Steering wheel +/- gear Swap

[XXSNOTRODXX]

Hey guys,

Did the leather steering wheel/audio control swap into my 6 speed. Also did a color match paint on my bezel.

my question is, I have the 6 speed column Shift +/- Gear selector. The new bezel has the +/- selector button on the cruise switch.

I know I can obviously swap my factory switch over but my question was if anyone had any expierience tapping into the existing column shift wiring and making the steering button work?.

I looked at the harness on my factory wheel vs. the new wheel that I installed and the plug in appears to be the same aside from the new wheel has the addition of 1 red wire that my factory wheel did not have.

Anyone that has done this mod or knows what wires to look for under the dash that could make this mod possible would be much appreciated. Thanks

 

[Wild one]

Hey guys,

Did the leather steering wheel/audio control swap into my 6 speed. Also did a color match paint on my bezel.

my question is, I have the 6 speed column Shift +/- Gear selector. The new bezel has the +/- selector button on the cruise switch.

I know I can obviously swap my factory switch over but my question was if anyone had any expierience tapping into the existing column shift wiring and making the steering button work?.

I looked at the harness on my factory wheel vs. the new wheel that I installed and the plug in appears to be the same aside from the new wheel has the addition of 1 red wire that my factory wheel did not have.

Anyone that has done this mod or knows what wires to look for under the dash that could make this mod possible would be much appreciated. Thanks

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Supposedly the clock spring won't support the steering wheel shift buttons.Whether you could switch the clock spring to the 8 speed version and make it work,i don't know though.You might be on new ground if you try it,as i've never seen anybody post about doing it,and making it work.

 

[XXSNOTRODXX]

Supposedly the clock spring won't support the steering wheel shift buttons.Whether you could switch the clock spring to the 8 speed version and make it work,i don't know though.You might be on new ground if you try it,as i've never seen anybody post about doing it,and making it work.

The main harness coming from the clock spring appeared to have the same amount of wires on each steering wheel. The only difference was the harness running to the cruise control /gear select button. Which makes me think that all trucks should have the wiring in the column and I’d just be able to find the signal wire that runs to the gear select on the steering wheel and tap it into the signal wire for the column gear selector which would basically mirror the function when pressing one or the other.
But yes, this is new ground, I’m having hard time finding any info on this and the ones I have heard from said it’s not possible but can’t say why it’s not possible. I did have a guy say he knew someone that successfully did the mod but he hasn’t got back to me with details on how exactly.

 

[XXSNOTRODXX]

The main harness on the wheel that goes to the clock spring looks like this on both wheels


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[XXSNOTRODXX]

And here is a picture of the harness that goes to the clock spring on the wheel that has the gear selector. As you can see, it is the same as my original wheel. I also looked up clock springs and it appears the only difference on clock springs is for models with heated steering wheels and for without. No mention of any change or special clock spring required for certain cruise/gear select buttons.

Looking more and more like this should be some thing that could be figured out software side or by finding the correct wires to tap into. Both of which I will surely need help with. Thanks in advance to everyone that can help make this a reality!


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[XXSNOTRODXX]

I was told someone in one of the Cummins forums has successfully pulled this mod off but I have yet to be able to track them down.


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[XXSNOTRODXX]

Anyone got any leads?

 

[00R/T]

The clockspring has nothing to do with it. They’re all the same with the exception of the ones with extra wiring for a heated steering wheel. All the clockspring does is get the status of all the steering wheel buttons and send them out on the CAN bus. The message doesn’t even identify what the switch’s purpose is, just the label. My 300 had the adaptive cruise where the truck has the gear and the CAN messages are the same between them. It’s up to the other modules in the vehicle to determine what to do with them.

That said, there is nothing paying attention to those switch locations on a RAM unless it has the 8 speed. They’re just ignored. The buttons from the column/floor 6 speed shifters send a different message on CAN and that’s what the PCM in the 6 speed trucks looks for. I was initially hoping that I could just make a module that connects to CAN and converts the message. The problem is that when you do that, the column shifter still sends its message. Since it does it periodically and not just when you press it, you have a constant “nothing is pressed” message interfering with whatever one you’re generating based on the steering wheel buttons. It causes a conflict and the truck gets confused.

It’s not possible to just disconnect the buttons from the shifter either as they’re read indirectly and the BCM will continue to send the message even with the switch gone. The only way I can think of to accomplish what you want is to have a module that receives the CAN message from the steering wheel switches and replaces the column switch. The module would send signals to the BCM that look like those from the old switch, so the outgoing CAN message would have the correct values. It’s not a super hard project, but once I got to that point I didn’t care enough to take the time to layout a board and write the software.

 

[XXSNOTRODXX]

The clockspring has nothing to do with it. They’re all the same with the exception of the ones with extra wiring for a heated steering wheel. All the clockspring does is get the status of all the steering wheel buttons and send them out on the CAN bus. The message doesn’t even identify what the switch’s purpose is, just the label. My 300 had the adaptive cruise where the truck has the gear and the CAN messages are the same between them. It’s up to the other modules in the vehicle to determine what to do with them.

That said, there is nothing paying attention to those switch locations on a RAM unless it has the 8 speed. They’re just ignored. The buttons from the column/floor 6 speed shifters send a different message on CAN and that’s what the PCM in the 6 speed trucks looks for. I was initially hoping that I could just make a module that connects to CAN and converts the message. The problem is that when you do that, the column shifter still sends its message. Since it does it periodically and not just when you press it, you have a constant “nothing is pressed” message interfering with whatever one you’re generating based on the steering wheel buttons. It causes a conflict and the truck gets confused.

It’s not possible to just disconnect the buttons from the shifter either as they’re read indirectly and the BCM will continue to send the message even with the switch gone. The only way I can think of to accomplish what you want is to have a module that receives the CAN message from the steering wheel switches and replaces the column switch. The module would send signals to the BCM that look like those from the old switch, so the outgoing CAN message would have the correct values. It’s not a super hard project, but once I got to that point I didn’t care enough to take the time to layout a board and write the software.

In my time searching for a solution in Facebook groups and the forums I have ran across dozens and dozens of others with the exact same issue as I am having and that would love a solution. Unfortunately when it comes to the world of coding and arduino and such.... it’s all over my head . I’d love to find a way to make this possible, surly there is a solution .


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[00R/T]

I’m not on the forums all that much any more, but I’m pretty active on the Facebook groups. I’ve really never seen anyone else talk about this. If a lot of people express interest, I’d consider making a module to do it. It’s very similar hardware-wise to one I did for another project.

 

[XXSNOTRODXX]

I’m not on the forums all that much any more, but I’m pretty active on the Facebook groups. I’ve really never seen anyone else talk about this. If a lot of people express interest, I’d consider making a module to do it. It’s very similar hardware-wise to one I did for another project.

Look me up on the 4th gen rams on Facebook and see my posts about it and all the people following looking for the solution aswell. I know there is a large audience for this issue.

Especially since I’ve noticed a lot of people upgrading steering wheels recently (seen on multiple occasions now the mention of all the added hand sanitizer due to current events has worn out the factory rubber wheel prematurely) so a lot more people are upgrading to wheels that are equipped with the -/+ buttons and wanting to activate it just as I do.

I just need someone to tell me what needs to be done to make it possible. If it’s above my skill level I’d gladly pay for the solution, as I’m sure others would aswell.


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[00R/T]

Unfortunately it’s one of those things that takes some specialized knowledge. You’ll need to have something that can hang off the CAN bus and receive the messages. It will then need to decide the button messages and switch in the correct resistance value to the column shifter button wires. You could probably use an off-the-shelf board for the CAN, but the analog side is likely going to be custom. It’s a pretty simple device as far as these things go, it’s just the logistics of doing it in a low volume.

 

[Hemi395]

@Brandon-w might be able to shed some light on this

 

[Brandon-w]

@Brandon-w might be able to shed some light on this

[emoji57] It's one of my winter projects

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[XXSNOTRODXX]

[emoji57] It's one of my winter projects

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Waiting with baited breath to see what you come up with lol

 

[Brandon-w]

I will say the switches on the wheel are in the canbus system so the truck needs to pr programmed to know they are there. The shift command is recognized by the tcm to tell it to shift. Getting them to communicate will take a bit of fiddling I think. Anything is doable though!

Ps paddle shifters are more funner. [emoji6][emoji6]

 

[XXSNOTRODXX]

I will say the switches on the wheel are in the canbus system so the truck needs to pr programmed to know they are there. The shift command is recognized by the tcm to tell it to shift. Getting them to communicate will take a bit of fiddling I think. Anything is doable though!

Ps paddle shifters are more funner. [emoji6][emoji6]

I’m all for the can do spirit. I know it’s possible because I’ve heard of others pulling it off. I just really can not stand the mushy leggy awkwardly
Position column shift mounted -/+ and I really need to get them up and going for the steering wheel lol


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[Brandon-w]

I’m all for the can do spirit. I know it’s possible because I’ve heard of others pulling it off. I just really can not stand the mushy leggy awkwardly
Position column shift mounted -/+ and I really need to get them up and going for the steering wheel lol


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Yeah buttons that don't work drive me nuts!

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[PUREPETRO]

Hi. Resurfacing an older thread (using the search bar before posting a new question). I have a 2016 Tradesman with an Aisin. I purchased a new OEM steering wheel complete with controls and the right side control includes the gear selector buttons (+ / -). Can I install this steering wheel without causing any issues? No problem for me if the shift buttons don't work (although would be cool if there's a way to make that happen)...main thing is I don't want to cause any issues with my truck. Any input/learning?

 

[clifford15]

Hi. Resurfacing an older thread (using the search bar before posting a new question). I have a 2016 Tradesman with an Aisin. I purchased a new OEM steering wheel complete with controls and the right side control includes the gear selector buttons (+ / -). Can I install this steering wheel without causing any issues? No problem for me if the shift buttons don't work (although would be cool if there's a way to make that happen)...main thing is I don't want to cause any issues with my truck. Any input/learning?

No they will not work. No one has invested the time to try to figure it out so far.