MC70]

I'm going to pick up another NB steering wheel this week and put it in the wrecked Montego. I'll reset the sensors/triggers and try to pop the airbag via the sensor.

We will know for sure.

[Bob_MX5]

the real answer is yes and it's not hard, if....you get the appropriate plug-ends to make your own harness.
assuming you have a NB wheel and Bag.
1. get clock-spring harness bag-end from donner NB
2. get air bag-end from donner NA bag (preferably one that when boom in someone else's accident)
3. each has two wires and polarity is not an issue. solder together.
4. shrink wrap solder joints (I also wrapped mine with electrical tape)
5. enjoy a cold beer and rejoice at your accomplishment (you made a harness)
6. skip 5 and proceed to 7.
7. disconnect your battery
8. remove your NA Airbag and wheel (4 nuts hold airbag to wheel)
9. install NB Wheel.
10. connect NB end of new harness to NB air bag
11. connect NA end of new harness to NA clock spring
12. connect NB red single horn button to NA clock spring horn harness (I added a small female spade connector to the NB horn wire and slide it onto the NA male-spade connector)
13. tuck harness in as best you can and place airbag in position
14. install the two NB airbag screws (if you don't have them, go to your nearest Ace hardware, NB wheel in hand, and find two screws in the hard ware section...about 35cents each)
15. INSERT KEY INTO INGITION SWITCH AND TURN ON
16. Get out of car and walk to the trunk area of the car
17. Re-connect battery. You should hear key-in-switch buzzer...nothing else (maybe radio)
18. Go to step 5...Enjoy... ou just installed your NB wheel/bag and it didn't explode in your face because you were standing at the trunk when it got power.

I have a few pics of the process on my phone and will try to upload them later. Oh, mine is a 99 airbag/wheel into a 95 M.

cheers.

[gabkwong]

If I were you I will just put it in and fire it up! The worse thing can happen is that you will sign up for a face transplant. May be you get a better looking face this time around!

[MC70]

the real answer is yes and it's not hard, if....you get the appropriate plug-ends to make your own harness.
assuming you have a NB wheel and Bag.
1. get clock-spring harness bag-end from donner NB
2. get air bag-end from donner NA bag (preferably one that when boom in someone else's accident)
3. each has two wires and polarity is not an issue. solder together.
4. shrink wrap solder joints (I also wrapped mine with electrical tape)
5. enjoy a cold beer and rejoice at your accomplishment (you made a harness)
6. skip 5 and proceed to 7.
7. disconnect your battery
8. remove your NA Airbag and wheel (4 nuts hold airbag to wheel)
9. install NB Wheel.
10. connect NB end of new harness to NB air bag
11. connect NA end of new harness to NA clock spring
12. connect NB red single horn button to NA clock spring horn harness (I added a small female spade connector to the NB horn wire and slide it onto the NA male-spade connector)
13. tuck harness in as best you can and place airbag in position
14. install the two NB airbag screws (if you don't have them, go to your nearest Ace hardware, NB wheel in hand, and find two screws in the hard ware section...about 35cents each)
15. INSERT KEY INTO INGITION SWITCH AND TURN ON
16. Get out of car and walk to the trunk area of the car
17. Re-connect battery. You should hear key-in-switch buzzer...nothing else (maybe radio)
18. Go to step 5...Enjoy... ou just installed your NB wheel/bag and it didn't explode in your face because you were standing at the trunk when it got power.

I have a few pics of the process on my phone and will try to upload them later. Oh, mine is a 99 airbag/wheel into a 95 M.

cheers.

swapping is the easy bit. My question to you is: will it fire when you need it? Prove it will.


I'm going to slave one in and fire it, probably this weekend. I will record the procedure.

[OZMDD]

Yes, please record it. YouTube gold!!

[MC70]

My plan exactly. The question comes up fairly often and since I have been considering putting an NB wheel in my son's car, I want to make sure it works. Also, I'd rather have someone test it this way and have definitive answers than to have a bad accident and not have it fire. For the greater good.

I confirmed that the local salvage yard has a wheel with a bag (a Nardi at that, but it is trashed... no loss there) for $25. Well worth the price for the potential safety of anyone considering this?

[Bob_MX5]

swapping is the easy bit. My question to you is: will it fire when you need it? Prove it will.


I'm going to slave one in and fire it, probably this weekend. I will record the procedure.

I don't know if it will fire. I don't know if it won't fire either. For that matter, I don't know if my original NA bag would fire when needed. FWIW, I don't know if my 2001 TT, 2007 A3, or 2012 CT will fire when needed....nor do any of us if our bag will work when needed.

I do know that I don't have any codes, lights, or other indications that my NB bag will not work if needed which suggest the sensors designed to find a problem are cool with the change.

I commend you for slaving one and firing it. But, let's face it, whether your experiment works or not, I still will not know whether my NB bag will fire nor will I know if any other bag will fire when I need it to. Your results will only be relevant to your test and not to any real world accident.

This is a mod and decision that everyone can make for themselves. Personally, I'm good with my decision.

cheers