David 23

I installed an airbag equipped 3 spoke steering wheel, and now I have a very strange electrical noise associated with turning on the ignition key, and my airbag light is on. Thoughts?

graham_mitchell

Please describe the electrical noise. Is it the sound of sparks?

FlyYellow

there is a coil that is behind the steering wheel that is rather sensitive. if you bend it or is unsprung it will trigger your airbag light. It is a copper coil that is contained within plastic that is directly behind the steering wheel.

hope that helps... if you take it out you can check connectivity with a multi-meter.

btw, i know its not called a coil thingy but i forgot its correct name. perhaps someone else will chime in here.

btw, does your horn work?

Cheers,
Boris

David 23

The sound is not one of sparks. It is from the dash, sounds like a large solenoid or something like that. It is not a subtle noise, but rather "large". I know this is vague, but I don't know how to describe it. Not a clicking type noise. It takes several trys to get the ignition to start and turn the starter. Like something is not connecting.

FlyYellow

hmmm. is the sound constant? does it happen when you are turning the steering wheel, or is it regardless of the steering wheel. can you check if your horn works once you start your car?

perhaps it is just a coincidence with the steering wheel, but nevertheless it is worth the check.

the coil spring that i'm referring is the wiring that connects the horn & airbag to the electrical connections of the car. mine made a popping sound when i would turn the wheel too.

David 23

Well, I just went out to the car to get more info, and of course it stopped making the noise, and starts fine with each key turn. THe car hadn't been driven for a couple weeks, so maybe it just needed to be turned over a bit. I will see what it does tomorrow.
However, to answer Boris, the sound was not constant, only a solenoid type sound when turning on the key, steering wheel position had no effect.