Air Bag Light On

[pasquot]

My mother in law has a 98 Honda Civic DX. The light on the dash indicates that there is a problem with the restraint system. (Air Bags, Belts, etc.

The car has never been in an accident. I am assuming it is a defective sensor or some electrical glitch.

Where would you start to locate the problem? If i take it to a certified mechanic, ie: electrical specialist, what would be a reasonable repair charge. assuming someone here has experienced this before?

Fyi, the car has 15k, auto. air, ps, pb.

[kris]

There is a way to pull the SRS codes, and a way to clear any stored codes. It's kind of a hassle, if you don't know what you are doing. I can post the directions, if you feel you can take on the task. Otherwise, I would take it to a reputable shop, or the dealer. You should look to pay around $50 for the diagnose fee. Then whatever it takes to fixe the problem, would probabaly be extra.

[pasquot]

Thank you for responding to my question. I asked the dealer what the estimate would be. There minimum is $84.00 to let me know what is wrong with it. That to me is not reasonable. I am going to try a shop with electrical knowledge before i decide what to do about it.

I have been told this is a common problem with hondas. Have you or anyone had any experience with what needs to be replaced?

Any advice would be appreciated.

[2kCivic_GSR]

hrrmmm....well my brothers 2001 civic had the same problem. He simply replaced the Main SRS module and the light went away. The only sensors that i could think of are the impact sensors,the module, and the seatbelt sensors. The newer models come with a sensor in the belt buckle as well. You could probably find a good module on ebay for a reasonable price. But if all fails just take out your cluster and tape over the SRS with electrical tape..no more light! My brother in law rebuilds wrecked cars for a living..ill try to ask him and if he has any other ideas ill be sure to let you know. Good luck!

[kris]

Try getting the codes yourself, and save the money.

Get a piece of 14-16 gauge wire, cut it about 3" long, strip the ends, and insert as shown.



Turn the ignition switch OFF , and wait for ten seconds. Then connect the SCS service connector to the service check connector (2P). If you do not wait ten seconds, the SRS unit will not be completely reset and will not output DTCs.

Turn the ignition switch ON (II). The SRS indicator light comes on for about six seconds and goes off. Then it will indicate the DTC:
The DTC consists of a main code and a sub-code.Including the most recent problem, up to three different malfunctions can be indicated.



In case of a continuous failure, the DTC will be indicated repeatedly (see example 1 in fig).
In case of an intermittent failure, the SRS indicator light will indicate the DTC one time, then it will stay on (see example 2 in fig).
If both a continuous and an intermittent failure occur, both DTCs will be indicated as continuous failures.
In case the system is normal (no DTC), the SRS indicator light will stay on (see example 3 in fig).
Read the DTC.
Turn the ignition switch OFF , and wait for ten seconds. Then disconnect the SCS service connector from the service check connector (2P).


Then when that is done, check the airbag module, and get the brand. It will either be a KEIHIN SRS Unit, NEC SRS Unit, or a SIEMENS SRS Unit. Then tell us the number of flashes you get, and I will tell you what it means.

[2kCivic_GSR]

where do you connect the 3" gauge wires? is it on the SCS service connector? I've never heard or seen this technique before...So the way you can tell what the problem could be is by counting the flashes of you service light?

[kris]

Originally Posted by 2kCivic_GSR

where do you connect the 3" gauge wires? is it on the SCS service connector? I've never heard or seen this technique before...So the way you can tell what the problem could be is by counting the flashes of you service light?

Yes, you plug it in to the 2 wire connector, by the passenger side kick panel. Yes, you also count the flashes, just like the check engine lite.

However, something that kind of confused me, is with the 99/00 models, you plug the wire into a two wire SRS connector, right under the steering column. But since this is a 98, these are the directions I have for that year.

[2kCivic_GSR]

Originally Posted by kris

Yes, you plug it in to the 2 wire connector, by the passenger side kick panel. Yes, you also count the flashes, just like the check engine lite.

However, something that kind of confused me, is with the 99/00 models, you plug the wire into a two wire SRS connector, right under the steering column. But since this is a 98, these are the directions I have for that year.

Thats a real cool technique, I'd try it myself but I've had my share of airbags blowing up in my face when messing with the wires too much..of course that was my fault for being curious. But i'll be sure to keep this techinique in mind next time I come across a 98. Where did you learn all this? you work at a dealership or something? got any other info on some other model cars?

[kris]

The shop I work at, uses a program called AllData. Most of the Ford, and GM dealership use the same program. But it has info on pretty much any car, dating back to 1982 I believe.

[2kCivic_GSR]

Thats real cool, is it possible for someone who doesnt work at a dealership to get their hands on something like that? Cause I help my brother in law re-build wrecked imports and we run into air bag situations alot. What kind of air bag solutions do you come up with using that program? Such as, itll tell you which module is bad or if one of the impact sensors are blown?

[kris]

Originally Posted by 2kCivic_GSR

Thats real cool, is it possible for someone who doesnt work at a dealership to get their hands on something like that? Cause I help my brother in law re-build wrecked imports and we run into air bag situations alot. What kind of air bag solutions do you come up with using that program? Such as, itll tell you which module is bad or if one of the impact sensors are blown?

Yep, you just pay the fee.

www.alldatapro.com

I believe the have a lite version as well. It gives info on pretty much every part of a vehicle, and how to diagnose it, using flow charts, etc.