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02-26-2004, 09:59 PM
#21
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Originally Posted by 97NAbonneville1
There are two srews in the back... I don't know if you use those to remove it or not, but be careful working around the airbag... you don't want that to deploy in your face.
Disconnecting the battery is not a workaround here. Aside from all the other headaches of letting the car go dead, it does NOT disarm the airbags. There is a backup emergency power supply designed to fire the bags even when on-board power is lost in the initial impact. (I don't have the manual in front of me right now but I think it'* good for something like 15-20 minutes after main power is lost.)
02-27-2004, 07:47 PM
#23
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Originally Posted by BonneMeMN
Disconnect the battery, then pull out the #7 fuse. That'* the proper way to disable it.
The proper procedure, per the manual (which we should add to TechInfo if it'* not already there):
Disabling The SIR System
Remove or Disconnect
• Turn steering wheel so that the vehicle'* wheels are pointing straight ahead
• Turn ignition switch "OFF".
1. "AIRBAG" fuse
2. Lower trim panel - LH. Refer to INSTRUMENT PANEL, GAGES AND CONSOLE (SECTION 8C).
[This is basically just a longwinded way of telling you to remove the black plastic lower sound insulator below the steering wheels, just above the pedals. You need to back out a couple of screws and fasteners, release the ALDL connector outlet and the courtesy light to completely remove the panel.]
3. Connector Position Assurance (CPA) and yellow two-way SIR connector at the base of the steering wheel.
[The CPA is just the little locking clip that keeps the big yellow connector together.]
Remove or Disconnect
• Turn steering wheel so that the vehicle'* wheels are pointing straight ahead
• Turn ignition switch "OFF".
1. "AIRBAG" fuse
2. Lower trim panel - LH. Refer to INSTRUMENT PANEL, GAGES AND CONSOLE (SECTION 8C).
[This is basically just a longwinded way of telling you to remove the black plastic lower sound insulator below the steering wheels, just above the pedals. You need to back out a couple of screws and fasteners, release the ALDL connector outlet and the courtesy light to completely remove the panel.]
3. Connector Position Assurance (CPA) and yellow two-way SIR connector at the base of the steering wheel.
[The CPA is just the little locking clip that keeps the big yellow connector together.]
I'm wary of pulling apart air bag wires.....
The airbag system has its own backup power supply, as I said: the Diagnostic Energy Reserve Module, or DERM. It is designed to fire the bags, if needed, if main on-board power is lost, such as in a heavy impact to the front of the car. The DERM remains viable from 2-10 minutes or more after the battery is disconnected.
(And when I say 2-10 minutes, I'm not being vague; the manual is. In Section 3, the manual says it'* 10 minutes (pg. 3F5B-4 for those of you reading along at home), but in Section 8, the same boilerplate text says it'* 2 minutes (pg. 8C-4).)
So disconnecting the battery is not disarming the airbags; pulling the fuse and unplugging the bag will do it. Besides, you end up losing your radio preset memory, clock setting, ECM Keep-Alive memory, etc. if you yank the battery, so don't bother.
02-28-2004, 08:55 PM
#24
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Location: Halifax, Canada 91SSE / 97SSEi
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Originally Posted by 97NAbonneville1
There are two srews in the back... I don't know if you use those to remove it or not, but be careful working around the airbag... you don't want that to deploy in your face.
(too used to working on the 91... no airbag)
I just read what everyone posted... when I get a few spare hours (maybe never) I'll take her apart... thanx for all the info.
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