Steering Wheel Damper Fitting. IS350 etc S2

[bazzle]

Out of 1 to 10 .. An 4. Took 10 minutes start to finish :)  Took longer to take photos and post up 

Added last pic to show how to remove airbag connectors. Dont be afraid. When removed place face down away from car if your concerned.

1. Remove Neg batt terminal (10mm)

2. Prise off side covers on steering wheel with small flat screwdriver

3. Loosen fully T30 5 star bolts inside where you removed side covers (Bolts are captive so stay in place)

4. Pull up horn assembly from the top and at same time release bottom spring clip by carefully pulling towards you

5. Remove 2 connectors from middle of airbag. Carefully prise the 2 yellow lock plates away from connector approx 2mm. It will stop.

6. Remove black earth lead (press tang in the middle)

7. Position wiring away from where the damper sits.

8. Insert and tighten 2 screws (Philips head in mine) I always have a magnet attached to my screwdriver shaft when working somewhere that you can drop screws etc so they don't fall off!

9. Replace earth on horn assembly.

10. Refit airbag plugs and press in the yellow locking tabs.

11. Route switch wiring under tangs on dfamper. Leave airbag wires over the top loose.

12. Reinsert horn assembly into cavity. Clip in lower spring tabs.

13. Screw 2 x T30 bolts back into assembly.

14. Replace side covers.

15. Replace Neg batt terminal.

16. Start engine and reset seat and radio and windows (lower then raise and hold button for 3 seconds)

 

 

[plankton007]

Good write up, you feel any difference or do you think it's placebo?

[bazzle]

Didn't drive it tonight...tomorrow well see :)

[jerry]

I installed that last year cant remember the feel. maybe just a little stiff.

[bazzle]

My take on it..

The damper is a tuned mass damper. It is a circumferential weight joined to the mounting plate with small rubber blocks.

"A tuned mass damper, also known as a harmonic absorber, is a device mounted in structures to reduce the amplitude of mechanical vibrations."

It works by providing opposite forces to those applied, quickly , to the surface its att too. This provides shock and vibration reduction in a range of frequencies around its harmonic resonance.

There should be no real feel etc to any weighting but this can be be interpreted as such as it will provide a small amount of mass to any movement applied (for a very short duration.)

 

After all that crap 

Strangely it does make the wheel feel better "balanced" 

A few more days will tell it better

 

[bazzle]

After a few days and a couple of mixed drives I can say the steering does feel marginally different.

Main thing is the reduced wandering feeling..... strange that