peugeot 406 airbag light and ecu

Hi all, How do you tell if the airbags on a 406 have been discharged? The dash light indicates they have, but I'm not sure 100% as i have been told disconnecting wires can cause this. The girl i bought it off had a child seat in the front and assured me(hmmm...) that this is what is causing the aitbag light to flash. Whilst i can't see any loose connections, i'm no expert! Also, on another forum a member said that you can tell a discharged airbag by the ecu near the belt pre- tensioners (under the centre console). Apparently something will stick out!?!!? Unfortunately he didn't elaborate!! thanks in advance rik

Reply to
angloirishman
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You wouldn't be able to miss a blown airbag. If you don't see white powder all over the place and a huge fabric sack sticking out of the steering wheel or dash, they aren't blown. It's not a matter of the components being discharged (that's obvious if it's happened), but whether the control module, squib(s) or related wiring is failing.

Please understand that if you don't know this basic of information, then you are seriously underequipped to diagnose the airbag system fault(s). Therefore I suggest that you take the car to a Peugeot specialist with the proper scanner and experience to tell you what is wrong. I've never even worked on *one* Peugeot product. They stopped selling in the US when I was in middle school, and even then they were rare.

A competent and properly equipped mechanic will tell you what is wrong, how much to fix it, and be able to do it safely so the system works properly in the case of an accident.

Toyota MDT in MO

Reply to
Comboverfish

angloirishman (angloirishman ) gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying:

By the fact the car's badly bent and there's a couple of limp bedsheets hanging out the steering wheel and dash...

The light doesn't tell you they've gone off. It tells you there's a fault.

If those wires are related to the airbags or pretensioners, yep.

Crap. Unless the passenger airbag was disconnected. If it wasn't, the dead child would be a clue as to any previous airbag deployment.

The airbag light is almost certainly down to damaged wiring under the seats for the seatbelt pretensioners, unless she did have somebody disconnect a passenger side bag.

Reply to
Adrian

FWIW, on my 206 the airbag lights occasionally come on complete with warning message. Jiggling the multi-plugs in the area under the steering wheel near the fuses makes it go away for several more months.

Reply to
Doctor D

You wouldn't be able to miss a blown airbag. If you don't see white powder all over the place and a huge fabric sack sticking out of the steering wheel or dash, they aren't blown. It's not a matter of the components being discharged (that's obvious if it's happened), but whether the control module, squib(s) or related wiring is failing.

Please understand that if you don't know this basic of information, then you are seriously underequipped to diagnose the airbag system fault(s). Therefore I suggest that you take the car to a Peugeot specialist with the proper scanner and experience to tell you what is wrong. I've never even worked on *one* Peugeot product. They stopped selling in the US when I was in middle school, and even then they were rare.

A competent and properly equipped mechanic will tell you what is wrong, how much to fix it, and be able to do it safely so the system works properly in the case of an accident.

I quite agree, airbags are not things to be messing about with if you do not

*specifically* know what you are doing.

Tim..

Reply to
Tim..

Tim.. ("Tim.." ) gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying:

Nah - they're easy. Disconnect the battery, then put the kettle on. By the time you've sat down and had your cuppa and a natter, the bags are safe.

Even better, you can charge the customer for your tea-break.

Reply to
Adrian

My 307 is having a similar problem. Its turns out it is the COM2000 box which is the switch box that sits behind the airbag on the steering wheel which houses all the switches from the indicators to wipers, to stereo controls and even headlight controls. The box is damaged through wear and tear and the connections that power the airbag runs through the COM2000 box. When I turn the wheel for the first time after starting the engin, there is a slight disconnection of tje power which causes the airbag light to turn on. This might be the case folr you also. Could be a wiring issue. As soon as it senses a slight power failure (even the slightest such as a millisecond of power disconnection) the warning will appear. It might well be some wiring under your seat also. I hope it is as simple as that for you. Dan.

Reply to
tricky4000

This is a very common occurrence on the 406. Under each front seat there is a connection to the seat belt pretensioners. Both mine have gone at different times and, on each occasion, the Pug agent removed the naff connectors and remade the joint with a soldering iron. Been right as ninepence ever since. If someone has tried disabling the airbag system by disconnecting the wires under the front seat then that would certainly cause the warning light. I think you are going to have to get on your hands and knees ;o)

Reply to
Keith Willcocks

Thanks all. Don't you love holier than thou yanks? US and UK-DIVIDED BY A COMMON LANGUAGE

Reply to
angloirishman

Well he was more help than you.

Reply to
Duncan Wood

I think the clue is the girl had a baby seat on the passenger seat. Therefore she disconnected the passenger airbag using the switch in the centre console provided for this purpose. This puts the light on as a reminder that the airbag is switched off. All you need do is use the ignition key to switch the airbag back on.

Reply to
Nigel

Holier than thou yank... what? Correct me if I'm wrong, but you asked how to tell if an airbag has been discharged, no? That's one of those questions that leaves no doubt of your lack of SRS expertise - to put it mildly. That said, just what kind of reply did you think *was* going to be helpful?

I wouldn't think of posting to a television repair group asking "how can I tell if my picture tube has imploded?" Besides much expected derision, I would be lucky to receive a reply that explained what an imploded picture tube entailed, and why I was out of my league in regards to its repair i.e. seek professional help for an estimate and/ or a proper repair. Of course airbags are merely crash safety items; perhaps they should be played with willy nilly, as no dire consequenses could ever come from the ignorant butchering of said equipment.

Toyota MDT in MO

Reply to
Comboverfish

As far as i'm aware, there's no switch in the centre console for the airbag. Nothing is mentioned in the supplied handbook, but it is a 97 model

Reply to
angloirishman

D'oh , obviously i wasn't talking about an airbag discharge that had just occured. Surely that's obvious?! Yes i'm sure i do have of SRS expertise (whatever that is). Why do you think i'm posting on this newsgroup? Pretentiousness and superior know-it-all we can do without thanks

Reply to
angloirishman

=A0

IT'S MY POST BURK!!

Reply to
angloirishman

In that case, it definitely sounds like the very common under seat wiring problem (see my reply on 10/01/07)

Reply to
Keith Willcocks

Thanks Keith. Will have a look but seem to remember that there was no loose wires, must look closer!! cheers rich

Reply to
angloirishman

you keep things that far back Keith?

Reply to
Chrs

You say this now to save face, but the original post stands in infamy thanks to Usenet. For example, which idiot typed this: "How do you tell if the airbags on a 406 have been discharged? The dash light indicates they have, but I'm not sure 100% as i have been told disconnecting wires can cause this." Tell me at least two stupid things about your quote and I'll give you some credit. You've had three days to think about it already.

You don't know what SRS stands for, yet from the best I can parse of your childish type, it appears that you think you have the ability to diagnose your airbag problem with a little internet help. Hmm. How's it going so far? What's your time worth? Surely you possess some expertise that makes you enough money to justify paying an expert to FIX your car safely. Do it for the children, m'am!

You're welcome, though I was neither pretentious or "know-it-all-y". Too bad so sad, but I know more about car repair than you likely ever could even if you exerted a 100% effort towards the craft from now until the day you died. Instead of believing an expert, it's obvious you would rather belittle me for offering sage advice than fess up to your own ignorance. Me so sorry I didn't point you to the exact failure point in the system (having not looked at the car or received accurate symptoms and preliminary test results). Here you go: the driver's squib circuit is open. Run around in circles with that bit of bullshit advice if it puts your stupid mind more at ease.

Here's a tip: check the resistance reading across your airbag and pretensioner terminals with an analog ohmmeter.

Toyota MDT in MO

Reply to
Comboverfish

Jesus, your cage has been well and truly rattled hasn't it? Well i'm sure you do know more about cars than i ever will. So what, does that make you a superior being? Thanks for the advice, but you really must get out more often

Reply to
angloirishman

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