teamentity
New Member
90 with the flashing air bag light.. don't really mind if i don't have one.. Whats the best way to shut it off.. Never had an airbag car in my life so why start now..lol
Flashing air bag light
- Thread starter teamentity
- Start date
Disclaimer: Links on this page pointing to Amazon, eBay and other sites may include affiliate code. If you click them and make a purchase, we may earn a small commission.
Does your horn work? My car has a flashing air bag light and it happened after my rack swap. I broke the wires or something in the clock spring in the steering column. If they break it will cause the airbag light, I bet you need a new clock spring.teamentity said:
teamentity
New Member
funny thing is when i got it.. was not flashing and your right i hear the relay for the horn click.. but no horn anymore.. good call.
SHO Continental
Moderator
SHOdownTN said:
same thing happened on my '93.. changed the rack then the horn stopped working and got a the airbag light.. how do you replace the clock spring?
rangerj
Active Member
There are three things that the "clockspring" supplies current to, the air bag, the horn, and the cruise control. Generally if two or all three of these things are not working it is a good bet that the clock spring has failed.
The reason it is callad a clockspring is because as you turn the steering wheel one way the wires in it wind up, and when you turn it the other way the wires unwind, like a clockspring.
To remove the clockspring first DISABLE THE AIR BAG. To deactivate, or disable, the air bag disconnect the negative battery cable and waite several minutes (To be on the safe side I like to disconnect both battery cables and waite at least 15 minutes). There is a back-up power supply to the air bag and the Helms service manual also recommends disconnecting this. It is located behind and above the glove box.
Once the air bag is disconnected and disabled the air bag has to be removed from the steering wheel by removing a few nuts or screws. Note: as a safety precaution keep yourself out of the way of the front of the air bag, carry the air bag with the front facing away from you, and set it down wth the front facing UP. These are all precautions in case the bag should deploy (blow). An air bag deployment is an EXPLOSION and generates a lot of force/energy as well as super heated gas. Take this thing seriously, it is dangerous, but if worked on properly it can be safely done.
After the air bag is safely removed the steering wheel has to be pulled using a suitable puller. Then the clockspring can be removed. Note: before removing the steering wheel make sure the wheels are straight ahead.
Be sure to read the instructions with the new clockspring for instalation. It should come "centered" (the same number of turns each way) and you do not want to screw this up. Install it and plug it in.
Put it all back to gether and check it out. Cheers.
The reason it is callad a clockspring is because as you turn the steering wheel one way the wires in it wind up, and when you turn it the other way the wires unwind, like a clockspring.
To remove the clockspring first DISABLE THE AIR BAG. To deactivate, or disable, the air bag disconnect the negative battery cable and waite several minutes (To be on the safe side I like to disconnect both battery cables and waite at least 15 minutes). There is a back-up power supply to the air bag and the Helms service manual also recommends disconnecting this. It is located behind and above the glove box.
Once the air bag is disconnected and disabled the air bag has to be removed from the steering wheel by removing a few nuts or screws. Note: as a safety precaution keep yourself out of the way of the front of the air bag, carry the air bag with the front facing away from you, and set it down wth the front facing UP. These are all precautions in case the bag should deploy (blow). An air bag deployment is an EXPLOSION and generates a lot of force/energy as well as super heated gas. Take this thing seriously, it is dangerous, but if worked on properly it can be safely done.
After the air bag is safely removed the steering wheel has to be pulled using a suitable puller. Then the clockspring can be removed. Note: before removing the steering wheel make sure the wheels are straight ahead.
Be sure to read the instructions with the new clockspring for instalation. It should come "centered" (the same number of turns each way) and you do not want to screw this up. Install it and plug it in.
Put it all back to gether and check it out. Cheers.
Good job. You made all the important details with the dangers that can come with it.rangerj said:
If you feel comfortable doing this job then go ahead and use every precaution rangerj mentioned. If you don't feel like risking it, just about any shop can do it.
I still have to do mine yet, need to get a price on one and go from there. It would be nice to have an airbag and a horn sometimes.
91_SHOster
Member
I have the airbag light on my 91SHO, but I was told all you ahve to do is take it to a ford dealership and they reset it
91_SHOster
Member
I have my aribag light on in my 91 SHO, I heard all you have to do is take it to a ford dealership and they'll reset it for you
teamentity
New Member
i can get o.e parts that are still availble for 10% over cost.. and thats not me making anything.. just to help out my sho friends.. and one day maybe they will do me a favor.. thanks. Ronnie..
SHO Continental
Moderator
Thanks for that write-up ranger.. I wish I would have known that when I changed my steering wheel...
onto the next question though... where would I get a new clockspring?
onto the next question though... where would I get a new clockspring?
SHODWN
Mother Threasa
what year? I have one in stock presently but its for a 95
SHO Continental
Moderator
I need one for my '93
Lupo
New Member
I have just replaced the broken clockspring in my 97 Aerostar (when I got the van, it had no PS rack, and the clockspring was already broken). I got a new PS rack (which is incredibly easy to install on these things),and then I just went to pick-a-part, and found a good clockspring.
Is the dealer the only one that can "reset" the airbag computer and stop the airbag warning light from flashing?
Is the dealer the only one that can "reset" the airbag computer and stop the airbag warning light from flashing?
SeanMc
NoMoSHO
Mine flashed because one of my sensors lost ground. Washed the bolts and it hasn't flashed since.
rangerj
Active Member
You can get a clockspring at any auto parts store. You do not have to get one from a dealership.
The screws that hold the crash sensors to the body often get corroded and will not ground the circuit. This is a common air bag problem, as is a break in the clockspring wires (one or more). Remember before you work on anything in the air bag circuit DISABLE the air bag as described above. There is also an air bag sensor behind the driver side kick panel that is also grounded by the screw that holds it to the body, besides the three sensors in the front of the car (middle, left, and right). Connection problems are more often the problem than component failure, other than the clockspring.
The only thing that will stop the air bag light from flashing is to fix the problem! It is flashing a "fault code" because something in the system is not working, or a connection problem is causing a "failure to commumicate" between the components and the ECU (electronic control unit aka the air bag computer).
The screws that hold the crash sensors to the body often get corroded and will not ground the circuit. This is a common air bag problem, as is a break in the clockspring wires (one or more). Remember before you work on anything in the air bag circuit DISABLE the air bag as described above. There is also an air bag sensor behind the driver side kick panel that is also grounded by the screw that holds it to the body, besides the three sensors in the front of the car (middle, left, and right). Connection problems are more often the problem than component failure, other than the clockspring.
The only thing that will stop the air bag light from flashing is to fix the problem! It is flashing a "fault code" because something in the system is not working, or a connection problem is causing a "failure to commumicate" between the components and the ECU (electronic control unit aka the air bag computer).
Lupo
New Member
I was under the impression that once the airbag light is on, you need to reset the airbag computer, even if you fix the problem.
So if all the problems are fixed, the airbag light should go off without resetting?
So if all the problems are fixed, the airbag light should go off without resetting?
rangerj
Active Member
If the ECU gets all the proper signals from all of the components it will reset itself. Each time you start the car it does a systems check. The air bag light goes on for a few seconds and then goes out if the system is working properly. If the air bag light is flashing, or stays on, something needs to be fixed, not reset.
SHOdownTN said:
That's exactly how mine happened. Once I replaced the clockspring, I didn't need to shout angrily at other drivers or keep putting black tape over the airbag light. Good thing too, becuase I ran out of electrical tape and my voice was getting really hoarse.
Similar threads
