When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
So it’s all done! Thanks to everyone for the info to get through this. I’ve never seen my engine dry and clean. How long does the oil pan gasket last? It’s a great car to work on, as long as you’re not in a hurry.
Do the buttons light up on the steering wheel? Is your airbag light on? When you reattached the steering shaft to the steering rack it is possible that you had turned the steering wheel one rotation while they were disconnected and now when it was reconnected the clock spring turned too far when you were turning the wheel and snapped the cables inside the clock spring. I would tend to think absolutely everything in th wheel would be dead in that case. I haven't removed the clock spring on my E61, but when I had an MK4 Golf the clock spring had a little yellow dot that would appear when the clock spring was centered so that you knew you put it on correctly to prevent this scenario. When I took out my subframe I locked the seat belt through the steering wheel to prevent it turning.
It's also possible something is just unplugged but I tend to doubt you would have removed the steering wheel to do this job.