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Car Forum / Driving, Maintenance, Tuning / General Car Topics / December 2006flashing airbag light
Yes I asked before. 93 Taurus wagon 3.0. Since dead/replaced battery maybe 2 mos ago my airbag light flashes while I'm driving. One flash - 2 sec. - 2 flashes - 5 sec - repeat. (Actually it began after I had to jump it before I repaced battery - it was so dead it wouldn't hold a drive-awhile charge, and had to jump again to get to Auto Zone:) Prior replies (appreciated) told me- -code 12 - whatever that means -watch out, it could blow, get service -won't deploy in a crash if it's flashing -takes maybe 40 starts for it to know to reset to normal It's still doing it (yes, more than 40 starts). It hasn't blown up by surprise, but I'd like it fixed without going to pay a Ford dealer's price. Ideas appreciated. It's been a good car. Brad > Yes I asked before. 93 Taurus wagon 3.0. > [quoted text clipped - 17 lines] > > Brad just unhook 'er, and quit worrying? >> Yes I asked before. 93 Taurus wagon 3.0. Since dead/replaced battery >> maybe 2 mos ago my airbag light flashes [quoted text clipped - 18 lines] > > just unhook 'er, and quit worrying? Actually, I believe that unhooking an airbag is dangerous. It could go off when you are unhooking it. More importantly, it won't go off in a crash. On the other hand, not all people who claim that have fixed an airbag have done so honestly. They might just unhook the airbag and charge you a fortune. Jeff >>>Yes I asked before. 93 Taurus wagon 3.0. Since dead/replaced battery >>>maybe 2 mos ago my airbag light flashes [quoted text clipped - 29 lines] > > Jeff It's not only dangerous but probably illegal. I'm sure a car owner's insurance company would cancel the policy and/or refuse to cover any personal injury to the occupants in an accident, if they found that the airbag system had been intentionally disabled. if i have any problems with the airbag in my 93 ford, i wont be fixing them, back then there were neither reliable, nor as safe as the bags we have today. >>> Yes I asked before. 93 Taurus wagon 3.0. Since dead/replaced battery >>> maybe 2 mos ago my airbag light flashes [quoted text clipped - 28 lines] > > Jeff > Yes I asked before. 93 Taurus wagon 3.0. > [quoted text clipped - 17 lines] > > Brad Are bag codes: http://www.shotimes.com/php-bin/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&mo de=thread&order=0&thold=0&sid=119 12 Low Battery Voltage Recheck all grounds under the hood. Take them off and clean them if necessary. Clean the battery cables and have the battery and alternator checked. If all is OK, then its probably the air bag diagnostic module. Its in a blue module behind the glove box. I might have a spare. Bob >Yes I asked before. 93 Taurus wagon 3.0. > [quoted text clipped - 17 lines] > >Brad IMHO, if you have any type of warning that suggests that a safety device is failing, you need to have it fixed asap. later, tom @ www.CarFleaMarket.com > It's still doing it (yes, more than 40 starts). It hasn't blown up > by surprise, but I'd like it fixed without going to pay a Ford > dealer's price. > > Ideas appreciated. It's been a good car. Take your Taurus to a Ford dealer. Without the code from the on-board diagnostic system, fixing it will be a matter of trial and error that could end up costing much more than the dealer would have charged. An airbag light could mean there's a problem with some other component of the restraint system, such as a seat belt. The OBD diagnosis shouldn't cost more than $50 and you can then make a decision on the basis of information rather than speculation. >>It's still doing it (yes, more than 40 starts). It hasn't blown up >>by surprise, but I'd like it fixed without going to pay a Ford [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > diagnostic system, fixing it will be a matter of trial and error that > could end up costing much more than the dealer would have charged. He does have the code from the diagnostic system. Its 12. This is a pre OBDII car. The blinking airbag light tells what you need to start. shotimes.com has the air bag codes listed. An > airbag light could mean there's a problem with some other component of > the restraint system, such as a seat belt. The OBD diagnosis shouldn't > cost more than $50 and you can then make a decision on the basis of > information rather than speculation. When dealing with a 13 year old car that is not worth much more than $1000 a repair bill of $300 to $400 dollars for the ford dealer to do the air bag module is probably not a viable thing. My guess is it would cost that much if you had the dealer do the whole shibang and put in a new module (if it was even available). Its no worse than driving a pre 90 model that had no bags at all. I would find a donor car and swap parts after some basic trouble shooting. The factory shop manual is a help if you study it and understand electrical. I fixed the air bags on my 90 and 93. You have to be careful, but its possible if you do your research. And i did it with all salvaged parts. Bob > He does have the code from the diagnostic system. No, he doesn't. He hasn't had the OBD checked. Somebody on Usenet guessed that the code was 12. > When dealing with a 13 year old car that is not worth much more than > $1000 a repair bill of $300 to $400 dollars for the ford dealer to do > the air bag module is probably not a viable thing. That's why the actual problem should be nailed down from the diagnostic before any time or money is spent replacing parts. >>He does have the code from the diagnostic system. > > No, he doesn't. He hasn't had the OBD checked. Somebody on Usenet > guessed that the code was 12. Yes he does. Do you have a taurus of that vintage and a shop manual? I do. The green Ford 1993 shop manual in fact. When the "air bag diagnostic module" detects a problem, it flashes the two digit error codes on the dashes "air bag light". No user intervention is required for this to happen. The op stated what the blink sequence was. It just a matter of looking it up in the manual or go to shotimes.com for a list of the codes. Can you explain to me what other codes are going to be found and how on a 93? >>When dealing with a 13 year old car that is not worth much more than >>$1000 a repair bill of $300 to $400 dollars for the ford dealer to do >>the air bag module is probably not a viable thing. > > That's why the actual problem should be nailed down from the diagnostic > before any time or money is spent replacing parts. I would not recommend buying new parts. And trouble shooting the systems can be challenging. It took me a while to get mine fixed. The system should be powered down with the battery power removed for a hour before any work is done on the system. The air bag schematics are in section 46 in the EVTM manual. As long as the power is good on pins 13 and 1, my guess is the module is bad. Other common problems are bad clock spring and bad grounds on the under hood modules. If the owner wants the piece of mind of a ford dealer diagnosis, Heh, go for it. But i doubt he is going to find out much more than he knows now. When you own a car that old, if you don't do your own maintenance it will nickel and dime you to death in repair bills quickly. On a taurus that old, try motor mounts, water pump, radiator, plug wires and TFI module, rack stuff, brakes, and the list goes on. And even that adds up even if you do it yourself. Bob |
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