i need to replace my module "steering wheel airbag, and clockspring". now in order to buy a package i need to match up with the parts # on my present module. now i know where it is (under the center dash) and i think it pulls out left to right, but its not comming out easy. there's a cover that goes over the wire harness that i got off but i can't go any further. i don't want to break anything and cause a bigger headache than this already is. there's a red button on top of the module that goes forward and backward but i need some help. i've done a search on this but no luck?

 

anyone ?

 

Its been years since I worked on airbag systems, and never on a superduty.... but some general rules:
1. airbag systems maintain their own power backups.....that means there is a capacitor that remains charged for up to 15 minutes after battery disconnect... disconnect the batteries for a good half hur before messing with the bags.

2. I don't know why you are replacing your module, but you need to go through the troubleshooting. I deployed a bag in an accident in a 1991 Taurus SHO..... they are nothing to play with... my chest burned like after a belly flop for about 8 hours....

3. This should all be in the full service manual....the troubleshooting, time intervals for safe maintenance, etc... I highly recommend you get one to read.

4. I have no clue which way the module comes out... sometimes its as easy to pull the whole dash assembly to get to this stuff.

 

Sounds like you're referring to the crash sensor, not the airbag drivers airbag module.

Should just need to unplug the connector on the left, loosen the plastic clip on the top, and remove the retaining screw on the lower right.

MAKE SURE YOUR BATTERIES HAVE BEEN DISCONNECTED FOR A FEW MINUTES before playing with this.

 

You also must make sure your body is grounded to the truck chassis with a ground strap because static electricity can and will set off the air bag when you unplug them. They are fairly safe right up until you unplug the wiring harnesses. Airbags are shipped with a cross wire plug so they can not be accidentally discharged by static etc because once you open the electrical circuits they become very dangerous.

Unless you have been through the training and certification for airbags I really discourage amatures from messing with them as they can kill you in a heart beat. It is one of the few things I will tell someone to either go get the training or have someone that knows what they are doing do the work. This is also one of the reasons you can't find info on working on it because whoever puts it out to he general public that is not trained properly they can be held liable by family when you get killed.
I had to go through a 4 day school on the electronics when I got certified these are NOT something to mess around with.

If you ahve to ask about them you have no business messing with any part of the airbag system

Sorry to be so blunt but they really are that dangerous, we set one off as a demonstration once, face down and touched it off, backing when over 100ft straight up and when it came down we checked the backing plate and it was still over 700 degrees F.

 

2. I don't know why you are replacing your module, but you need to go through the troubleshooting. I deployed a bag in an accident in a 1991 Taurus SHO..... they are nothing to play with... my chest burned like after a belly flop for about 8 hours....


last winter i had the steering wheel airbag go off in my face while snowplowing. i hit a sewer cap that was sticking up a little to much. this is normal when plowing snow, to hit sewer caps, but not normal for the airbag to go off? zero damage to the truck, i still don't know why but it did. now my problem is in order to plow for my city my truck needs to have a valid inspection sticker and without the airbag (and horn) it doesn't pass. i'm trying to do all and as much research as possible to do it myself due to my money situation "don't have much" and just getting the airbag,module and clockspring off ebay's gonna cost $300-$400 alone and i'm still not comfortable with ebay but "i'm in a jam" and have been putting this off for 8 months now and can't wait much longer. i just got laid off from the utility company for up to four months and hate to loose any snowplow $. i'm going to have to call ford i guess.

one thing i question though on this issue is how many .people say airbags are so dangerous and can "kill you". aren't airbags what save people? i'm not a technician, and "i do" know what there talking about but i had one go off in my face-i first say'd "what the **** happened-holy crap-cut the airbag out of the way-then went back plowing for another 8 hours. wasn't that bad. maybe i was just lucky?

 

Trust me no you don't know about them. And you were lucky trust me. I saw one car that was brought around for people in the classes to see, Mechanic accidently set off the air bag, hit him hard enough it broke the seat off it's bolts and shove it into the back seat, mechanic has a broken neck and DOA.
As of 1998 the estimate was 3498 people killed by them and that was before they were required.
The Straight Dope: We know air bags can kill people; do they actually save anybody?

And that estimate is considered to be low by many.

But hey I did my part and warned ya. do what you want it's not my neck on the line.

 

monsterbaby, u need to read that article. i'm "REALLY" not trying to get into any right or wrong here, i love FTE. but its says 3498 were "SAVED" and 115 killed. most off them being little women who sit to close to the steering wheel

 

I think holding the airbag in your hands while it's not bolted to anything would qualify as sitting too close to the airbag.

I guess my question for you is, why are you replacing the crash sensor and clockspring? Won't the horn still work with the old one, or is it totally shot?

I'm guessing you'll likely hit another sewer cap this year, why not figure out how to just put an airbag in without hooking the system up so it won't discharge on you again?

 

i'm not sure yet if i have to replace the crash sensor?
and the next day when i was taking the airbag unit itself out of the steering wheel to investigate, one of the wires that connects the clockspring to the airbag broke out of its connector, right at the connector

 

I was thinking of you leaving the shipping plug in the airbag to prevent activation, so the broken airbag wire wouldn't matter. I'd also consider seeing if you can find a plug for the passenger airbag and capping that one off too.

Of course this all assumes you don't have a check engine light, or flashing airbag light. If you have either one of those, you'll likely have to change all the parts to get rid of the light to pass inspection. If that's the case, I don't know if you'll save any money doing this yourself. The ECS (crash sensor) has to be replaced in case of airbag deployment, and the module must be configured during install.

You can read a little about it here click me

In the left menu, scroll down and select "Body", then scroll down again, and select "Supplemental Restraint System"

 

since your drivers bag is deployed.... makes it a bit easier....if you were driving when it blew you know what I am talking about..... throws you back in the seat....puffs your arms out, truly one of those whiskey tango foxtrot moments in life....until you figure it out. You can deploy a bag on install...proceed cautiously...some things are supposed to be replaced every time a bag blows....but I know when I was rebuilding wrecks that somtimes things that " were expendable " tested out ok and the system went into normal mode just replacing the blown bag. I recall there are troubleshooting steps to do before just plugging her in, the book used to say to keep a window open when servicing bags....the decibal level would exceed the exposure limit in a closed vehicle. Ya must hit the sewer line HARD.... hope everything else was OK.

ETA - the connectors going to the bags are one of the things " expendable "...most times they need replaced, they melt and/ or get brittle when the heat of the bag deployment hits them.


add # 2 - seems you should be looking at the schematic for the "child seat shutoff" for the passenger bag and see if you can rig the same setup for the drivers bag. Of course, you may have to hide the switch up under the dash or something.....turn it on for inspection, turn it off so you don't get tattoed by the bag again plowing.