I have a 1988 944 Turbo. I am the original owner. I need to change the bulbs in the instrument cluster and hence remove the driver airbag to remove the steering wheel. I cannot remember why the airbag was ever removed, but someone did and striped the left side Torx. The right Torx easily released. It seems that the left Torx has been screwed in with Red Loctite. Question-- does anyone know the length of the Torx used? If the head of the Torx is removed, will the bag release?
I have heated the Torx with 400 degree F with a soldering iron from my solder work station to no success.
Any thoughts will be appreciated.
Thanks,
Larry
Driver Airbag Removal
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Tom
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Sorry about your stripped bolt. If you can get a drill back there, I'd just drill the head of the bolt off and then remove the stub once the airbag is out. A left hand drill bit might even turn it out for you. If that's not realistic, you can sometimes pound an oversized torx, hex, or triple square bit into the had of the bold and get a grip. You can also try putting a soldering iron on the head of the bolt for a few minutes to heat the whole thing up and loosen the loctite, then try to get a grip. I'd be reluctant to try traditional EZ outs. When they snap off inside the bolt (as the tend to do), the problem just becomes that much bigger. (Be sure to disconnect the battery and let the car sit for an hour or more before messing with the airbag.)
All that said, I've removed my cluster without pulling the steering wheel. It's tight and fiddly, but can be done, so unless the stripped bolt bugs you and you 'want' to fix it, the easier path may be to leave the steering wheel on and work around it.
Sorry about your stripped bolt. If you can get a drill back there, I'd just drill the head of the bolt off and then remove the stub once the airbag is out. A left hand drill bit might even turn it out for you. If that's not realistic, you can sometimes pound an oversized torx, hex, or triple square bit into the had of the bold and get a grip. You can also try putting a soldering iron on the head of the bolt for a few minutes to heat the whole thing up and loosen the loctite, then try to get a grip. I'd be reluctant to try traditional EZ outs. When they snap off inside the bolt (as the tend to do), the problem just becomes that much bigger. (Be sure to disconnect the battery and let the car sit for an hour or more before messing with the airbag.)
All that said, I've removed my cluster without pulling the steering wheel. It's tight and fiddly, but can be done, so unless the stripped bolt bugs you and you 'want' to fix it, the easier path may be to leave the steering wheel on and work around it.
