Motherfucking Airbags.

[Kezzieboy]

Well before I bother soldering everything up, and re-assembling my interior I thought I'd put up a plea for help.

I have had, for quite some time, a passenger airbag light which hasn't been an issue until they changed the MOT regs 2 weeks ago.

When I turn on the ignition, the pas. airbag light, and 'bottom left' airbag light illuminate, and stay on solid.

To remedy this, I paid a visit to cully, who plugged me into PP and found a simple fault which told us what we already knew from the light; the passenger airbag was deactivated. We swapped cully's passenger airbag switch into my car to eliminate that possibility, to no avail.

From that cully deduced that it is either the passenger airbag, or associated wiring that is at fault. So we decided that when I got home I'd get at the airbag ECU, and wire in one of his resistors to fool the ECU into thinking the airbag was okay.

Having now done that (but only having twisted the wires together?), the passenger light goes dim about 5 seconds after ignition, but the other light remains illuminated.


So, any ideas how I can get my car through its MOT???

[Scott]

I can't be the only one that opened this hoping expecting your airbag exploded when you tried to fix it...

[Kezzieboy]

I spent the entire process utterly shitting it, as I have VERY limited electrical experience, but thankfully no explosions lol.

[cully]

you did unplug the existing airbag before fitting the resistor ?

maybe your connections arn't tight enough

[TomLum]

I can't be the only one that opened this hoping expecting your airbag exploded when you tried to fix it...

Hahahaha exactly what I was hoping for!

[Kezzieboy]

you did unplug the existing airbag before fitting the resistor ?

maybe your connections arn't tight enough

How could I have fitted the resistor without doing so...?

And should I go ahead and solder it an see what happens then?

[cully]

it could be the plug at the airbag end or the wireing back to the airbag ECU
try soldering the wires to the wire ends or crimp them

remember the pasanger airbag is the only airbag i havenot measured the resistance of!
have you got a low volt resistance meter you could measure it with if not i could measure it for you

i have other resistor values here to make up the correct value if the one i let you have is wrong

[Kezzieboy]

Well I did it at the ECU end, so can't be the wiring or plug.

And I see, didn't realise that, was hoping to get it MOT'd tomorrow afternoon so that could be interesting. Anything to say about the fact that the bottom left is constantly illuminated, whereas the passenger one goes dim?

[cully]

key switch is in the enabled position?

100% sure youve got the right wires in the airbag ecu plug for the passanger airbag?

[Kezzieboy]

The ones that go into the pins you said, which have the correct numbers on. And I'll double check, but I'm pretty sure we put it back to the right position didn't we? Plus you'd hope it wouldn't go dim, surely?

[cully]

the right one dim-ly lit then it brought the left one lit, was the original fault indication we had


have you cut the wires at the ecu end and connected the resistor at that end
on the correct wire numbers?

[Kezzieboy]

Yeah that's what I've done. Starting to think my plan of going home on Sunday may have to change. That or I'll be going back without a new MOT...does my old one still count?

[cully]

hmmmmmmmm!
i wonder if the key switch wiring is at fault!

[Kezzieboy]

I might cry if I just ripped apart my interior, and started chopping wires for no reason

[londondan86]

Do you have a separate light for your passenger bag? My airbag light flashes as well, I've checked all wiring under seats (not with a meter yet), replaced steering wheel ring but it still flashes. The key is switched off for the passenger side will this make it flash?

Soz for the thread jack!

[cully]

regarding flashing
it depends on what system is fitted depending on what the light signals

if a bag is missing it might flash the airbag light or it might be constant

my system Ph3 with side bags
if a fault develops when driving the left airbag light flashes for a period then turns solid
if a bag is missing on switching ignition on the airbag light stays on (fails self check)
if i disable the pasanger airbag with a key the airbag light does normal self check but the right light stays solid lit

---

Kez has a stange fault ive been on with him for a couple of hours now
weve checked out
wiring to passanger bag
wiring to key switch
the key switch is not a switch! it changes a resistance state
switch on=400ohms
switch off=100ohms

he is now digging around for the airbag loom main earth point which is on the drivers B post at low level

[jay5488]

On my last car I bought a relay with a timer on it which switches an led off at a preset time
mine was set to 5 seconds, its a bodge but it works well.....

Just a thought

Jamie

EDIT I think it was one of these
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/MINI-SMD-TIMER...3f12aaa2b2