I need to disable the air-bag in my 95 f150. I removed the fuse associated with it labeled “Air Bag Restraint”, and now the airbag warning light is blinking on the dash… did that do it?? I’m not going to be removing the bag, or the steering wheel… I just need to transport a child in a car seat. Any help?
Yup, you’ve disabled it. If the light is flashing it won’t pop in the event of an accident.
Thanks very much… I thought so, but second opinions are worth millions.
C~
I don’t know MG, but doesn’t this run off of a capacitor so that even if the power is disconnected, there is still power at the capacitor and you have to drain it? These things are scary things and really need to consult the service manual. Its like there is never an unloaded gun.
I do not know the specifics af anybody’s air bag circuitry, but I really did used to do this kind of stuff for a living.
I figure that the capacitor would be storing the energy to fire the bag’s gas generator – the little charge of energetic material (“propellant”, not “explosive”). Separate from that electrical energy, the system needs electricity for the sensors and processing circuitry. A practical capacitor could not keep that powered for very long (I’d guess a few minutes at most). And even the non-ideal capacitor for the firing ciruit would eventually bleed off (I’d guess many minutes, but not as much as an hour).
As always, I’ll be glad to be corrected; another opportunity to learn.
The firing capacitor has a discharge resistor across it. It only stays charged for a few seconds after power is removed…The flashing (or steady) bag light means the system is disabled and will not / can not fire…
Yup, caddyman, the service manual, and I are right. It can`t pop when the light is on. By the same token it won’t pop accidentally (all by itself without provocation) when the light is on. It’s called “fail save mode”.