# Fitting a Ducato Multifunction steering wheel



## 71RFC (May 20, 2017)

I have just had a Pioneer Avic f88dab unit fitted in my 2015 Hymer Exsis i588 motorhome, I then decided it would make sense to fit a Ducato Multifunction steering wheel to provide hands free telephone and music adjustment. (The Pioneer offers this facility)
The replacement steering wheel is a standard 2015 Ducato wheel (with buttons) which fits perfectly, same airbag etc. However, the wheel does not come with any obvious electrical connections to link the control buttons to the existing clock spring, which has 6 terminals, 2 for the horn and 2 for the airbag, leaving 2 spare, I would have thought I needed 4, a positive and negative for each set of buttons on the left and right hand sides of the steering wheel, i.e for handsfree telephone and Radio/music.
Does anyone know how to connect these buttons, or do I need to fit a different clock spring to provide extra terminals?, because I can see no obvious electrical connections on the buttons, or method to link them (surely they can't be wireless ?). I am aware that I will also require an interface link from the back of the clock spring to the Pioneer unit, which is a separate issue and not a problem.

My motorhome is a left hand drive unit imported from Germany in 2015 by its first owner and now UK registered, the Fiat 2.3 150 bhp multijet engine/ chassis and Hymer manuals are in German, any ideas where I can obtain these in English, as a download or in good old fashioned paper. 
Any assistance re the above would be greatly appreciated.
71RFC


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## mgdavid (Nov 27, 2014)

I imported a 2015 Carado (part of Hymer group) from Belgium. The supplying dealer obtained English copies of all the manuals for me.
What's a clock spring in this context?


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## Pudsey_Bear (Sep 25, 2008)

I would have thought the earth would be common wire, rather than one for each function.


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## Devonboy (Nov 19, 2009)

There is a YouTube clip here: https://www.bing.com/videos/search?...66D2C78EF77C47BC697766D2C78EF77C4&FORM=VRDGAR

But it stops at the point you ask about, he thinks that there should be 2 wires for the digital data stream & the wire is missing. He was going to check with the supplier but does not return to answer the question. He was also going to check if the wiring loom has the correct wiring but again has not returned to answer.


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## RS3100 (Nov 4, 2014)

The steering wheel controls communicate through the low speed B-CAN network, utilising the clock spring connector. I believe at the very least you will need a can interface controller such as the ones produced by Connects2. What I'm not certain about is whether this can be done if the vehicle did not originally have a multifunction steering wheel. The Ducato, along with many vehicles utilising Can Bus systems, is configured from the factory to its specification at point of manufacture. Alterations may be as simple as installing the necessary additional components and reprogramming the body computer to recognise their presence (a proxy-alignment), or might be too difficult to implement in as much as a different wiring loom and/or replacement body computer could be required. I do know that a facility to configure the steering wheel buttons is present in the diagnostic menu on vehicles fitted with that steering wheel, but I don't know if it exists in the body control module of vehicles built without that spec. Maybe a company producing the connection interfaces such as Connects2 would be able to assist.


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## RichardD (Sep 14, 2009)

Is the wheel you bought leather covered?

If so do you have a part number it and roughly how much did it cost?

I've got a standard plastic wheel on my 2017 chassis and would like to upgrade to the leather covered version.

Richard


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## camoyboy (May 9, 2005)

As already mentioned, the multi function steering wheel is a factory fit item and as such cannot be retro fitted, as it is controlled by the ECU CAN bus system. This also applies to foglights and the LED headlights. There may be a way round it but it's not a straightforward plug and play swop.

I spent a long time looking at swapping the headlights to the LED ones but the system is just too complex to allow it. Foglights can be wired up with a separate switch and an independent supply if required.

Colin


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## fatbuddha (Aug 7, 2006)

well the OP hasn't returned (and with only 1 post I suspect he won't now). he's also posted the same question as a newbie in Outandaboutlive

but it quiet amazes me that some people go out and buy "complex" pieces of kit to fit expecting it to work without doing the research into "will it work" in advance.


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## Devonboy (Nov 19, 2009)

fatbuddha said:


> well the OP hasn't returned (and with only 1 post I suspect he won't now). he's also posted the same question as a newbie in Outandaboutlive
> 
> but it quiet amazes me that some people go out and buy "complex" pieces of kit to fit expecting it to work without doing the research into "will it work" in advance.


Yes a little odd that the last visit by the OP was at 08.14 0n the day of the post which was 08.00. Maybe he has found the answer elsewhere. Would be nice to know the solution if there is one.


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## Mike Parker (Oct 24, 2018)

This modification will work if you get the right components with steering wheel with controls and wires airbag squib / clock spring CLOCK 2006 to 2015 I know the vehicles are all the same across the Fiat and Citroen and Peugeot range. When looking around your vehicle you should find plugs hidden behind your dash behind your stereo or underneath your bonnet the ones for your fog lights are on each side or your front end same as the steering wheel as long as you get the wheel with the buttons and the squib you'll be fine fitting a steering wheel. I've just fitted 12 my vehicle with the Android system fitting a reversing camera everything works sweet


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## i.dannymay (Mar 13, 2019)

So I just did this on a Ducato 2008. I was scrapping a broken Citroen Relay so bought a replacement Ducato. I wanted my old Citroen Relay steering wheel, which had the radio controls to go on this Ducato. Which required using the Citroen squib, air bag and steering wheel together as the Ducato squib cant plug into the Citroen stuff etc. After removing the Ducato wheel and squib I could see that there appeared to be enough wires already present to enable the radio controls. So because I couldn't be bothered to remove the dash and find loom connections etc I just cut the Ducato wires at the plug to the squib and reconnected (twiddled and taped) them one at a time to the Citroen squib plug. There was two spare wires coming from the Citroen, which just in case I wired into a new twin core cable, which I fed down the steering column. However once all the was put back together the radio controls and everything else worked straight off. No messing with the ECU needed!. Now I have a Relay badge on my Ducato steering wheel! Any ideas what the two spare wires are for, both brownish?


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## jiwawa (Jun 22, 2007)

This is all double dutch to me i.dannymay! But I did just want to say welcome to the forum - especially as you seem to know what you're talking about!

Hopefully someone will be able to answer your question.


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