The glue on the steering wheel has seem to worn away after years of heat. What I mean is if I am holding the top of the wheel I can twist it back and forth. Is there any type of a glue that they sell that can be injected into it to fix this problem?

Or- actually- can I buy a new steering wheel and be able to keep the airbag? Do they make aftermarket steering wheels that accomidate airbags- something sporty?

thanks for the help!

brian

 

There's no way to fix that. Your grip on the steering wheel is actually just molded around a metal subframe via injection molding where they inject a hot liquid rubber into a mold where it cures and forms a hardened rubber grip around the wheel... there is no glue involved.

You would have to replace the wheel and the only way to retain the airbag is to go oem. You can however pick up one of the JDM OEM versions which look a little sportier than the USDM ones.

You can always pick up a huge serenge somewhere and try to inject some sort of polyurethane, or glue or something but that would be a fabricated process and not too sure how successful you would be.

 

i got the same problem, i just deal w/it until my jdm steering wheel comes in

 

I read this thread in hopes of finding a solution to find only na-sayers. I am happy to report that: Yes, there is a fix to this problem !! I will preface this with the comment that my existing 16 year old VX steering wheel was as bad as they come. I was commited to buying a replacement but found the search for one difficult.

Figuring there was no possible way to screw this steering wheel up any more than it already was I went about a fix. Gorilla Glue, an 1/8" drill bit, some electrical tape fixed it back to a like new grip.

Remove the steering wheel (covered elsewhere), drill holes into the back side of the wheel that faces the cluster (out of site) spaced about every 3" or so. I did this around the top half of the wheel where it was loose, about six small holes Worked some water to into the holes as called for by Gorella Glue. Stuffed the tip of the Gorilla Glue into the hole and forced an appropriate amount of glue in each hole, wiped any excess with "Goof-off" solvent. (don't go overboard with shooting too much glue into each hole). I quickly wrapped the hole with electrical tape to seal the hole while the glue set. Twist the grip around to work the glue into the grip and spread it out. Let it sit over night.

Success in the morning, oh yeah!! The wheel was solid now, I removed the tape, the little holes are undetectible and the glue locked up the grip like new. There are no buldges or irregularities.

Ask yourself "what do I have to loose"? Answer: Not much. I'm damn near certain that you'll come out smiling at the end for this $5 solution to a common vexxing problem !

This will work

 

I used your fix on a Peugeot 406. Only difference was I used an Aust equivalent of Gorella Glue and put a dot of black marking pen on the glue dot. Worked a treat. Thanks again.

 

The solution is Loctite 480 as it is made specifically for bonding rubber and steel.

Loctite ® 480™ Prism ® Low viscosity, black, rubber toughened, one part, room temperature cure, instant adhesive designed for bonding metal, rubber and selected plastics. Excellent peel, impact and sheer strength. NSF-61 approved. Around $20 for 25ml bottle (April 2011).

Take the steering wheel off. It is fiddly enough trying to inject glue when the steering wheel is on the table. I would hate to try and inject while the steering wheel is still on the car.

Go to your local needle exchange and get a large gauge needle and syringe. Inject glue at a number of positions, wiggle and then allow to cure.

You will find that after you inject some glue will leak out, you will need rags to quickly wipe up the mess.

You have to be quick, the working time is around 2 - 3 minutes !

Be careful as the glue is black. Clean up with acetone.

 

 

Thank you, SCoupe....I used gorilla glue & it did just what you said, my steering wheel is now solid. What a great fix. Only, we did it with the steering wheel still on, just turned the loose part toward the driver's side door. Apparently, we used too much, because a half hour later some had oozed out. Could also be because it was 82° outside and the temperature in the truck was much higher, I'm sure. There was light colored foam that looked like the spray insulation foam in the can. I picked off the excess, and used fine sandpaper & sanded lightly where the foam had been. Wiped off the wheel with acetone, then washed that off. Used some stuff, like armorall, and the wheel looks just fine. Did not want to replace the steering wheel. Thanks again for the info!

 

Your grip on the steering wheel is actually just molded around a metal subframe via injection molding where they inject a hot liquid rubber into a mold where it cures and forms a hardened rubber grip around the wheel... there is no glue involved.

 

You would have to replace the wheel and the only way to retain the airbag is to go oem. You can however pick up one of the JDM OEM versions which look a little sportier than the USDM ones.