air bag

dieselman · January 6, 2004

I bought a 00 silverado the old owner had a cell phone screwed into the air bag on\off switch and the piece beside it. I was able to find the two pieces at a wrecking yard very easy to pop in and out. Now my ?? when I unplug the air bag on\off switch will the air bag go off or will I have to take it to the dealer to have them re-adjust the bmc ect. Thanks

Wingnut · January 6, 2004

Not sure, but I wouldn't take the chance.

I would pull the fuse first.

Taaaaaaahoe? · January 7, 2004

I would pull the neg batt for 15-20 min, and pull the airbag fuses...wate a while for the system san still hold power. And then replace. I would thing that should take away any chance of a false trigger.

Mike

CapnDean · January 8, 2004

Welp...CapnDean would say don't screw with the airbag~

That would go GREAT with the ball joint post!

Hey..by the way...if you light off your airbag while you are sitting in the driveway will onstar give you a jingle on your home phone?

Incidentally...I have always wondered....anybody ever set off an airbag hitting a pot-hole in the road?

Or how bout a kid in his daddy's 4X4 going to do a lil BAJA riding on the beach? I suspect a hard jolt might fool that computer no?

Dean

redvett · January 8, 2004

dieselman ,

There are 2 front sensors one one each frame rail & the sensor in the SDM all three have to be tripped before the bag will go off. Just unhook the battery and wait 15-20 minutes and unhook the switch and replace. Unhooking the switch will not make the bag go off its just the feed from the SDM. ALWAYS disable the airbag system when working on it.

AZ-Z71 · January 8, 2004

I agree with redvett. I unplugged mine to install my XM radio over the air bag on off switch. Drilled holes in the dummy plate for the mount and then reinstalled it. Only problem is the fact that I can not turn the air bag off with the key so if I have any small children then they must ride in the back seat. 99.99% this is not a problem.

Would have used a side mount but that was taken for the cell phone mount.

Ben · January 8, 2004

Believe air bag system is federal mandated and messing with it carries fed oversight.

Think the selling dealer has to make it right at his cost.

Double check that and wonder about insurance coverage.

AZ-Z71 · January 8, 2004

Ben if you are talking to me, my air bag works. Can't turn it off on the dash with the key if there is someone pregant or a small child due to the fact it would be dangerous. Similar to most cars out there that don't have the on off feature. Cars that don't have the on off feature usualles have a warning to have the children and pregnant sit in the back.

If I'm in an accident then both bags are going to blow.

No violations here.

Sorry my post was not clear about the unplugging part. I unplugged it to drill the holes in the dummy plate, installed the mount and re-plugged it back it. As a side note, if you did keep it unplugged the dash light would stay on I believe as an indicator that there was something wrong.

Prior to every selling mine the XM is coming out as well, but as deisleman stated above the next buyer will have two drilled holes in the dummy plate.

GnatGoSplat · January 8, 2004

Airbags are not a sensitive as some people make them out to be.

You can even disconnect an airbag and pull it out without worries. Just pull the appropriate airbag fuse. It's also a good idea to wait 10-minutes before doing so for the SDM reserve capacitors to be depleted. In no service manual have I ever even seen any mention of having to disconnect the battery.

I have pulled my airbags LOTS of times. The only way I can think of for an airbag to be accidentally deployed is possibly by static electricity, but I've never heard of that happening.

As for the airbag switch, pulling it only disconnects it from the SDM. Nothing would happen even if you pulled it with the truck running. There is no signal (or lack thereof) that is sent through the airbag switch wiring that tells the SDM to "deploy airbags NOW".

MTmace2 · January 8, 2004

Incidentally...I have always wondered....anybody ever set off an airbag hitting a pot-hole in the road?

Or how bout a kid in his daddy's 4X4 going to do a lil BAJA riding on the beach? I suspect a hard jolt might fool that computer no?

I hit a pot hole really hard this weekend, about 45 MPH. Air Bags did not deploy.

Can someone tell me how to remove the cover to my passenger side air bag?

After riding in my truck for a while the cover rattles a bit. When I press on the plastic cover it stops, when I remove the slight pressure the rattle returns.

I want to remove the cover and place add something to simulate constant pressure and remove the rattle.

Has anyone else expericenced this?

MTmace

redvett · January 8, 2004

I have to agree with GnatGoSplat that the air bag system is not that sensitive as one might think.

I am a retired certified mechanic & worked for GM on prototype trucks and was trained on the system many years ago. We never had a bag deploy while working on prototype trucks. Every yellow connector had a bridge contact that closes when you unplug the connectors to prevent deployment. Just remember NEVER use a testlight on the circuits that go to the bags. A 9V battery or static electricity can set off the bags. The SDM holds a 36V charge of up to 1 hour after shutting off the power. Just be careful

GnatGoSplat · January 8, 2004

Can someone tell me how to remove the cover to my passenger side air bag?

I think the passenger side airbag is serviced as an assembly - the cover isn't supposed to come off. I wouldn't try it. Maybe you could wedge little bits of paper between the upper dash cover and the airbag front cover.

dieselman · January 8, 2004

Thanks guys for the advice I let the truck sit for a hour then replaced the switch every thing ok. Just to let others know I was told from a air bag expert that a air bag will not go off even in a front on crash if the seat belts are not buckled up. like you guys said you need more than one senser to set it off. Again thanks

GnatGoSplat · January 9, 2004

Just to let others know I was told from a air bag expert that a air bag will not go off even in a front on crash if the seat belts are not buckled up.

That is not true of model year 2000! The airbag will go off in a collision whether you're belted or not.

Pioneer · January 9, 2004

The system does require triggers from multiple sensors when in the vehicle. Static electricity is a real problem when doing service. The deactivation posts are correct re: pulling fuse and waiting 20-30 minutes for capacitors to discharge.

Be sure to discharge yourself by touching ground (away from the bag) before handing the deactivated bag. Then, when carying the bag, be sure its pointed away from your body. When placing it on a surface, be sure the bag is facing up.