How to Replace Clockspring 2008-12 Ford Escape
Created on: 2019-05-01
Check out this video on how to replace the broken, scratchy or noisy clock spring on your 08-12 Ford Escape. 1A Auto will show you how to do it.
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step 1 :Removing the Steering Wheel
- Disconnect the negative battery terminal with an 8 mm socket
- Insert the 2.5 mm hex wrench, or similar tool, into the small hole at the bottom of the steering wheel, and press the air bag release spring up to release the air bag assembly
- Disconnect the three electrical connectors on the rear of the airbag assembly
- Set the air bag aside, facing up
- Disconnect the electrical connector at the 12 o'clock position of the steering wheel assembly
- Remove the T50 Torx bolt at the center
- Thread the T50 bolt back on several threads
- Pull the steering wheel firmly off the steering column
- Remove the T50 bolt and the steering wheel
- Secure the clock spring with painters tape or similar tape
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step 2 :Removing the Clock Spring
- Remove the dash panel below the steering column by pulling it out to disengage the locking clips
- Remove the three 5.5 mm screws from the underside of the steering column
- Move the steering height adjuster arm down out of the way
- Separate the top and bottom halves of the steering column panel by pulling them apart to disengage the locking tabs
- Disconnect the clock spring electrical connector
- Remove the two T20 Torx screws securing the clock spring to the steering column
- Carefully remove the clock spring making sure not to spin it
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step 3 :Installing the Clock Spring
- Remove the tape
- Carefully install the clock spring, and replace the tape
- Replace the T20 Torx screws securing the clock spring to the steering column
- Replace the lower steering column panel
- Replace the upper steering column panel and press the two together to lock them in place
- Replace the three 5.5 mm screws
- Replace the lower dash panel by setting the hinging tabs in place and then pressing the locking tabs in place
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step 4 :Installing the Steering Wheel
- Remove the tape from the clock spring
- Feed the airbag wiring harness through the opening in the steering wheel
- Push the steering wheel back onto the steering column
- Replace the T50 bolt, and torque it to 30 ft-lb
- Reconnect the electrical connector at the 12 o'clock position on the steering wheel
- Reconnect the three electrical connectors on the air bag assembly
- The white connector goes to the yellow socket
- The black connector goes to the green socket
- Press the airbag assembly straight in to lock it into place
- Reconnect the negative battery terminal with an 8 mm socket
Tools needed
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Socket Extensions
Flat Blade Screwdriver
Torque Wrench
T20 Driver
5.5mm Socket
8mm Socket
Painter's Tape
2.5mm Hex Wrench
Ratchet
T50 Socket
What's up, guys? I'm Andy from 1A Auto. In this video I'm going to show you how to replace the clockspring on this 2012 Ford Escape. If you need parts for your vehicle, click the link in the description and head over to 1aauto.com.
I'm going to disconnect the battery. I'll use an 8-millimeter socket and a ratchet. Loosen this up, the negative battery terminal. Once it's loose, grab it and pull it off. Set it out of the way.
I'm going to use this hex wrench, and underneath the airbag there's a little hole, right there. This happens to be a 2.5-millimeter hex wrench, and you're going to feel around. If you can grab on it, and you can watch the airbag move, you're too far forward. You're going to back up just a little bit, and there'll be something to push on. There's a spring.
It might help out if you push on the airbag a little bit, and then it releases, you can slide the airbag up. And let me just show you what that looks like inside here. That's pushing on this spring right here, push it up, there's clips right there that get pushed in. Just like that.
On the back of the airbag, we want to disconnect this connector right here. Just take a straight blade screwdriver and push. There we go, disconnected it, it was just clipped on there pretty hard.
Now we'll disconnect the airbag connectors, just squeeze the little tabs, you can use a straight blade screwdriver if you have to. Push on the lock tabs and slide them out, same with this one. And slide it out. Grab the airbag. When you place the airbag, you want to place it facing up, you never want to place it on its face because if it does go off then it'll go flying.
All right, I want to disconnect this connector right here. We'll use a straight blade screwdriver or a pocket screwdriver, just push on the connector, disconnect that. Now when we pull the steering wheel off, this wire is going to go through there. Take a T50 extension and ratchet, and I'll take this bolt out. I'm going to hold the steering wheel while I loosen this up. This might be kind of hard to do. Try holding it with my knees. There we go.
All right, so I'm just going to take this bolt, I'm not going to take it out all the way, like I just did, I'm just going to put a couple threads on. Then I'm going to grab the wheel and just rock it back and forth. The reason why I leave it on there is so when the wheel releases it doesn't hit me in the face. And there it goes, it pulled off. Now I can take that off.
Now, you could use a steering wheel puller, there's two holes right there and you can pull it off, but this way works as well. You just got to be careful not to bend the wheel, don't grab it from the top too much, more on the sides and just rock it back and forth. Slide that out just like that.
Okay, I don't want this clockspring to spin while I have the steering wheel. If this spins multiple times, it's going to end up breaking. So what I'll do is take some tape and just tape it to the center there. It's not going to hold it really, really good, but it'll at least keep it from spinning.
Just going to grab this lower panel and just pull it straight out. There are some retainers that hold it in that twist forward, and then these clips. Sometimes the clips get stuck in here. Pull that clip out, just reinstall it on the cover.
Now there's some screws in here, I'm going to use a 5.5 socket extension and a ratchet. There's normally three, this vehicle only has two. Pull those screws out. Now we can grab this cover, actually I'm going to pull this handle down, and then pull the cover. Separate it from the top. Pull the top off, pull the lower part off.
Just take a straight blade pocket screwdriver, and slide that little tab off, disconnect that. Then I'm going to take these two screws out, going to use a T20 extension and a ratchet. When those come off, just gently slide this out, and if you're going to reuse this, make sure you keep the tape on there because you don't want this to spin.
Going to reinstall this. I'm just going to remove the tape, just make sure it doesn't spin when you install this right there. I'm going to reapply the tape to the center right there, so that's good. Take the screws and the T20, install these. And I'm just going to snug them up with the ratchet. Remember, it's in plastic, so not too tight, just snug. Take the connector, reconnect it, and lock it in.
Take this lower panel and slide this right here. Slip it over the ignition lock cylinder. I can lock this in if that helps you. Then line the top up, and just lock it back in place. Now take this, line this bracket up right here and right there, and lock it in place.
Now we're going to put these screws back in here. Just get them started first, and then I can re-tighten them. And if you have the third one, put the third one in there. And snug it up.
Now I'm going to install the steering wheel. I will take this tape off, and slide this wiring harness through here. And there are some slots for the steering wheel to go in the shaft, it'll only line up one way, so that's good. Take the bolt, get that started. Then I'm going to take a T50 extension and a ratchet, I'm just going to tighten this down. I'm going to use a torque wrench and I'm going to torque this to 30 foot-pounds. Take this connector, we can just slide that in position, lock it in place.
Now we're going to connect the airbag. This white connector's going to go right here with the yellow one, and the black one goes to the green. Lock those on, and then we'll lock this last connector in. Lock it in place. All right, now we want to make sure this wire is out of the way. Slide the airbag in position, and just with both hands push it, and it's good to go.
Take the negative battery terminal. Reconnect it to the battery, and then take the 8-millimeter socket and ratchet, and we'll snug this up. Just grab the cable, wiggle it, and make sure it's nice and tight.
Thanks for watching. Visit 1aauto.com for quality auto parts shipped to your door, the place for DIY auto repair. And if you enjoyed this video, please click the subscribe button.
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