Steering Radio Controls

tobias · November 5, 2007

OK, I did a little looking around at old parts today trying to remember what was what. Here are a few photo's of how the wiring harness is mounted as well as what it looks like out of the wheel. Please keep in mind that these wheels may not necessarily reflect the exact same unit you have, it is all based upon trim level and options ordered. Couple of part numbers on this harness, I'd check them both. They are: 28050229 and Z49480229.

Here's a few photos of how it is routed in the wheel.

Thanks for the heads up. I am guessing it is the 28050229 as I haven't seen a letter before any of the other part numbers I have ordered from them before. It does not show up in their search function but that happens with them sometimes. They generally will add the part number once they find the part for someone the first time. It's these oddball parts that they don't waste time adding. I'll give them this part number when they respond to my email. Hopefully this will be the part. I can't wait to put this issue to bed.

Daddy

08 Sierra Z71 · November 5, 2007

OK, I did a little looking around at old parts today trying to remember what was what. Here are a few photo's of how the wiring harness is mounted as well as what it looks like out of the wheel. Please keep in mind that these wheels may not necessarily reflect the exact same unit you have, it is all based upon trim level and options ordered. Couple of part numbers on this harness, I'd check them both. They are: 28050229 and Z49480229.

Here's a few photos of how it is routed in the wheel.

Thanks for the parts numbers. I tried running those part numbers at several online part distributors and got the "No parts were found matching your search" message. If you come across a spare harness like the one pictured, I'd buy it from you in a heart beat.

Thanks,

Jim

Sugar Land, TX

Rolling · November 7, 2007

Will this mod work with the stock 1 disc player in the LT1 Silverados? Will the steering wheel controls work with an aftermarket deck?

tobias · November 7, 2007

Will this mod work with the stock 1 disc player in the LT1 Silverados? Will the steering wheel controls work with an aftermarket deck?

It should but hang on just a bit and let us see what we can get worked out. Some of us already have most of the parts ordered. IF our method works, it'll be much cheaper than ordering an entirely new steering wheel.

As for the controls with after market units, yes but you'll need to spend some time with your friend google looking for the adapter that makes it possible. You might also try this site's search functionality and see if a member has already bridged this gap.

Daddy

divejoe · November 7, 2007

Black Crew Cab,
Got my steering wheel with the radio controls today...Yes indeed you need a new (or need to cut) back plastic trim/piece to accomodate the new controls. The one that I have in my truck (w/o the controls) doesn't have an opening for it. Let me know if you need pictures.

I played a little with the air bag release tabs and it seems fairly easy process to install like stated by Daddy. I'll install the new steering wheel as a whole since I don't want to remove the torcx screws and deal with a bunch of loose parts.

Good Luck!

sweet man, i bet it looks good, can you get me some pictures too? i may try to cut the plastic if its not too hard, but i bet it is too hard and i will buy a wheel for $190 from gm parts direct, i got a new pic of my interior after installing the console, looks great

another good pic of interior with new console

How do you attached pictures? Anyways, great job on the console it looks awesome. How much did you pay for it? My next mod is adding the XM module to the radio, after that I need to chill wife is getting a little bit pissed;) Althought I need to find how to do the fog lights upgrade.

i paid only 200 for the console, i sold my center seat for 300, so i ended up making money

was that on ebay?

cdt23 · November 7, 2007

Daddy is on this like a duck on a junebug!

I admire Daddy for sharing all of his hard work and research with us.

A very noble act!

Who's your Daddy?

tobias · November 7, 2007

Daddy is on this like a duck on a junebug!
I admire Daddy for sharing all of his hard work and research with us.

A very noble act!

Who's your Daddy?

Thanks, Carl.

tobias · November 8, 2007

Heard back from them today with an exploded diagram. I was able to show them the correct part and am now waiting on the number!!! We're close!

Daddy

tobias · November 9, 2007

Scratch that. We're not close. GMPD.com informs me that GM does not offer that harness separate from the steering wheel. I am currently looking into what is the minimum portion of the wheel that must be purchased in order to attain the harness. My suggestion to anyone who wants this mod is to simply buy a new wheel. If they come back with something more favorable, I'll let you know.

Sorry, Guys.

Daddy

08 Sierra Z71 · November 9, 2007

Scratch that. We're not close. GMPD.com informs me that GM does not offer that harness separate from the steering wheel. I am currently looking into what is the minimum portion of the wheel that must be purchased in order to attain the harness. My suggestion to anyone who wants this mod is to simply buy a new wheel. If they come back with something more favorable, I'll let you know.

Sorry, Guys.

Daddy

I wonder what the chances are of finding a used wiring harness at a junkyard is? Since it's a NBS, probably slim to none.

tobias · November 9, 2007

Scratch that. We're not close. GMPD.com informs me that GM does not offer that harness separate from the steering wheel. I am currently looking into what is the minimum portion of the wheel that must be purchased in order to attain the harness. My suggestion to anyone who wants this mod is to simply buy a new wheel. If they come back with something more favorable, I'll let you know.

Sorry, Guys.

Daddy

I wonder what the chances are of finding a used wiring harness at a junkyard is? Since it's a NBS, probably slim to none.

I'm looking, believe me.

If I find more than one, I'll pick up extras. Anyone here who finds one, I would ask you do the same. Let me know how much.

Daddy

tobias · November 10, 2007

#15, the part number is 16824540

WARNING: Do not order part number 16824540 for your GMT900 truck.

That part is not for our GMT900 trucks. I just got mine in the mail and it will not fit.

Daddy

08 Sierra Z71 · November 10, 2007

#15, the part number is 16824540

WARNING: Do not order part number 16824540 for your GMT900 truck.

That part is not for our GMT900 trucks. I just got mine in the mail and it will not fit.

Daddy

Well just great, mine is already on order. Why won't it fit? Looks like we are running out of options. Buying the whole steering wheel assembly seems to be the only way to go.

tobias · November 10, 2007

#15, the part number is 16824540

WARNING: Do not order part number 16824540 for your GMT900 truck.

That part is not for our GMT900 trucks. I just got mine in the mail and it will not fit.

Daddy

Well just great, mine is already on order. Why won't it fit? Looks like we are running out of options. Buying the whole steering wheel assembly seems to be the only way to go.

I don't have an 800 to match it against but I believe it is for the previous body style trucks. I'm holding out for a harness from a salvage yard. These controls will be very nice but it's not worth $200 to me. I'll post back should I ever locate a harness.

Daddy

ChickenWing · January 6, 2008

I added the steering wheel radio controls to my truck today. Here is a rundown of how it went. First off, let me say I have a 2007 NBS Silverado that had the Cruise Controls factory installed, but it did not have the radio controls on the steering wheel.

So, what I needed was the wiring harness for inside the steering wheel, the audio control pod, and the shroud on the back of the wheel with the cutout for the audio control pod. The easiest thing to do was to get a new steering wheel, but at the going price around $180-$200, it really wasn't worth it to me. So I was looking on eBay, and found one for $65, brand new. The only catch is that it was Cashmire, instead of Ebony. I thought about it, devised a plan, and snapped it up. eBay Steering wheel I bought

When I got the new wheel, I took everything apart. Disassembly is pretty straight forward, and I took off the shroud, audio control pod, and the wire harness. My plan to match the colors was to go to the hobby store, and buy some model spray paint that is designed for painting plastics. A flat black matched pretty well. Maybe just a shade off, but the surfaces are not in a highly visible area, so it was close enough to never be noticed. I further disassembled the pod, removing the 6 screws to release the controls and the circuit board, until the plastic surround was empty. Then I proceeded to paint the shroud, and the plastic surround for the pod.

The next step was to take the old wheel off the truck. I have the service manuals, so I gave a quick look at how to remove the airbag, and wheel. According to the manual, the safety requirement for the airbag is to disconnect either a) the fuse for the airbag, or b) the negative battery terminal. Then wait for 1 minute for any power to discharge, as the bag is designed to hold release power for up to 1 minute in the case of power being lost during a collision. I removed the Neg Bat term, as I knew where that was. As for taking the airbag off, you have to push the little springs with a hex key to release it. Not to difficult, but may take a few tries to get the feel of it. There are other posts with photos on how to do this. Have a look at them, and you will understand it better. Then you just unplug the wires – not as simple as it sounds, as the plugs have secondary clips that take a few minutes to figure out how they work and unhook.

Now on to removing the Steering Wheel. Unplug the wire harness. It has a clip on the top, just pop it up with a little screwdriver, and out it comes. I have read that you need a steering wheel puller to get the wheel off. I read in the manual the procedure for removing the steering wheel. Guess what… YOU DO NOT NEED A STEERING WHEEL PULLER! I hope that last sentence just saved you guys some money. You don't need it. All you have to do is unscrew the 13/16" nylon nut on the center of the wheel until it is almost off, but leave it turned on 2-3 threads. Now grasp the wheel on both sides, and as you pull outward, wiggle the wheel side to side. It will pop off in less than 10 seconds. It is not on there all that tight.

Now I have the old wheel, and the parts from the new wheel. I remove the shroud from the old wheel, along with the old wire harness. The screws for the shroud are under the metal colored spoke covers, so they need to be removed as well. This is done by taking off the 4 big Torx bolts. Then the spoke covers pull up gently from the outer edge. They are held firlmy, so keep a gentle yet firm upward pull on them, careful not to break the tabs off. Once they are off, the shroud screws are visible, and they are also a smaller Torx set. On the right side spoke cover, that is where the Audio pod is mounted. Just screw it on. Placed the new shroud in place with the new wire harness, and secured it with the screws. Then replaced the spoke covers, and the Center piece with the Torx bolts. I then plugged in all the wires on the wheel, and I was ready to reinstall the wheel to the truck.

Installing the wheel to the truck was simple enough, just a reverse of the removal process. Slide the wheel on the colum, routing the wires so they are in the correct places. The gears on the shaft and the wheel have a large space as a key so it will line up properly. Just push gently inward on the wheel, while turning it, and when it hits the key, it will slide in a little. A quick push will seat it most of the way on. Then just put the nut on and tighten to 30 ft/lbs according to the Service manual. Then plug the new harness into the steering colum. Then plug your airbag back in and install it by lining up the pins and holes, and giving it a firm push inward. It will snap into place. Reconnect your battery or fuse. That's it. The pod works without any programming.

So my cost for this mod was less that that of the DIC mod. $65 for the donor wheel + a can of spray paint. This was not too difficult to do, most fixit types would not have a problem at all. Well worth it for the costs. Just keep an eye for cheap wheels on eBay.