DIY Installing Aftermarket Steering Wheel Corolla 93 - 97

tools needed:

small channel locks
19mm socket , ratchet , and 6" extension
flat head and phillips head screwdriver
torx 35 bit driver or socket
wire strippers
zip ties
butt connectors
female spade connector
spiral corded phone wire


1. unplug BOTH terminals on the battery , and KEEP them away from making any connection at all while servicing. now press the brake pedal for about 5 sec. now wait aprx. 5 minutes before touching anything. also make sure the wheels are strait , and the ignition is locked , and keys are not in ignition. alldata calls for 90 sec. for the backup battery of the airbag to drain , but we all know not all battery's are created equal , so be safe




2. remove you steering colomn cover by removing the two screws from the bottom . next locate these tabs on either side of the steering wheel , and pop them out from the back using a flat head screw driver.



3.now you have access to the three retainer screws (2 on left 1 on right) that hold in your airbag/ center piece. they take a "35" torx bit.



4.loosen these screws till they dont back out anymore . now use the flat head screwdriver to pull these screws out of their plastic retainers.



5. the airbag assembly should now fallout into your hand . at this point unplug the airbag connector from the airbag.





6.remove your steering wheel shaft nut , i used a 3/4" socket for this , but i think a 19mm will fit better.




7. use a steering wheel puller tool (part #09950-50010 or 09609-20011) or whatever puller you can find to remove the factory steering wheel.




i had to cross thread my puller bolts into the steering wheel because i did not have the proper thread pattern for the corolla. also , on a side note , if you get the puller super tight and notice the steering wheel is not sliding off the shaft , hit the steering wheel rim one good time w/ a hammer while there is tension from the puller on it. mine slid right off at this point. you should now be looking at this:



8. remove the 4 silver phillips head screws shown here.



9.remove the yellow "spiral" plate that you just removed the 4 screws out of.



10. now remove these 2 silver phillips head screws that hold the multi-function switch wire guide, also cut the factory zip tie on the upper end and "un-snap" the clips at the lower end.



11. follow the "yellow" wrapped wire back to the connector in the dash , and unhook it. also unplug the white plug from the yellow spiral cover (and let it hang , this is your horn .then tape up the yellow plug that is still on the car side of the harness. this was for the airbag. 1st pic is were the plug is , 2nd is tapped.




the spriral cover you just pulled off is just for the airbag wire , and horn wire. since your not running an airbag no more , you dont need this , nor can you use an aftermarket steering wheel with it. more on the horn latter.


12. now re-install the plastic wire guard for the multi-function switch wires , be sure you include the horn wire when reinstalling. also put a new zip tie in the place of the zip tie you cut. horn wire will be just hanging at this point.



13. now this is where the instructions that came with your aftermarket wheel comes into play.

the only other advice i offer here is to make sure you mount the aftermarket hub strait up so your wheel is strait. also , YOU WILL HAVE TO TIGHTEN THE PISS OUT OF THE NEW HUB TO GET IT SEATED PROPERLY!!! IF YOU DONT HAVE A NOSEBLEED BY THE TIME YOUR DONE , IT AINT TIGHT ENOUGH!!!

this pic below is a pic of the turing signal neutral cam. this must be pushed down by the aftermarket hub.(cam is spring loaded)



14.after installing you steering wheel per instructions provided with it , reinstall steering colomn cover.

you might wanna pull the cluster and remove the indicator light for the airbag lamp , because it will remain on as long as there is no airbag on the drivers side.

now for the horn.

the best way i found to do this , is to connect a spiral phone chord or c/b microphone spiral chord to the green horn wire , you cut from the white plug that WAS connected to the "yellow spiral".




coil one or two coils of the spiral wire into the hub , then put the appropriate connector to attach to the new horn button on the end of the spiral wire , in the hub.



now zip tie the green wire side under the steering wheel to the multifunction meter wires .



the spiral cord should now be hanging freely , and have enough play to turn the wheel full "cocked" in either direction. i will edit this w/ a pic shortly.

should look like this when your done:

DIY Tune Up & Oil Change Corolla 98 - 02

This is a DIY on a full tune up job on a 8th gen non vvt-i Corolla .


First thing you do is you carefully remove your spark plug wires , If there not numbered then number them or lay them in order as you take them off.

While your wires are off you can remove your PCV which is located above the ignition coil on the right side of your valve cover . To test the PCV you shake it and if it rattles freely then your PCV is ok if it doesn't rattle freely then it is clogged .

With a extension and a spark plug socket you remove all the spark plugs . Make sure before you remove your spark plugs it is free from dirt or liquids so that when the whole is open nothing drops in your cylinders .

My OEM plugs are the double sided spark plug . Denso #3194 . Some places you have to order them as in my case . Some people have their own preference . This is mine and what my corolla calls for .

Then I gap them at .44 each side .

Then I applied some anti seize because the corolla heads are aluminum and the spark plug is metal . If you don't apply this they will be a pain to get out . Once I applied the anti seize then I put the plugs back . Hand screw first so that you don't strip the threads .

The with the dielectric grease you put some inside the spark plug wires so that it will make it easier to pull the wires on and off with out breaking them .

Since this car doesn't have a distributor and coil packs . Inspect the coil packs lube as well with dielectric grease .

In this case I have a aftermarket air filter . This air filter can be cleaned a reused . It's very simple you spray some degreaser all over the filter and let it sit for awhile . Then with a hose you spray from the inside out to remove all the dirt and grease . Do this as many times as needed . When you are done then you shake it dry or if you have a air hose you can use that to help it dry quicker . Set it out in the sun while you do other things and come back to it then spray the either transmission fluid or the oil spray that comes with it . Then you let it sit for awhile . This prevents it from rusting .

Next step is changing your oil . With your ratchet you remove your oil pan bolt . Make sure you have a oil pan underneath it . Let the oil drain for as long as you can , You want to make sure all your old oil is out . I do not use any oil cleaner additive but if you want to then you do what is best for you .

With that then you remove your oil filter make sure you have a oil pan underneath that cause oil will come over around the filter .

Then when you are ready to put your new filter back you wipe up the area where the old filter was then with your finger tip you apply a light coat of oil around the rubber ring of the oil filter . Then you hand tighten the filter . As the car runs it will tighten up more .

Then when you are done you add your new oil , check all your fluids , put your air filter back . Start your engine let it run then shut it down and look for any leaks . Check your oil fluid again . Then you have completed your tune up .

DIY Vehicle Battery Maintenance

This is a DIY on any car battery with top post .


This is basically the stuff I use when I do maintenance on my own battery . Everyone has their own methods this is mine .

This is how my battery looked with corrosion and acid all over the tops and post .

First I sprayed the battery cleaner and die spray . The red shows all the acid . Once you spray this you let it sit and eat up the acid . If you need to apply more then apply more . Always remember to use gloves cause the acid will eat your skin and sting a little . Wear eye protective glass . Never blow the acid , Always use a rag your not gonna reuse again then throw away .

Once you have wiped off all the cleaner and as much as acid you can , Then with your battery cleaner tool that has a wire brush inside you clean your top post . If you do not have this tool you can use sand paper or a wire brush .

Then you open the top of the battery cleaner tool and wire brush the inside of your battery terminals and then the outside of the terminals removing all the acid . Again if you don't have this tool you can use sand paper or a wire brush .



Once you have all the terminals and post clean you wipe down your battery . Check your fluid levels . Do Not Over Flow . You battery does boil when it is hot and if you over flow then every thing you have done has gone to waste . Once everything is clean you add what I call are pads to absorb any acid that the battery may boil out . This keeps the terminals a little protected .

I usually use the battery protectant lube & spray that they give you at the parts store . But it's your car battery and you do what you think is needed. Once you bolt down your battery terminals then you spray or add the battery protectant .
Some of the newer cars require you stick a 9v battery plug in your lighter to keep the computer from resetting itself . Make sure your vehicle doesn't need that or else you will be calling the dealership to reprogram your car . Some cars will not start. Some cars go into a dum mode and will sound horrible until it relearns itself .
Make sure you consult your manual first . For older cars you are ok to do this method .

DIY Rear Brakes & Wheel Cylinder Corolla 93 - 02

Since the 93-97 have the same exact rear brakes and wheel cylinders with out ABS as the 98-02 this DIY can be use for both vehicles . The best thing to do is one side at a time so if you don't remember how it goes you have the other side for help . Plus the shoes can go on either side there is no front or back .


Once you have your corolla secure with jack stands then you can remove the brake drum off . Some brake drums might need a little bit of tapping to get off .

The best way to remove your brake shoes is to start from the top removing the spring where the brake adjuster is through it then you can work your way either one side or the other side down till the brake shoes are completly off.

Then you can remove the emergency brake bracket from the brake shoe . Take the spring off first then spread the clip apart . Some brake shows come with this replacement and others don't so try not to destroy it .

In this DIY I replaced my wheel cylinder . In the back are two bolts and the brake line .

While I had everything off I decided to get a tiny wire brush and cleaned the braking plate , Then with some degreaser I spray the area and with my air hose I blew out the all the junk and made it easier to dry out too .

With having the drums off it's a perfect opportunity to pain your drums too .

Before I put the wheel cylinder back I took the bleeder out and put some anti seize on the thread and put some anti sieze on the bolts too and if you choose you can put some on your brake line .

Then I put some anti sieze on the areas that the brake shoes rub on , Then I took the brake adjuster to make sure it isn't frozen and un screwed it added anti seize on both ends .

Then I put the brake shoes back up starting from one side then the bottom then the other side and up .

Once you have your brake shoes on then you can put the drum back on bleed your wheel cylinders take the drums off then adjust your shoes . Then you can put your tire back on and test your brakes in a area that you can safely test the at .