Xantia Steering Wheel Controls

tim leech · Post by **tim leech** » Fri Nov 16, 2007 10:21 am

The volume side of my steering wheel controls neither work or light up, anyone had this problem, also some of the dash lamps dont work and according to the haynes manual you have to take the steering wheel/airbag off!!

Dickieg · Post by **Dickieg** » Fri Nov 16, 2007 10:31 am

If the light and volume control aren't working it may well be due to the plug becoming disconnected. Mind you those switches are inclined to play up on older Xantia's.

Yes you do need to remove the wheel and airbag due to the column housing design making it all but impossible to gain access to the the screws either side of the column which hold the panel below the instruments in place, great design er,, not!

tim leech · Post by **tim leech** » Fri Nov 16, 2007 3:59 pm

Do you know where this plug is please? Ive replaced the radio out due to a duff display in the past and everything was reconnected.

CitroXim · Post by **CitroXim** » Fri Nov 16, 2007 4:46 pm

Tim,

The switches in the steering wheel are mounted on a PCB and the connection is done through a very small multi-way connector, similar to the sort used to connect the looms to the instrument cluster but very much smaller and flimsier. It is identical to what is used in a lot of IT equipment for PCB interconnection. You could possibly have a few dry joints lurking there as well.

There is no rotating slip-ring arrangement for the wiring and it relies on being slack enough for the wheel to be rotated lock-to-lock. However, the cable to the PCB is not secured at all and it is quite possible, as Richard says, that it has partially pulled out of the PCB after many thousands of steering wheel rotations and just may need re-seating.

As yours is a 1994 model, you may not have an airbag so removal of the wheel will be a very straightforward matter indeed.

Dickieg · Post by **Dickieg** » Fri Nov 16, 2007 4:48 pm

The plug is directly behind the airbag within the steering wheel. Turn the wheel 90 degrees then using (IIRC) a Torx 30/35 driver undo the two screws and pull the airbag unit towards you. You will more than likely have enough room to move the airbag around without having to unplug it etc.

tim leech · Post by **tim leech** » Fri Nov 16, 2007 10:38 pm

Thanks Guys, my car does indeed have a Airbag as its a Oct 94 on a M plate with the facelifted front end etc, which I drove for the first time when she had less than 50 miles on the clock.