Polo thanks, i enjoy modding up my truck and posting the mods for others to benefit.
it didnt take but maybe an hour tops to do the full conversion. What took the most time was gettting the wiring codes and functions.. and figuring out how to do the programing on the swix and going back and forth from the garage to the comp to look up wiring diagrams.

I got the buttons from a member here who swapped a leather lariat wheel for his normal one but used his original cruise buttons.

You can try ebay or just call the dealer and see how much they want.
Good luck
let me know if you need any help with it.

 

thanks for the information and i will let you know if i need your help.

 

Fabian, what radio functions did you use the heater & fan switches to run?

 

i did the following functions.

the volume controls vol obviously,
the mem button controls mute and pause
fan controls tracks up and down
and temp controls playlists up and down (or cd up down on changers)

i have a keg installed with 10gigs of music and around 60+ playlists so it was convinient for me to put those controls in.

 

Thanks for the fantastic notes and pictures. My question is --- why replace the steering wheel? Can not the switch assemblies be purchased for less than the cost of a replacement steering wheel? Am I missing something. I have a 2006 XLT without the automatic HVAC option. Can the temp button be used to control the temp?

 

You dont have to replace the wheel. the buttons were interchanged into my wheel. Removing the wheel only makes that replacement, as well as the wiring easier.

You cannot control the hvac with the buttons if you dont have the electronic hvac system already in the truck.
Ive looked into this as well, but its more time, labor, and part intensive then just simply changing out the ac units. You have to purchase the remote temp sensor... a wiring for that i believe, cut out an opening in your dash, as well as procuring the electronic hvac and either modifing the existing radio trim surround or buying a new one....
and you still have to wire the wheel controls to the unit as with the stereo

 

Great pics & write up! I have a aftermarket radio and iPod, so i don't use the volume, but could i hook up the volume control to my Air horns? If hooked up would the horn to the volume it should turn on and off as I push the button? Is that too much power running through the switch?

 

Your kidding right?

Technically if you wire the radio signal wire to a relay then i guess its possible. But that means you cant use any radio controls and all the buttons for the radio on the wheel will activate your horn not just vol. That is assuming that the wire will sustain sufficient current flow to activate the coil on the relay without any undesired effect... like say burning out the radio and hvac circuitry.

Hope that helps.
now, you wanna do us all a favor and resize that ginormous sig.

 

Fabian, I saw a new leather steering wheel on ebay with all the controls you added. I have the stock radio and the basic AC in my 2005 XLT. The seller claims it will control the stock radio and AC, I can see it operating the radio and maybe the fan but not temp control. He says it is plug and play. What do you think about this wheel controling the above functions without the SWIG wire.

 

I got your email Jim, but i figured i would post up here for people that have the same question.

That wheel with the bottons will control the stock radio and hvac ON A LARIAT.
Not the XLT

The XLTs are not wired for the radio/ac buttons

If you purchase that wheel you will need to run the swc wire from the clockspring plug to the radio harness like i did. (detail instructions are earlier in the thread)
After you do that, you will be able to control the radio only. (i think most radios can be sw controlled, unless you have the basic base model radio)
Manual hvac CANNNOT be controled with the buttons. Your hvac buttons will not have a use.

Hope that helps

 

Great post, thanks for the work. I'm trying to get a Lariat wheel to work in an XLT and understand your instructions up to this point. What socket/pin number do I wire to on the radio harness? I also have an isimple installed and wondering if I should patch the new wire in on which end of the isimple, coming in or out of the HU? Thanks!

 

Thanks!
If your trying to run your new SWC wire to the factory radio pin it would connect to pin number 18 as seen here on this diagram.


Since i had to wire in the SWIX i didnt connect it to the radio harness. The only real reason to connect it there is just to have control of a factory unit.
I am not familiar with the isimple you speak of.
What kind of module is it? Got a link so i can read up on it real quick?

 

Ah, perfect, thanks Fabian!

Here's a link to the ipod interface.

http://isimplesolutions.com/CES/Gateway.asp

 

Oh ok i have seen that unit before i just dont know how it hooks up. I thought it hooked up via the sat radio plug?

Well if it uses a t harness to connect to the stock radio just make sure that there is a wire on pin 18 on both ends of the t-harness and you can wire your new SWC wire right up to the factory pigtail. If it doesnt then you may want to run it to whichever end plugs into the rear of the factory unit in the same location as where pin 18 would be.

If you can post some pics of the connections used by the i-simple and we can get it sorted out.

 

Fabian, why not pick up a PAC-JACK? It would wire directly into your Kenwood and not leave any lagtime, less hassle.