Trying to figure out why my airbag light is on. The fuse is good. Took of my airbag and steering wheel and found these two wires had been cut:




Are these for the airbag? Obviously a connector is missing but i know they arent for the horn so i cant see what else they could possibly go to? My airbag was not plugged into anything when i pulled it off of the steering wheel.

 

something had to do with the preview owner, im interest to see where its, cause my horn fuse keep blowing.

 

It could be from when someone removed the steering wheel/column and placed the steering wheel back on after rotating the steering wheel. There is a ribbon in there and if the wheel is put back on to where it rotates more revolutions to one side than the other, that ribbon will break and the abs light will come on. Make sure you can turn the steering wheel the same revolutions in each direction to rule this out.

 

Under the SIR part in the original service manual there is a WHT and DK GRN refering to :
Inflatable restraint steering wheel module coil. Location is top of the steering column.
WHT cable is for driver frontal high, DK GRN for frontal low.

 

so does this mean that the green and white wires pictured are for the airbag?

 

those wires are supposed to have a clip on it that plugs into the airbag on the steering wheel

 

well i guess i will get that clip and solder it to the wires, plug it in, and see if my airbag light will go out.

 

lol yeah. some ******* before you cut the wires. He's either A. just a stupid ******* or B. likely damaged the clockspring and so he just cut the wires.

At any rate, i'd buy the connector and resolder it. even after that with SRS/airbag system malfunctions you MUST use a tester to clear the light/fault for it to actually go away. Unlike other system in which you just have to recitfy the problem and the light will go away with a few ignition cycles.

 

what do you mean a tester? I have a scanner if that would work?

So your saying that even if i fix the problem the airbag light won't go out?

 

You may have to clear the SIR code stored by the SIR control module (after you fix the problem) in order for the light to go out.

The GM manuals have very specific warnings about repairing this SIR wiring. (Special ones in the SIR section.) They say that any time you have a cut at a pigtail, you should replace the entire pigtail and use GM's sealed splices. (Usually the special splices come with the new GM pigtail.) You should be able to order a replacement pigtail through a dealer.

I believe the sealed splices have a crimp barrel in them, and then you heat-shrink the shroud around the barrel, which releases sealant that prevents the wires from corroding. Soldering the wires is probably not a good idea as the heat could damage the SIR system.

 

here's the deal:

1. By repairing the wire CORRECTLY, you will fix the problem, but even when the problem is rectified, you still have to actually use a tester/scanner to CLEAR the fault memory in the module. Unlike other modules (pcm, etc) the SRS/airbag module doesn't clear stored faults automatically after the problem is fixed. This is for several reasons being that the manufactuer is very liable in an accident for ANYTHING that can be blamed on them with the SRS system, so they like to make it so you have to have the right service tools (which ideally only thier service staff would) to work on it to avoid being sued in a bad situation.

2. Same theology applies to wire repairs. all OEMs as we all know have to SERIOUSLY cover thier *** with SRS systems. Because some ******* will always try to sue them for something that wasn't their fault and find some loophole. Hence why they are VERY strict about wiring repairs in SRS ystems. As a general guideline most OEMS specify only (1) ONE repair on an entire wire (due to the resistance an incorrect solder or weak connection can make) in the SRS system, anything above that the entire wire from module to component must be replaced. They also usually have VERY specific repair procedure techniques to create minimal resistance in the circuit, because like I said, if a tech was to create excessive resistance in an airbag circuit by an imporper repair, it is POSSIBLE for the airbag to not deploy EXACTLY as planned, or maybe not even at all. making GM liable to be sued for millions.

Here's the reality. BEST case is to use one of those nice crimping tools that has the ratchet mechanism, ideally GM's or another reputable OEMs (such as BMW or Ford) because the way these are built is the ratchet clamps down and crimps it to a predefined torque, every time. its always the same. Using this tool and the proper metal crimps with it, its actually stronger physically and electrically than soldering. Then use a "glue" heat shrink tube. Which is a heat shrink tube that when you apply heat, it somewhat melts and glue comes out of both ends so its a perfectly weathertight seal.

Now can you do what you gotta do and hope for the best, sure. But what I described would be ideal. Its up to you how important it is that your airbag would actually deploy and your peace of mind about your ability to make the correct repair. If you're in vegas I could help you.