odonnell

My new-to-me 951 has an airbag dash installed and I'm almost positive it's not hooked up. What parts make up the rest of the airbag system, and are they straightforward to retrofit? I imagine crash sensors and a module. If it's too much work I won't bother. I'm also adding an airbag wheel, I personally like the modern look compared to the 4-spoke I currently have.

Before the "don't bother" and "just get a 951 with airbags if they're important to you" comments (which are unproductive), I'd like to point out this is just out of curiosity since nothing came up on searches. I'm also aware that the airbags themselves may be too old to trust, I'm guessing replacements are $$$?

V2Rocket

Can't you just install it non-hooked-up?
I have personally crash-tested my 944 twice...it does just fine without bags

Arominus

You need the orange control module and the late (87+) dash harness. Not sure about any sensors run around the car for crashes and such. I think the sensor that triggers them is in the box, that said i have not studied the airbag system in detail. My S2 is a dual airbag car and they are still armed, sooooo i hope they are ok. I've thought about bypassing them to be honest.

odonnell

I could, but I figure since they're present, I may as well explore the process of making them functional.

Eh, I'm not really interested then... I was hoping it was a discrete harness. Thanks for the info!

Humboldtgrin

I was reading in the manual, it states that the airbag system should be inspected every two years by the dealership. Now how many have actually done that?

darek_u

Like others say you need control module and sensors. The problem with pre-87 chassis is that (correct me if I'm wrong here) it is not prepared for them - brackets, studs etc. are missing. Crash sensors have to be mounted in certain positions in the car, ECU module (early) does not have sensor build in so it does not really matter that much where it goes. Harness - it is basically stand alone system, it only hooks up to instrument cluster (warning light) and to DME - it is not 100% clear for me for what reason but I think it has something to do with seatbelt warning light and DME relay. It obviously gets the power from cabin harness too. Oh and don't forget about different stalk switch and clock spring unless you already have them installed along with steering wheel.