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Here‘s some evidence that you need to code the dash as well.
all it basically does is to enable the heating on/heating off message in the right hand display section
this is not the coding itself, just a result of it.
not sure how launch displays codings and values - you might want to search for „Lenkradheizung“ in codable parameters of the dash...
this is one of the nice features of Piwis: if you go for some standard coding operations, you simply select all ECUs and Piwis selects the applicable ECUs automatically and codes them sequentially. Not possible for all things, but those rather simple ones work just fine. You don‘t have to bother searching thru ECUs. Nice example is the Start/Stop feature disabling as this is covered in 4 ECUs at least..
I checked the instrument cluster and found the warning messages for heated steering, they were already enabled. The heated steering wheel itself was enabled automatically after I had actually installed it and got the battery reconnected. As soon as I went into the steering wheel electronics it was already coded in.
I did try the activation code again and it still said successful. I also tried one digit off on the end and it rejected the code. I tried the code with all uppercase and all lowercase letters and it accepted it both ways. I tried to code the heated steering as not installed and then entered the activation password and then coded it to be installed and that didn’t work.
I also found a screen that says when buttons are being pressed, I tried turn signal stalks which all worked then i tried steering wheel buttons and heated button. All multi function stuff worked but it would not pick up when the heated button was clicked.
I am next going to take the steering wheel apart again and try to get to the heated button wire. I bought a bee button and trim piece from Porsche so it should be a working button.
After that, I’m not sure what to do. Maybe try a steering wheel control module from a car factory programmed for heated wheel?
Rainer, what car did you do the heated wheel swap on where you changed the module and it worked?
Last edited by volcanogts; 10-15-2020 at 07:29 PM.
Or as Rainer suggested a new ECU on the wheel. A lot of positive information in your post:
1) We found that Launch CAN enable a heated steering wheel and that it sends the correct hex string, checking for validity (either itself or receiving a non (0) return if error).
2) Upper lower case doesn't matter for Hex numbers.
3) You can try the lock/unlock the car and restart, can't hurt, but doubt it as you already disconnected the battery.
4) Good to check the wire I mentioned way back to make sure it's connected and not kinked or broken.
5) Did you install a new steering angle sensor?
After that, if Rainer can share the ECU part number for the steering, replacing that would be your best bet I guess.
It might be worth checking if the same clock-spring (steering wheel connector to the body) is used with a heated wheel and an unheated wheel. Given how Porsche loves to make bespoke cars - where every wiring harness is made custom to the selected options - I can see it possibly being a problem with no power being fed to the heater in the wheel. And if a different clock-spring was used - does the wiring harness going to it from the vehicle side have provisions for power for the wheel. Those should be fairly healthy sized wires based on how quickly the heated wheel in my Cayenne heats up - there is some serious current being consumed which means bigger than the tiny communication sized wires for the rest of the wheel.
Absolutely. They did the same thing on my Touareg. The original clockspring and the one for the heated one were absolutely identical - except that the non heated one did not have the prongs inside the socket to connect power. So you would plug in the cable thinking OK it's in securely but there was nothing. Look inside the receptacle
Absolutely spot on. I replaced my clockspring and stalk assembly with a used one from a cayenne with a heated wheel and it included the two pins.
I will take the wheel off again next week and look over all connections. I’m not sure I will be able to troubleshoot much having to disconnect the battery, but I can do continuity tests and what not. Might be able to get the bag off and hold it out enough to test power at the clockspring.
1. I would have to look up the exact value, but yes, there is an upper threshold temp where the heating does shut off and does not heat at all. [update]: the upper limit for the steering wheel heating is a steering wheel temperature (not outside temp!) of 40 degrees Celsius, that should be around 100 Fahrenheit. Target temp once heating is 35 degrees Celsius
2. you need to enable heated steering wheel in the dash cluster, else it would not work! Only coding in steering column ECU is not sufficient..
3. I was chasing potential flaws for some weeks in my case - and ended up buying a new steering wheel ECU. Never figured out why as it has the same part number which is why I first did not care to exchange it, but that solved the issue in my case finally. For some mysterical reason my factory ECU did not work.
How did I find out? I analyzed all „actual values“ displayed by the steering ECU - and got an invalid actual temp value for the sensor inside the wheel itself. Not a numerical value at all but some error displayed where a temp should be. I analyzed and measured the heating circuit and sensor in the wheel itself, concluded it to be ok, hence only remaining issue could be the small ECU in the steering wheel. Bought a new one - exchanged it in 2 minutes (just pop airbag out), voilá... it worked ever since.
hope that helps... go and analyze your actual values, see if they are there at all, check if plausible if yes..
good luck!
PS: Piwis at least allows to browse actual values including the Heated Steering Activation, so it tells you if enabling worked or not.. very easy. So I could exclude that as a potential error easily in my case..
PPS: there‘s no need for the car to sleep before. Once all is active and coded - it works immediately.
Hey Rainer, did you get a new or used module? What car do you have and what part # did you go with? I am getting a “not valid” temp as well. Do we need a new untouched module to code in or do we need a used factory programmed module? When you plugged in the module, did you have to code anything or did it just work?
Have you checked the gps website? I think they show what needs to be coded. Maybe you missed something? Or could at least look through their steps. I think their steps are piwis steps though.
I may have just made a breakthrough. When I replaced the clockspring, I replaced the entire stalk assembly and clockspring. I just clicked on module info for the steering wheel control module and it has the other cars vin and my vin and then it says via CAN for my vin. I have my factory control module. That’s crazy how the clockspring setup has chips in it that retain vin info. I think I am going to take the wheel off and take apart the clockspring setups and put just the clockspring on my original stalk setup and see if that works. Maybe that is why the activation code is being accepted but not working. There are multiple vins being pulled.
Do NOT connect the airbag and the battery at the same time whilst it's not securely installed on the wheel. If you don't kill yourself if it goes off prematurely you will be severley injured.
You mean replace the ECU on the wheel? That sounds like a solution, a heck more complicated than on the Tregs.
1. My car was/is a Macan, but the process and issues would benthe same
2. don‘t use invalid codes for enabling as there is a counter for invalid attempts! You now have some entries in there which cannot be deleted...
3. [omitted intentionally]
4. The fact that you don‘t have a valid temp displayed leads me immediately to the little ECU in the steering wheel!!! I think we‘re very close now. I had the same issues like you: no proper temp displayed PLUS the activation button was not recognized when engaged.
Don‘t waste any more time with buttons, the wheel or the clockspring. I initially went the wrong way and changed both 2 times each to finally discover they were not the issue. The VIN in the clockspring can be altered and is not an issue, it‘s just „nice“ when you change it to your car‘s VIN.. you can do that later.
5. Last, the steering wheel ECU you need: Don‘t buy a used one!
I had the same part nr in my original ECU like in the new one I bought at the dealer. Thus, in theory I was expecting my stock ECU to work - but it didn‘t! Never figured out why, it must be some flash or initialization issue. So you‘d have a high chance to run into the same issues again with used ones.
Mine cost around 130 bucks, so it‘s not a big deal for an easy fix. The moment I installed it everything worked. You should browse through the PET pdf for correct identification of the part nr. or check with the stealer. There‘s 2 versions, one with and one w/o heated steering wheel, so easy to tell.
For my MY17 Macan, the nr was 95B 959 256 E. The ECU all had same numbers except the last digit. „E“ in my case was for heated wheel (as written, was already installed from factory but did not work until exchanged to a new one). I believe „C“ was w/o heating, there might be more versions.
to conclude: I guess you got it all right but are just missing a new small ECU, which can be exchanged even w/o taking the wheel off... no more coding was required in my case.
good luck!
Rainer
PS: it took me several weeks to figure that out... since it was in summer last year - no issue
I stand by my post. Do NOT work on airbags with power on. EVERY service manual as well as 50 years or working on cars, as well as numerous firefighters who have died as a result on airbags going off as they leaned into a car to evacuate someone points to caution when working on airbags. Disconnect the battery and wait at least 15 minutes for capacitors to discharge.