How to: Solve airbag problem with bucket seats

[Ben_C]

Introduction

This is a guide to show you how to stop your airbag light from flashing after you have installed aftermarket seats (that is, after you have removed the seatbelt pretensioners). These seatbelt pretentioners are part of the airbag system, and removing them causes the airbag system to cease working, which results in the flashing airbag light.

As well as being annoying, this CAN lead it to fail the MOT. A lot of people just remove the bulb. But I think this is quite bad, since the airbag still won't work, and the airbag light won't come on when you start the car, as it should, to tell you everything is ok.

This technique will make your airbag work in a crash, and also have the light come on when you start the car. Plus I think it's easier to do than removing the bulb. Result!



What you will need

Two 2-Ohm resistors and a wire stripper. I had 50 of them.. lol

http://img521.imageshack.us/img521/5849/17062007157tl3.jpg



Semi-optional things

Soldering iron, solder and insulation tape can be used to make the job a little better. It's not really essential though, and is up to you.

http://img161.imageshack.us/img161/6103/17062007158oq5.jpg



Step 1

Remove your seats and locate the wire that you disconnected from the seat belt pretentioners. Cut the plug off the end. Now, I know this will get a lot of people started... but if you leave about an inch or so of wire when you cut it off, you'll easily be able to stick it back on if you want to in the future.



Step 2

Strip the wire's outer insulation to expose the 2 inner wires. Strip a little bit of insulation off these two wires to expose some metal.



Step 3

Get one of the 2-Ohm resistors and crimp one wire to one end, and the other to the other. This is where you can solder it if you like, and then insulate it. But the wire of the resistors is quite sturdy, and after you tuck it away, I doubt things will move about. So it's up to you. I soldered, but please excuse the dodgy job :oops:

The resistors basically make the airbag control unit think that the pretentioners are there. So you are fooling the system, rather than ignoring the problem.

http://img124.imageshack.us/img124/6045/17062007155aa4.jpg



Step 4

Tuck everything away under the flap in the carpet. Now just repeat for the other one! Jobs a guddun.

http://img124.imageshack.us/img124/8546/17062007156ge7.jpg



Conclusion

Stand back and admire your solution to this common problem. The link below is to a video taken by me, and is the result of these procedures. Hopefully this will help someone! Comments welcome of course :y:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6BNb42Gjehk

[saunders]

Not that im having ago or anything, but the problem with this soultion is that the seat belt pretenstioners wont pulled tight in the result of an accident. May be an idea to do a guide to chopping the blocks and recriping them, other than that its a good guide and will solve the light staying on

[Steve]

i thought you could un clip them and put a plastic food bag over them ?

or easier instead of cutted just poke the resistor in the end :y:

[Ben_C]

Not that im having ago or anything, but the problem with this soultion is that the seat belt pretenstioners wont pulled tight in the result of an accident.

Obviously, coz they're not there lol! The pulse sent to them to pull tighter just won't do anything.

[steviet]

something else for you to add in. am sure the vts has 3 wires the 2 your showing and an earth wire. just thought it might be worth putting in your thread. put the earth in a bit of connector strip. cheers

[steviet]

also if you can`t get 2 ohm resistors a 1.7ohm or a 2.3ohm resistor works aswell. no more no less.

[Ben_C]

cheers mate, don't know anything about that... why would they be different?

I know there's a range you can use though, I was going to mention it but then thought narrrr... thanks though! Do you know what value you need for the steering wheel? Because I've got a feeling it will be different

[steviet]

all airbag systems look for 2ohms. i think the reason the 1.7ohm resistors work is because you will get a small resistance in the cable also. i used the 1.7 resistors an they work fine. only reason i know all this is cause my mate is an auto electrician and he told me. don`t know why the vts ones are diffrent, someone on here told they had an earth wire on there vts so i told them to put it in a bit of connector strip and he said it was fine. cheers