Airbag Light, Harness Under Seat

[StuartJ745]

The airbag light on my 2001 LS starting flashing and staying on a few weeks ago. Reading through the various posts I understand that either the clockspring or the under seat harness could cause this error.

I lucked out....I think! I looked under the driver's seat yesterday and found a cut in the harness. I'm assuming it's the right one....it has a yellow plug on the end.

How do I correct this? Can I splice the broken wires back together or do I need to buy a new harness? Also, what are the precautions before I start working under the seat? I'm assuming I'll have to disconnect the negative battery cable....is there anything else I need to consider? I'll be honest....the airbags scar the crap out of me.....I'd hate to set one off!!

Thanks for everyone's help.

 

[Quik LS]

make sure to unhook the battery and leave it for 10mins before doing any work on it - that's it - no power, no surprises.

If you have enough wire to properly strip and solder them back together - then you are fine. Use a piece of teflon shrink wrap (you can buy at Home Depot) to cover the joint - it will be good as factory.

If you do not have enough wire to strip - then you can back the pin out of the connector and then re-attach the pin to the remaining lead and reinstall. It's a bit more work - and can be a little tricky to get the pin out of hte connector.

 

[StuartJ745]

Thanks Quik.....I'll give it a try this weekend.

 

[Z'sLS]

My airbag light is on do the airbags still work even though the lights on?

 

[thethirdeye88]

ok, i have seen numerous reports of clockspring malfunctions on the LS...what in the hell is a clockspring, what does it look like, and why does it suck so bad...

that and airbags deploying at random is very scary...dont they come out at 200mph?...

 

[Quik LS]

My airbag light is on do the airbags still work even though the lights on?

nope - once SRS diagonstics fail (light on) they are disabled.

 

[Quik LS]

ok, i have seen numerous reports of clockspring malfunctions on the LS...what in the hell is a clockspring, what does it look like, and why does it suck so bad...

here is a recent thread on this - > http://www.lincolnvscadillac.com/showthread.php?t=33511

The clockspring is the hub that allows wiring from/to the airbag, radio controls, and horn from the steering wheel down the steering column. It allows the steering wheel to turn without snapping the wires.

 

[thethirdeye88]

ok, i think i know what it is now...i was thinking about this earlier today about where to place a nitrous button...maybe behind the stereo controls...how would that work?...

 

[Quik LS]

most setups use
- arming button
- purge button
- WOT switch

so arming and purge are placed in a spot you can reach but nowhere near any place you could accidently touch - so normally on the console somewhere.

The WOT switch is hit by the throttle linkage on the throttlebody itself. This ensures you are at full throttle before releasing N2O (which means you are pumping full fuel).

the scenes in F&F where they press buttons on thier steering wheels in not a typical setup and is very dangerous.

 

[thethirdeye88]

i was wanting one behind the steering wheel...and i definitely want one of those arming switches...like the ones that have the red cover you have to open, then flip the toggle switch...i would want the button behind the wheel so my hands are already there...and how long does the purge last?...i figure thats all variable tho...

 

[StuartJ745]

Mission Accomplished!...although it took several hours. I ended up removing the yellow connector and making short tails to reconnect. It gave me a liitle bit more room to work. There's not much room under the drivers seat...even with it all the way forward.