Audio Steering Wheel Controls on base stereo

[Markypea]

Hi,

I have just bought and added a steering wheel that has the cruise control and audio controls fitted (the two modules towards the bottom), and two multi direction/ok buttons. The cruise control all works great. However the stereo controls are a bit crazy, every button just makes the stereo change source, also volume up decreases volume, left increases the volume (i think), one of them also goes to the next track. It's all pretty useless as every press of anything changes the source, so I have to flick it seven times to get back to the same source.

The right hand up/down/left/right/ok button does sod all, but that's fine.

Is this just an incompatibility of the base stereo with the audio controls? Are perhaps the controls on the right knackered (it's a used wheel) - or maybe the cable within the wheel damaged? (I did crush it a bit when putting the airbag back on until I noticed) Does anybody have experience of changing out a base spec wheel for one of higher spec and encoutered any issues like this?

I just checked and it all lights up fine. I have looked around in Forscan to see if there is some "button being pressed display" so that I could verify that the buttons work, but alas I got nowhere.

Many thanks in advance?

[loot]

Not sure.

There's only 4 wires, 2 for power illumination and 2 for the buttons.

There's only 2 for buttons because it works on the principle of resistance.
So for example.

No buttons pressed is say 900ohms which also indicates a health system.

Vol up is 850ohms
Vol down is 800ohms
Src is 750ohms

And so on. Each button has a resistor relating to its pre set function.

On older transit the resistance went to the radio but I think it now goes to the audio control module, this could be the radio or it could be the steering squib I don't know. But if you've trapped it and it is bridging then it would in theory show a resistance fault at rest.

You need to check for codes it may show 1 or may not. I know that the cruise control buttons show a wiring fault.

The fact that it is doing something albeit not desirable, shows that it does kind of work doesn't it. No idea if you need to upgrade the radio and ipim or turn the radio higher spec on in configuration.

In short, I don't know

[Markypea]

Hi,

thanks for the response.
I just went out and checked and there were no codes relating to that I think (a few other codes to do with glowplugs and abs, loss of comms with bcm, abs and Restraints Control Module). Also tried changing some options but it made no difference at all:
187 Audio buttons on steering wheel (tried "with audio buttons", and "with audio buttons and mfd remote controller") .
112 In Car Entertainment (was without, there were loads to choose from so tried "not configured", and the high level dab one).
124 Audio player (was without, set it to "player for 1cd and mp3).

Yesterday I did have an option "Column Stalk Radio Controls" which I changed, however that option is not even there anymore, perhaps upgrading Forscan inbetween has affected this. This time the "audio buttons on steering wheel" was there whereas before it was not. Odd.

[Kardaani]

Not sure.
There's only 2 for buttons because it works on the principle of resistance.
So for example.

No buttons pressed is say 900ohms which also indicates a health system.

Vol up is 850ohms
Vol down is 800ohms
Src is 750ohms

Is this true fact also in 2013+ years transit steering wheels? I have no idea at all but i thought its CAN based solution where there is only 2 powerwires and 2 canbus wires. Some kind of control unit inside steering wheel and buttons has own adresess, when pressed "volume up" it sends "1" from own adress to CAN and the radio unit picks up known adress signal 1.

Thats also how i think the most buttons in car works too. But like i said i have no better knowledge about.

[loot]

The controls are extensions to the module they connect to.

The buttons on the wheel and the buttons store cruise and telephony /radio etc are just switches.
The resistance ladder is just 2 wires and that has a series of resistors along the line in between each switch. And there are 2 wires for power.
There is no can bus in them as they are not modules.

In the old days you'd need 1 or 2 wires per switch.

Also the clever thing with Ford(and I expect most things nowadays) is that they are closed loop with a resistance value at off and this differentiates between switched off and broken wire or component which means a lot for for circuit error can be found.

[loot]

And my proof

[Kardaani]

Ok thanks mate. First thought came to mind is if someone doesnt have for example cruise control buttons, its quite easy to fit aftermarket button to steering wheel, and you dont have to buy new steering wheel? Need of course some forscan too, but easy when buttons arent canbus.

[Markypea]

Yeah, but my wheel only cost me £40 with postage, and now I have a swanky leather soft wheel, which makes the whole van feel posher than with the old foam one. I was literally a 20 minute job to swap the wheels over, ten minutes if your not useless like me and don't trap the cable to the right hand side buttons and can't figure out why the airbag won't click in. I might even get lucky and sell the old wheel for a bit on ebay and recoup some costs.

Given how easy it is, I was expecting that there would be a few posts where people have enquired about the stereo buttons, unless of course I'm the only plonker who managed to crush the cable in fitting the new wheel.

[Markypea]

Tried resetting the BCM in the service functions - no effect.

Perhaps the 18d815 is just incompatible with those wheel buttons. I was expecting it to either work, or the buttons do nothing, the fact that it makes the stereo go a bit nuts was not something that I anticipated. I wonder if I got hold of a wheel there the stereo buttons are within the wheel on the top right and not the bolt on module bottom right, whether that would work?

[bilko1]

Did you ever get the controls to work? I have a 2019 base model and just fitted a higher spec leather steering wheel with cruise buttons but none of the buttons work at all They light up and that’s it.

[drdino]

Can you take a picture of the steering wheel you had, and the wheel you changed to?

[Markypea]

My apologies for not responding. I must have disabled email notifications or something. I have attached a photo of the style of wheel that I have now and the previous one. If that helps anybody.

Mine is a 64 plate, so the first gen Transit Custom. Perhaps it's a different story with the facelifted version. There were a few settings that I could mess about with in Forscan as well, such as audio button on wheel or similar. I fiddled with those that sounded like they might help, but nothing changed in how the wheel worked, or didn't. The cruise control and speed limiter being enabled was the only thing that actually helped me get some of the controls working, but nothing I did helped with the right hand side of the wheel. The top right controls do nothing at all, and the lower right audio ones never played properly, making them pretty useless.

[S60r]

Just a quick thought.... what year custom is that wheel from?
Your van is 64 plate but what vintage is the wheel?
It looks like my old 65 plate wheel?

[ossie cossie]

this audio control only without the wires. do i need the wires for it to work.

[blue estate]

this audio control only without the wires. do i need the wires for it to work.

Pull steering wheel trim off and look at loom the plug may be there
I got lucky with an ex pig 2007 Focus style estate , found the plug taped to the indicator loom and then just got a secondhand lower trim with hole in