LX470 Clock Spring Replacement

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Hokie LX

Hokie LX

TLCA #28296
SILVER Star
Joined
Sep 15, 2016
Threads
57
Messages
2,315
Location
Durham, NC
Hi all,

So I believe I broke my clock spring today. I was driving around and heard what sounded like some wires in the steering column when I was turning then it suddenly stopped. Then my airbag light came on and then my cruise control, horn, steering wheel controls and such no longer work.


Has anyone replaced this before? It seems like a stock replacement is ~$200 and aftermarket is ~$30-$50.
 
Did you get this fixed? Mine broke today and I'm definitely surprised by the prices. I can't believe stock is 10 times better, but it is an airbag we're dealing with so...
 
@Hokie LX @BMRX any updates? Did you guys end up replacing your clock spring (spiral spring)? I have no cruise control and think that it is probably my clock spring going out (tested the switch and it is fine). In my case however, horn works fine and I have no airbag light.

Curious to see if you guys resolved your issues. Thanks.
 
danfrost said:
@Hokie LX @BMRX any updates? Did you guys end up replacing your clock spring (spiral spring)? I have no cruise control and think that it is probably my clock spring going out (tested the switch and it is fine). In my case however, horn works fine and I have no airbag light.

Curious to see if you guys resolved your issues. Thanks.
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Yeah, I replaced the clock spring and all is well. It really was a simple replacement too. The toughest part was removing the steering wheel, it took some solid yanks. Word of advice, leave the nut on the shaft after you loosen it. I didn't, and ended up snapping a plastic tab (luckily not an important one) because I didn't notice a wire had fallen over it while I was yanking.

I went with this one: Amazon.com: Shinehome Spiral Cable Clock Spring 84306-60080 For TOYOTA 4RUNNER LEXUS GX470 FJ CRUISER: Automotive

Comparing it with the stock one it replaced I have no idea why anyone would pay the OEM price. The dealer here wanted $390 for just the part.

Hokie has a separate post about fixing his. Looks like he went with one in the same price range as I did.
 
I'm pretty sure I managed to break mine as well, this weekend while replacing the steering rack. Heard a solid break during lock-to-lock testing following the install.
Funny thing is, I have no dash light indications that it's broken
 
bluesquirrel said:
I'm pretty sure I managed to break mine as well, this weekend while replacing the steering rack. Heard a solid break during lock-to-lock testing following the install.
Funny thing is, I have no dash light indications that it's broken
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Yeah, there won't be any dash light or any indication that it's broken except that your horn, steering wheel controls and cruise control won't work.
 
I broke mine a while ago while messing around with my VGRS. I tried the cheap option off Amazon for like $20 but it didn't work. It looked the same and the plug matched but my steering wheel bits didn't have power. I share this just to let you know its probably better to just go straight with OEM rather than trying to cheap out cause I already did the beta testing for you.

Good luck.
 
Noticed whats sounds like the clock spring started making some noise when I'm turning the steering wheel. Am I getting an little advance notice that its about to go?
 
KillerBox said:
A little oil might fix your problem? Here is the link: Steering Wheel Squeak Be Gone
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KB- Thank you for the suggestion and link to the thread. That's worth giving it a shot. Although what I am hearing is not really a squeak; it sounds more like the wires dragging, scraping just behind the steering wheel. We will see.
 
abuck99 said:
KB- Thank you for the suggestion and link to the thread. That's worth giving it a shot. Although what I am hearing is not really a squeak; it sounds more like the wires dragging, scraping just behind the steering wheel. We will see.
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The “wire dragging on plastic” sound was what mine sounded like in the days leading up to it breaking.

FWIW: I got a cheap eBay one and it’s been solid ever since I had this issue originally.
 
So I think my clock spring is on its way out. No weird sounds or anything, but when I hit my horn, my cruise control activates and when I hit my cruise control my horn goes off :rofl:

I don’t think it could be anything else, but seeing as no one’s had this issue before, let me know if anyone has any ideas
 
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DirtDawg said:
So I think my clock spring is on its way out. No weird sounds or anything, but when I hit my horn, my cruise control activates and when I hit my cruise control my horn goes off :rofl:

I don’t think it could be anything else, but seeing as no one’s had this issue before, let me know if anyone has any ideas
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I have a spare one from a wrecked rig if you end up needing one
 
DirtDawg said:
So I think my clock spring is on its way out. No weird sounds or anything, but when I hit my horn, my cruise control activates and when I hit my cruise control my horn goes off :rofl:

I don’t think it could be anything else, but seeing as no one’s had this issue before, let me know if anyone has any ideas
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Haha that is an interesting symptom. Worth a shot to replace it as the ebay ones are cheap.

However, I've had an issue recently where my stereo input is changing by itself which is quite annoying. I think my cheap clock spring may be giving out and triggering the "Mode" button on the steering wheel or it's a deeper stereo issue. I'll be driving along on FM1 and it'll suddenly change to FM2
 
Just my .02, I tried the cheap Amazon one (which I don't think is for sale anymore last I checked), and it lasted about a month. Ended up getting one from a junked GX for not much more and has been fine for 6 months now.
 
abuck99 said:
KB- Thank you for the suggestion and link to the thread. That's worth giving it a shot. Although what I am hearing is not really a squeak; it sounds more like the wires dragging, scraping just behind the steering wheel. We will see.
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That's a great way to describe it. I am just noticing this on my 02' LX while i'm turning the wheel and thought it was the clockspring, but everything functions just fine (horn, Cruise, etc)

Mine sounds like it's spooling and winding then unraveling inside then rubbing the plastic case. Probably not a great way to explain the noise, I'm assuming this is the assembly?

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