Technical Clock spring connection - airbag warning light

[Zardo]

Hi,

since today my airbag fault light is on. It's actually not my fault, since I didn't touch anything except - yes - the steering wheel. This one I touch quite often. By the way, I do not have any confidence in electrical moving parts, so I have been doing some reading. I believe now that the most likely reason for my airbag fault light coming on (except that the airbags are almost 11 years old) could be some mechanical connector problem located in the clock spring connection of the driver airbag

Could I be right?

Or is there a clocking circuit in the airbag controll unit, switching airbags off at "production year eleven"?

thx,
Zardo

 

[T14086]

no clocking circuit,just manufacture recommendations.

could be clockspring,often this can also cause horn to stop working aswell & 'gritty' kinda sound (cable twisting) from clockspring area.

 

[jug]

when you say you touchged the steering wheel, do you mean you roemved the airbag? if you reomve the airbag you must disocnnect the battery 15mins before you begin removing it, and not reconnect the battery until it is refitted. if you do not follow this procedure you trigger an airbag system fault, and then you need to pay a stealer to have the airbag ecu reset.

 

[Zardo]

Hello Jug,

no, what I meant was I get in touch with my steering wheel alot while driving...

cu
Zardo

 

[stylers]

take it to a garage and get the codes read, if it shows a fault with the drivers airbag circuit, you would need to have the clock spring looked at.

 

[jug]

90% of the time the light is triggered when you move the seat, the connector underneath it is pulled, the connection only has to break for a millisecond and the light comes on.

 

[Zardo]

90% of the time the light is triggered when you move the seat, the connector underneath it is pulled, the connection only has to break for a millisecond and the light comes on.

Is that the connector which goes to the pyroelectric seat belt tightener? Where do I find it? Is it somewhere under the mat? Or does it run allong in the middle console?

Will the light go out if the battery is disconnected for, say, 24 hours?

(Before fiddling with the connector, I would have to disconnect the battery anyway, wouldn't I?)

thx,
Zardo

 

[jug]

the connector is just hanging under the seat, its a yellow wire and connector (generally anything yellow is airbag system).

even if you fix the connection the light will stay on until it is reset on a fiat examiner, a total con, but thats life.

 

[Zardo]

The strange thing is, when I was driving the car today, for the first time since 1997 the battery warning light came on flickering... it would'nt stay on, however. Just flickering, and not very often. Most of the time, the battery light isn't showing. It does not matter if headlights were switched on or not.

This is strange, it seems to me that airbag warning light and battery light are somehow related to each other, I mean I drive this car since 1997 and NEVER had any problems with the airbag warning light or the battery light... and now they come on both almost the same day.

There was no unusual sound to hear whilst driving. Maybe the car is experiencing fast voltage changes because of some loose connection? And this triggered the airbag light? Radio and headlights seemed to operate normaly to me.

 

[Zardo]

Help!!!

Ok, it isn't the clockspring - probably not.

Battery dead now. There's really no juice left. Did run fine yesterday. :yuck:

I inspected the battery: there is enough liquid in it. Something must have discharged it over night. I have no special electric appliances in the car.

Could burnt alternator coals discharge a battery?

I tried looking for the alternator, but it's very difficult to access. Almost didn't find it The belt has enough tension. I tried inspecting the coals, but I don't know how to get to them. Would I have to take out the front wheel on the right side and the mud protection also? Or should I jake up the car in order to get under it? I would give it a try changing the voltage regulator and the coals attached to it, if I could get a clear view on it...

Anyway, I disconnected the battery to prevent further discharge. Hope it will recover...:bang:

If it's not the alternator, maybe car electrics got eaten by some animal?

 

[jug]

the airbag system is very sensitive to voltage, low voltage could easily trigger the airbag light.

get a new battery unless your battery is less than 3 years old (in which case charge it overnight) and then start the engine and use a multimeter across the battery terminals to test the alternator. 14.4v is a good reading, less than 13.99v means there is a fault with the alternator.

if the alternator tests ok you should check for a drain. switch off the ignition and disconnect the battery negative terminal and then connect the battery between the netative terminal and negative lead, measuring the current flow. there should be almost no current at all, if you have a current flow you should remove one fuse at a time in the fusebox until the flow stops, then you know which circuit is causing the drain and you can test that circuit for shorts.