airbag and seat belt lights on
11-25-2018, 08:29 PM
#32
Instructor
My own fix
I had this exact problem and tried the easiest solution first which was to re-solder/ inspect the clock connections.
That didn't work. My mechanic would clear the warning lights but they would always come back on.
In the end my mechanic did fix it by swapping the air bag sensors in the frunk.
The right side airbag sensor is right under one of the window wash reservoirs and over time might get a splash
of liquid. I understand this will corrode the ground connection between the airbag sensor and it's mounting plate.
So by switching the sensors (and cleaning the contacts) the problem was fixed (and has been for over 2 years now).
Probably just inspecting and cleaning the sensors might work too?
Mechanic credit: Marco at TLG. The best.
That didn't work. My mechanic would clear the warning lights but they would always come back on.
In the end my mechanic did fix it by swapping the air bag sensors in the frunk.
The right side airbag sensor is right under one of the window wash reservoirs and over time might get a splash
of liquid. I understand this will corrode the ground connection between the airbag sensor and it's mounting plate.
So by switching the sensors (and cleaning the contacts) the problem was fixed (and has been for over 2 years now).
Probably just inspecting and cleaning the sensors might work too?
Mechanic credit: Marco at TLG. The best.
11-25-2018, 10:03 PM
#33
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It sounds like a good plan before going down the route of repairing the clock. I have two action plans:
1) take out the clock and clean the connections with electrical cleaner spray. Not sure it will work but I will give it a try. Probably in my case there is no need for soldering and just by cleaning the connectors it’s enough....
2) try to swap and clean airbag sensors in the trunk. I do think this might be a great option and hopefully the final solution!!!
So far no money spend on this repair so basically understanding and doing some basic stuff first before going the costly route of having the clock repaired. I am planning on doing this stuff soon so I will keep you posted guys and hopefully we can add one more solution to this issue for future RLs!!
1) take out the clock and clean the connections with electrical cleaner spray. Not sure it will work but I will give it a try. Probably in my case there is no need for soldering and just by cleaning the connectors it’s enough....
2) try to swap and clean airbag sensors in the trunk. I do think this might be a great option and hopefully the final solution!!!
So far no money spend on this repair so basically understanding and doing some basic stuff first before going the costly route of having the clock repaired. I am planning on doing this stuff soon so I will keep you posted guys and hopefully we can add one more solution to this issue for future RLs!!
11-25-2018, 10:56 PM
#34
Rennlist Member
I reset the lights a couple of times before having the clock repaired, they stayed off for month the first time, maybe a week the second. Good luck.
11-25-2018, 11:07 PM
#35
Instructor
It sounds like a good plan before going down the route of repairing the clock. I have two action plans:
1) take out the clock and clean the connections with electrical cleaner spray. Not sure it will work but I will give it a try. Probably in my case there is no need for soldering and just by cleaning the connectors it’s enough....
2) try to swap and clean airbag sensors in the trunk. I do think this might be a great option and hopefully the final solution!!!
So far no money spend on this repair so basically understanding and doing some basic stuff first before going the costly route of having the clock repaired. I am planning on doing this stuff soon so I will keep you posted guys and hopefully we can add one more solution to this issue for future RLs!!
1) take out the clock and clean the connections with electrical cleaner spray. Not sure it will work but I will give it a try. Probably in my case there is no need for soldering and just by cleaning the connectors it’s enough....
2) try to swap and clean airbag sensors in the trunk. I do think this might be a great option and hopefully the final solution!!!
So far no money spend on this repair so basically understanding and doing some basic stuff first before going the costly route of having the clock repaired. I am planning on doing this stuff soon so I will keep you posted guys and hopefully we can add one more solution to this issue for future RLs!!
You'll get there. It took months of frustration to get all the warning lights out on my 91 C4 but since they were all silenced I haven't heard a peep in years.
I had the legendary 'Christmas tree' lights (all of them) that was traced to a corroded ignition coil. Plus every other imaginable light and buzzer combination.
If you plan to swap the airbag sensors yourself then you must disconnect the battery at least 30 mins before working to avoid inadvertent airbag deployment.
Also the airbag sensors have unique security type screw heads. You can use a regular socket (not sure what size) on a long extension with a lot of down pressure.
It should be a 45mins to 1 hour project.
11-27-2018, 12:10 PM
#38
Burning Brakes
It's gonna be the clock. : -)
PS. The $200-$300 to fix the clock is one of the cheapest repairs to be made on these cars.
11-27-2018, 09:15 PM
#39
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Thanks all for your feedback and comments!
I went to my local shop and reset the codes again. This time though my mechanic gave me the code or error. It was #30 - airbag right front sensor line resistance (too high). So now at least I know the source of my problem. So that said, my next attempt at solving this will be to clean the airbag sensor ( plug and connectors...) as much as I can with a soft brush and electrical cleaner connector. I will try to clean the right one first and see if it works. If not, I might try to swap them as already discussed in this thread.
My mechanic told me I will need a special tool to remove the airbag sensor. It has been discussed here in this thread about an alternative solution to the use of a special tool...any additional thoughts?
I will disconnect the battery at least 20min before attempting to start working on the sensors. Any issues with connecting the sensors back and re-connecting the battery after the work is completed? Just a bit scared that the airbags explode on my face when I re-connect the battery...
I went to my local shop and reset the codes again. This time though my mechanic gave me the code or error. It was #30 - airbag right front sensor line resistance (too high). So now at least I know the source of my problem. So that said, my next attempt at solving this will be to clean the airbag sensor ( plug and connectors...) as much as I can with a soft brush and electrical cleaner connector. I will try to clean the right one first and see if it works. If not, I might try to swap them as already discussed in this thread.
My mechanic told me I will need a special tool to remove the airbag sensor. It has been discussed here in this thread about an alternative solution to the use of a special tool...any additional thoughts?
I will disconnect the battery at least 20min before attempting to start working on the sensors. Any issues with connecting the sensors back and re-connecting the battery after the work is completed? Just a bit scared that the airbags explode on my face when I re-connect the battery...
11-27-2018, 09:27 PM
#40
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Good luck.
You'll get there. It took months of frustration to get all the warning lights out on my 91 C4 but since they were all silenced I haven't heard a peep in years.
I had the legendary 'Christmas tree' lights (all of them) that was traced to a corroded ignition coil. Plus every other imaginable light and buzzer combination.
If you plan to swap the airbag sensors yourself then you must disconnect the battery at least 30 mins before working to avoid inadvertent airbag deployment.
Also the airbag sensors have unique security type screw heads. You can use a regular socket (not sure what size) on a long extension with a lot of down pressure.
It should be a 45mins to 1 hour project.
You'll get there. It took months of frustration to get all the warning lights out on my 91 C4 but since they were all silenced I haven't heard a peep in years.
I had the legendary 'Christmas tree' lights (all of them) that was traced to a corroded ignition coil. Plus every other imaginable light and buzzer combination.
If you plan to swap the airbag sensors yourself then you must disconnect the battery at least 30 mins before working to avoid inadvertent airbag deployment.
Also the airbag sensors have unique security type screw heads. You can use a regular socket (not sure what size) on a long extension with a lot of down pressure.
It should be a 45mins to 1 hour project.
11-28-2018, 01:51 AM
#41
Instructor
11-29-2018, 12:12 PM
#42
Burning Brakes
Thanks all for your feedback and comments!
I went to my local shop and reset the codes again. This time though my mechanic gave me the code or error. It was #30 - airbag right front sensor line resistance (too high). So now at least I know the source of my problem. So that said, my next attempt at solving this will be to clean the airbag sensor ( plug and connectors...) as much as I can with a soft brush and electrical cleaner connector. I will try to clean the right one first and see if it works. If not, I might try to swap them as already discussed in this thread.
My mechanic told me I will need a special tool to remove the airbag sensor. It has been discussed here in this thread about an alternative solution to the use of a special tool...any additional thoughts?
I will disconnect the battery at least 20min before attempting to start working on the sensors. Any issues with connecting the sensors back and re-connecting the battery after the work is completed? Just a bit scared that the airbags explode on my face when I re-connect the battery...
I went to my local shop and reset the codes again. This time though my mechanic gave me the code or error. It was #30 - airbag right front sensor line resistance (too high). So now at least I know the source of my problem. So that said, my next attempt at solving this will be to clean the airbag sensor ( plug and connectors...) as much as I can with a soft brush and electrical cleaner connector. I will try to clean the right one first and see if it works. If not, I might try to swap them as already discussed in this thread.
My mechanic told me I will need a special tool to remove the airbag sensor. It has been discussed here in this thread about an alternative solution to the use of a special tool...any additional thoughts?
I will disconnect the battery at least 20min before attempting to start working on the sensors. Any issues with connecting the sensors back and re-connecting the battery after the work is completed? Just a bit scared that the airbags explode on my face when I re-connect the battery...
12-02-2018, 12:43 PM
#43
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Yes good point - I will try this first. I will get the codes cleared and see what happens. Are you guys using a external battery memory saver to do the job? This might help prevent me from losing radio codes, basic settings in ECU etc...but I am unsure if airbag can still be activated when is power / electricity is still going through the system...any thoughts? I don’t mind losing radio codes but I’ve just learned that this might affect basic setting in the ECU... if this is not big deal I will disconnect the battery and that’s it without going through the road of buying a memory saver (inexpensive but avoidable I guess...). Thanks for your thoughts!!!!
12-02-2018, 10:07 PM
#44
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Quick update - I cleaned and sprayed the right airbag sensor plug and sprayed a bit the left sensor plug with spray contact cleaner. I only unplugged the right sensor plug as the error was only on the right sensor. The job is pretty easy and doable without any special tool. I finally disconnected the battery 30min before working on the sensor and I did not use a battery memory saver. After everything was done, I went for a short drive and everything was as usual...so unless I am missing something here it was okay to do this without the memory saver. I will get the codes cleared this week and see what happens. I will report results soon. Thanks!!
12-03-2018, 04:55 PM
#45
Burning Brakes
I disconnected the battery, waited 30 minutes, unplugged both sides and cleaned them out but they were pretty much spotless. Plugged them back in and re-connected the battery. Had the codes cleared. Lasted a couple of days and the lights were back on. Did the clock repair and the lights have stayed off.
NOTE: I did not have an error code telling me a sensor was bad. FWIW.
NOTE: I did not have an error code telling me a sensor was bad. FWIW.