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Can I avoid replacing my failing clockspring (spiral cable)?

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by DeeTrumpet, Jan 5, 2014.

  1. DeeTrumpet

    DeeTrumpet Junior Member

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    2004 Prius. 150K miles. One owner. Four of the right-side steering wheel buttons function only if I turn the steering wheel at least 45 degrees to either side. (Front and rear defrost, recirculate, Info.) I know this means the clockspring is gradually failing.

    I'm reluctant to spend $330 for a new clockspring if I don't really need to replace it. (The labor cost is not a factor, only the cost of the part.) Hence my questions:

    1. Should I expect more buttons will fail, and eventually the horn and the airbag will cease to function?

    2.When the airbag connection fails, will the car continue to run normally, or will it withdraw into limp mode?

    3. I'm curious exactly what is going on physically with the deteriorating clockspring -- why the deterioration has affected only some of the buttons, and why turning the steering wheel restores the connection.

    4. Is there anything else I should know?
     
  2. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    1. Yes
    2. The car will run normally but obviously you will lose the protection of the driver's airbag in the event of a front-end accident.
    3. There are many wires within the "clock spring" and apparently several of them have lost connectivity given continual flexing as the steering wheel is turned.
     
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  3. AzWxGuy

    AzWxGuy Weather Guy

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    Yeah, mine is going out also. Seems like the failure progression is nearly the same in all cases, in that the first to go are the buttons in the lower right quadrant of the steering wheel. I figured I'd wait until either the airbag goes or the cruise control. Agreed on the pretty hefty price tag.
     
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  4. DeeTrumpet

    DeeTrumpet Junior Member

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    Here's a place in Georgia that says it provides $39 clockspring repair (all new internal parts) by mail. (Add $12 for shipping.) Hmmm. Our Products : Replacement Seat Belt Webbing and Airbags : Overhead Consoles : MyAirbags.com

    On Ebay, used ones seem to go for $32 up. New ones from China for $42 up. New ones US from $43 to $80. OEM $192.

    DormanProducts.com makes 36 models of clockspring. Dorman Products - Search Results I haven't figured out yet whether any of those would fit a Prius.
    Amazon.com has 26 of them, for $25 to $112.
     
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  5. DeeTrumpet

    DeeTrumpet Junior Member

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    Can I drive the car ('04 Prius) with the airbag and clockspring removed?

    (I removed the clockspring because it sounded like fun, but I haven't yet
    decided where I'm going to obtain the replacement or repair. Meanwhile,
    I need to use the car daily, including a 400-mile freeway drive in a few days.)

    I know the airbag and horn and steering-wheel buttons won't work, and I
    expect to see an airbag warning light and maybe an airbag trouble code.

    Apart from that, can I drive the car without (a) damaging it, and (b) risking
    a breakdown?
     
  6. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    Yes, you will see the airbag warning light appear which means the skid control ECU has logged a DTC. You can drive the car in that condition.
     
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  7. DeeTrumpet

    DeeTrumpet Junior Member

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    The defect was apparent once I opened the clockspring and inspected the cables closely. Not sure how I'm going to attempt to fix it. But at least I know not to expect gradual deterioration of the other wire traces.


    clockspring 3a.jpg clockspring 4a.jpg clockspring 6a.JPG
     
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  8. Britprius

    Britprius Senior Member

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    Not a permanent fix but one that works. Scrape off some of the insulation along the conductor track. Then solder across the break, covering the repair with a short length of tape on either side using a tape that does not bleed it's adhesive.
    If the airbag system goes open circuit you can get two separate codes "with warning light" they represent open circuit squib 1 and 2 as the airbag in the steering wheel is a two stage bag.

    John (Britprius)
     
  9. DeeTrumpet

    DeeTrumpet Junior Member

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    Thanks, John. I considered solder, but melting a hole in the plastic ribbon might be unavoidable consequence. And I'm too miserly to buy conductive paint. I've flattened out the existing copper, then covered it with a dab of Liquid Paper. (I'm afraid of what acetone-based nail polish would do to the plastic ribbon.)

    Anyhow, taking things apart and spotting the defect was 90% of the fun. Actually repairing or replacing the thing would be only 10% additional fun.
     
  10. usnavystgc

    usnavystgc Die Hard DIYer and Ebike enthusiast.

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    You can fix it. lol
     
  11. DeeTrumpet

    DeeTrumpet Junior Member

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  12. AzWxGuy

    AzWxGuy Weather Guy

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    Oh my ... That clock spring has sprung. I'll be leaving my repair to the dealer on this one.
     
  13. DeeTrumpet

    DeeTrumpet Junior Member

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    I put the soldering iron to it, and as I suspected, burned a hole in the plastic ribbon. I've ordered a new replacement part on Ebay for $57. I can't bring myself to pay the dealer's parts and labor charges.
     
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  14. brucebee

    brucebee Junior Member

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    04 prius 160k r hand buttons are getting real lazy, really nothing can clean or spray these off with? at least to try? I am too old and life is too short to do a bunch of stuff to my steering wheel switches. let me know how it goes.
    i
     
  15. DeeTrumpet

    DeeTrumpet Junior Member

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    Bruce, could you tell us exactly which buttons, and exactly what you mean by 'getting real lazy'?

    On my 2004 Prius, this was the symptom: Four of the right-side steering wheel buttons (front and rear defrost, recirculate, info.) did not function at all, except they functioned fine when the steering wheel was turned at least 45 degrees to either side.

    I'm going to guess it's much more likely your clockspring (spiral cable) has failed, and much less likely that the button switch contacts are dirty.

    Find someone younger than you who is willing to install it. It takes less than a half hour -- the second time you do it. You can buy the part online for about $60. Very few tools needed, and everything is easily accessible. Don't accidentally deploy the steering-wheel-mounted airbag while you're removing it!

    Here's the ebay seller I used:

    Seller: queensautoparts

    New 84306-0E010 Spiral Cable Clock Spring Toyota Camry,HighLander,Lexus,Scion
    [​IMG]
     
  16. mswtoyota

    mswtoyota Member

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  17. andrewclaus

    andrewclaus Active Member

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    I just successfully replaced the clockspring on my '07 and I learned a lesson or two. Total cost was under $30!

    First lesson: Use your VIN and get the right part number from Toyota. I used this page. My mistake was to order one from eBay, the one that eBay said would work. It didn't. It fit physically and all the connectors connected, but the wiring was different. I could not get the A/C to turn off and nothing else would work.

    So I got the right number, ordered again from eBay, and this time it took about 20 minutes to put in. (First time was twice that.) I now have cruise control and defroster control for the first time in many months.

    Another lesson I learned was to loosen the wheel nut a turn or two and "pop" the wheel off the splined shaft (no need for a puller), then remove the nut and wheel completely. First time I yanked the wheel and it came flying off, pulling the old clockspring apart. No problem until I had to put it back in because I'd ordered the wrong part. I was very lucky to get it all back together.

    And another lesson was the steering position sensor--if you have the VSC option, you have to remove the position sensor from the back of the old clockspring housing (four little tabs) and install it on the new clockspring. It's simple and quick, but not that obvious.

    The coming years will tell if the Chinese cable will last, but from what I could tell the housing, terminals, cables, etc all look identical to the OEM part.
     
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  18. john59936

    john59936 New Member

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    Dear Andrew,
    Thank you. Excellent advice about loosening the nut, and the tip off for the VSC. 2004 prius w/256k. These tips helped me change out my clock spring in just over an hour w/o previous experience in removing the steering wheel. I did spend the extra to purchased an original Toyota clock spring on ebay with full warranty.

    Sincerely
    John Marshall
     
  19. Kevin_Denver

    Kevin_Denver Active Member

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    I installed a cheap Chinese one off ebay, and it's failing a year later - airbag light is on intermittently (comes on after turning the wheel, but seems to stay off if the wheel never gets turned 180 degrees when driving). So for others out there - beware that the Chinese part is likely to not last for long. I'll most likely be buying the Toyota version shortly.
     
  20. john59936

    john59936 New Member

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    Dear Kevin,
    Check ebay I bought one for about half what the dealer charges. It is original with warranty mfg in Philippines with original Toyota stickers