Airbag Light Flashing

[RetroPug]

Ph.1 gti6, so only a driver's airbag and seatbelt pretensioners.

The airbag light is flashing. Previously, this has been solved by replacing the driver's seat connector, however, so far I have:
- Removed the driver's seat connector and soldered the wires together
- Soldered the passenger seat wires together
- Removed the resistor in place of the steering wheel airbag and re-soldered that to the wires
- Soldered one of the two plugs next to the ACU
- Unplugged and plugged the ACU back in

After all of this, it is still flashing. I could solder the other connector next to the ACU but I doubt that it is this. I have tried wiggling it, plugging it back in etc.

Are there any other things which can cause a flashing airbag light? Could a fuse be blown?

[Ben_w]

Can't you code read it and find out what it thinks is at fault? Not sure if the systems on these were that advanced?

Wouldn't the wires for the pretensioners need a resistor too?

[cully]

have the pretesioners gone off?
check the sleaving below the clip see if its wrinkled

maybe the steering clock spring is broken add a resistor to the wires beside the stalk to bypass it

[RetroPug]

Can't you code read it and find out what it thinks is at fault? Not sure if the systems on these were that advanced?

Wouldn't the wires for the pretensioners need a resistor too?

I'd need Peugeot Planet which I don't have.

My pre-tensioners are still fitted so they should be providing resistance.

have the pretesioners gone off?
check the sleaving below the clip see if its wrinkled

maybe the steering clock spring is broken add a resistor to the wires beside the stalk to bypass it

I'll check the pre-tensioner sleeving. Would the light flash if they'd gone off? I was under the impression that it'd be solid. Perhaps I'm mistaken.

The clock spring isn't fitted. The resistor you supplied was fitted directly to the wiring to the clock spring, successfully last year, with no flashing light.

[Eeyore]

so the pretensioners have explosives in them which pulls a metal wire around a pulley which pulls the buckle tight. If the buckle has pulled down tight then the black sheathing will be wrinkled. I would imagine if it had gone off it would provide a different resistance causing the light to flash.

[cully]

ph1 only have 3 devices?
2 pre-tensioners 1 wheel bag

the pre-tensioners have one plug under the seat and one plug near the Airbag ecu under the carpet for each seat maybe these need checking too

[RetroPug]

The plugs next to the airbag control unit were plugged in. So far I have cut out and soldered one of those.

I will check the pretensioners haven't fired and also the plugs on the pre-tensioners themselves.

[RetroPug]

Those plugs located physically on the pretensioners are tight. The pre-tensioners do not appear to have fired.

I have 2x 1.8ohm resistors that I can wire in in place of the pretensioners, under the seats, but I'm not too hopeful that this will work because I've already soldered the pretensioner wires together etc.

This car has been without an MOT because of this for a while now, to the point where I'm seriously considering stripping it, and putting a rollcage, harnesses and bucket seats in just so I don't have to deal with the constant electrical issues anymore. I've got an upcoming sprint day which I'm getting very close to having to miss now as well.

Is there anything else that can cause this? Is this system fused at all?

[cully]

go and ask your MOT tester what he looks for

flashing light? Fail or pass and advise
no light? Fail or pass and advise

you see where im going

if you trace the pre-tensioner wires back the the airbag ECU there is another pair of plugs wire the 1.8ohm to these

have you had the dash out? does the ph1 have the wire for the passenger bag? was it plugged into a blank if it was there

[RetroPug]

I'll wire the resistors to the plugs next to the ECU, yeah. Still not too hopeful of that working but we'll see.

All the local testers which I've spoken to view no light as a fail, which it should be. I don't want to do the old wiring the light to another system trick.

I haven't had the dash out, there apparently was a blank wire which went behind the passenger glovebox, in case any ph.1s ever got a passenger airbag, but iirc none ever did and then they facelifted. I think it may well have just been left loose but worth a look tomorrow.

Is this system fused at all?

[cully]

 there apparently was a blank wire which went behind the passenger glovebox,

Is this system fused at all?

maybe that wire had a 1.8 blank plug in that has fallen out

the system will be fused but i wont be able to tell you where

[RetroPug]

 there apparently was a blank wire which went behind the passenger glovebox,

Is this system fused at all?

maybe that wire had a 1.8 blank plug in that has fallen out

the system will be fused but i wont be able to tell you where

I'll get the top glovebox off and have a look.

Any idea what sort of amp fuse would be suitable for such a system? It's possible it got removed and not put back during diagnosis of another issue, unlikely, but worth a try as my fusebox has quite a few empty places.

[cully]

auto data says F2 5 amp

but the drawing shows a passenger bag too

[RetroPug]

All empty spaces in the fusebox filled with new fuses, 1.8ohm resistor soldered in place of each connection either side of the airbag ECU.

Light still flashing...

Other than another airbag control module I'm not sure what else to try.

[cully]

on the blue plug coming out of the airbag ecu how many orange wires with yellow tracers are there?
as each pair are an airbag

if you unplug the blue plug and turn the ignition on the airbag light will stay on permanent and not flash

at the end of the plug there is a pair of cables blue and earth if you remove the shorting pins the light will be off with the plug out

I think that would be enough to get you a pass and advise with no light, it would be a fail with a flashing light but check with the tester first

[RetroPug]

Wouldn't that just achieve the same thing as removing the bulb?

There was a blank airbag cable behind the glovebox with nothing plugged in but from reading around they are all like that it seems.

The plug on my airbag control unit isn't blue- it is orange, and from memory looks a bit different to that. The wiring coming off of it is wrapped up to be a single loom, I'll peel the wrapping off and take a look when I get the chance, but I don't think that there are as many cables as in the picture above. The loom goes from the ACU to the two plugs for pretensioners, part of it goes up behind the dashboard, and then a small, single wire goes to a brown plug near the ACU.

Thanks for the help so far, really appreciate it.

[cully]

the picture for the plug is of a 6 bag ACU "6VOIES"

Wouldn't that just achieve the same thing as removing the bulb?

YES but without removing the dash

[RetroPug]

Ah okay. You can get the bulbs out the back of the instrument cluster just by removing the instrument cluster on mine, you don't need to remove the dash.