Airbag light on my 98 Blazer
Problem solved. Thank God for Ebay. I didn't actually buy anything, but it's sure nice to be able to SEE what something looks like when it's removed. I got to see what the front airbag sensor looked like. (STILL can't locate it on the truck though)
More importantly, I got to see what the passenger and driver airbags looked when removed from the vehicle. My truck doesn't have a switch to turn the passenger side off. That's pretty much ruled out being able to put the oldest boy in the front seat. I've barely been able (by very limited seat selection) to fit 2 safety seats and the infant carrier in the back seat. SO, I was able to locate the wiring connector, and unplug the front airbag.
Won't that create a problem with getting the car inspected, you ask? WHy yes it will. That damn airbag light in the dashboard is a major pain the ass. I took the truck to get inspected, and that light refused to turn off. As a result , it failed. I read that there is a fuse that you can pull, but that it will make the light stay on , rather than make it go away.
The answer - I took apart that damn dash board, and removed the instrument cluster. Pretty simple, I must admit. I disassembled the cluster, and found 2 led lights that are on a motherboard. So much for just plucking the bulbs out. I was afraid to remove them for fear that it might mess up some other electrical system.
Now I can't say what you should do next if you are having the same problem, but it sure would seem easy enough to cover those lights with some black electrical tape, so when you turn the car on, the lights won't shine through.
This wouldn't 'fix' the airbags, just the light problem. If you WANT airbags, go to a garage and get them fixed. I personally don't want them, and am not at a loss for not having them wired anymore.
More importantly, I got to see what the passenger and driver airbags looked when removed from the vehicle. My truck doesn't have a switch to turn the passenger side off. That's pretty much ruled out being able to put the oldest boy in the front seat. I've barely been able (by very limited seat selection) to fit 2 safety seats and the infant carrier in the back seat. SO, I was able to locate the wiring connector, and unplug the front airbag.
Won't that create a problem with getting the car inspected, you ask? WHy yes it will. That damn airbag light in the dashboard is a major pain the ass. I took the truck to get inspected, and that light refused to turn off. As a result , it failed. I read that there is a fuse that you can pull, but that it will make the light stay on , rather than make it go away.
The answer - I took apart that damn dash board, and removed the instrument cluster. Pretty simple, I must admit. I disassembled the cluster, and found 2 led lights that are on a motherboard. So much for just plucking the bulbs out. I was afraid to remove them for fear that it might mess up some other electrical system.
Now I can't say what you should do next if you are having the same problem, but it sure would seem easy enough to cover those lights with some black electrical tape, so when you turn the car on, the lights won't shine through.
This wouldn't 'fix' the airbags, just the light problem. If you WANT airbags, go to a garage and get them fixed. I personally don't want them, and am not at a loss for not having them wired anymore.
posted by Darth Daddy @ 5/30/2008 12:03:00 AM
4 Comments:
At 7:13 AM,
The Father of Five said…
I am not sure if this will work or not, but instead of unplugging the connector from the airbag, what about splicing a couple of quick connects in to the wires, and perhaps even adding a extra length of wire so that you can inconspicuously hide the "quick connects" under the dash, but easily get at them...
That way, when you go in for the inspection, you can "connect" the airbag, and then "disconnect" again afterwards...
Just an idea!
At 10:51 AM,
Darth Daddy said…
Not a bad idea - just might do that. But my first problem was that I have an intermittent airbag light on the dash board. If any "idiot" lights stay on, the inspector must fail the vehicle for the inspection. No light=no problems passing.
I need to replace the sensor near the front bumper, just don't want to deal with it (and it may not even fix the issue).
But a quick connector (if I put the system back together), is a nice idea. Thank you!
At 4:52 PM,
Anonymous said…
You might as well pull the fuse, with the light on the whole system (airbag) will not work so its pointless unplugging the passenger side, expecting the drivers to still deploy in a crash.
instead measure the resistance of the passenger airbag and fit a resistor of the same value in its place.
At 9:32 PM,
Darth Daddy said…
Thanks - I've read that , with the fuse pulled, it causes other problems to occur (electrical and such). It's been almost 3 years now with just some paper jammed in the space to block the light. So far, works great. I've sacrificed the functionality of the airbags, but it's a fair trade for getting it past inspection. I've also disconnected the connector from the passenger side airbag, so ensure no misfires.
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