notnilc20

I remember reading about there being a way to keep the air bag light from coming on. I have an aftermarket steering wheeel. The car is a 2001 Firebird formula. Any help is appreciated. Btw, i did search but no luck. I rarely have luck with the search feature here.

wssix99

iTrader: (5)

You have an airbag in, right? If so, all you need is someone with a GM tool to program the S/N of your airbag into the ABS system.

_JB_

iTrader: (33)

Could you also you pull the light out of the cluster?

great421

iTrader: (1)

Adjust your steering wheel down, pull off the trim around the cluster, remove the screws that hold in the clear cluster cover and remove it, then remove the screws that hold in the cluster, detach the electrical connector and pull out the cluster, then finally pull the bulb.

notnilc20

Thanks everyone.

Great421, is there a write up of this somewhere? How difficult a job is it would you say it is? Thanks.

Wssix99, i have an airbag only in the passenger side. My driver side has an aftermarket steering wheel. Thanks.

great421

iTrader: (1)

Difficult?

It's so easy even I can do it!

: )

The "write up" (below) is expanded from my original post:

1. Adjust your steering wheel down, then pull off the trim from around the I/P cluster and remove it (No screws, just spring clips).
2. Remove the screws that hold in the clear cluster cover and then remove it. (Now would be a good time to clean and polish the plastic with a Non-Ammonia based cleaner, as Ammonia causes some plastics to fog over.)
3. Remove the screws that hold in the I/P cluster, and detach the electrical connector from the back of the cluster.
4. Pull out the cluster, and then finally pull the ABS bulb from the rear of the I/P cluster by removing the plastic and copper bulb holder (twist 1/4 of a turn) and removing the actual bulb from the holder.

Reverse order to re-install.

Easy!

notnilc20

Wow!! Thanks alot for taking the time to write that up! I feel much better about going for it now!!

notnilc20

Ok as i was afraid i got stuck at the part where you disconnect the cable from the back of the cluster. There is hardly any wiggle room and i'm afraid i'll break something if i pull too hard and no way i can get my hand behind the cluster in order to disconnect. please help!! Mine is a '01 Firebird. Did they change things up maybe?

Empatho

iTrader: (16)

You are already doing it that way so might as well finish it, but you could also use a 2.2 ohm resistor on the yellow wire that was connected to the air bag.

notnilc20

Yeah, this was the way i remember hearing about a few years ago. Would you please explain this method as well just in case i can't get this cluster out? Where can i get this resistor?

99Bluz28

iTrader: (35)

FYI, if the Airbag system detects a error, by default it shuts down the whole Airbag system. So that means no passenger side airbas to. If you want to still have a functional passenger side Airbag then you need to connect a resistor to fool the system into thinking that the driver side Airbag is still there and fully functional.

2.2 ohm resistor will do the trick, check for them at RadioShack, any car audio shop, and maybe a hobby shop it has a lot of radio controlled kits.

notnilc20

Ok so the resistor goes onto the yellow wire for the airbag? This yellow wire is the one in the steering wheel hub? Anyone got any pics of one that has been done? Thanks.

Empatho

iTrader: (16)

Yup, is the yellow wire that connects to the bag. I traced the wire all the way under the kick panel and hooked up the resistor down there, but you can do it anyway you want as long as you hook it up to that yellow wire.

Just make sure the resistor is a 2.2 ohm resistor or is not going to work, a lot of people get the 2.2 and 2.2k resistors mixed up.

VandykeT/A

I did this on my Camaro yesterday and the Trans am a while back. I just took my gauge cluster out and pop the LEDs off. I took the abs, air bag, service vehicle, and ARS off out while I was in there. I'm not worried about the air bags working.

notnilc20

Thanks. I just tried it on the lower wire under the kick panel like you did and it didn't work. The shop i went to didn't have 2.2 ohm. But they had a 2.4 ohm. And the dude said it has a 5%+- so i thought it should be ok. Do i need to get the 2.2 ohm only?

99Bluz28

iTrader: (35)

That's were I also connected my 2.2ohm resistor, at the Yellow airbag wire connector directly below the steering Column under dash panel.
FYI here's the resistor range that should work, just in case for some reason the 2.2 ohm doesn't work for you.

Driver side needs to be within 1.3 - 4.8 ohms

Passenger side needs to be within 1.3 - 3.7 ohms

notnilc20

Hi again,

Ok i used the 2.4 ohm resistor and it worked. Upon closer inspection i realized that the connector that is coming from the car is a male and the female side was the one going to the steering wheel airbag. So when i unplugged the harness i was connecting the resistor to the dead side or the steering wheel side, so i just cut the wire and inside the yellow wire is two seperate wires and connected each wire to each end of the resistor using some electrical connectors i have and voila. The airbag light now blinks for a few seconds when turn the key on and then shuts off after a few seconds. Thanks again for everyones help here. It's much appreciated!!

dailydriver

^^^This (and maybe some others pulled out as well!), might be the ONLY WAY to get the actual air bag light to stay off, as far as LED removal goes.

I tried to just remove the actual AIR BAG LED from my cluster many, many years ago, and it only set off other 'fail safe' dash lights, I then tried to remove those LEDs, and it lit up yet other ones, so I finally just took a perfectly square piece of electrical tape, about the shade and texture of the cluster background and just taped over the LEDs I did not want to be shown lit up.

I guess Joan Claybrook REALLY REALLY did not want for us to be able to legally drive without her edict in our (aftermarket) steering wheels.

Sadly, the resistor method never worked for me, for what ever reason.

Empatho

iTrader: (16)

That is good that you figured it out It is a lot easier then taking out the gauge cluster, even tho taking out the cluster is not that hard either.

notnilc20

I don't know, i couldn't manage to get the cluster disconnected from the dash and i ended up putting some scratches in the clear plastic cover when i was removing the black bezel. Wish i would've done the resistor way first. Oh well. Thanks for your help and everyone else as well.