Replace bulb on Airbag deactivation switch
 

I have a 98 Ranger 2wd reg cab 2.3L 5sp. Recently the airbag warning light was blinking 2-7 which indicates bad lamp in passenger airbag deactivation swith.

Since the lamp has no numbers or markings on it, and my repair manual has no schematic on that part, Anyone know where i can find the ma, wattage or ohm rating of the lamp?

Or a part number / source for a replacement lamp?

Mine went bad a while back. I couldn't find a way to replace just the bulb. the whole switch is like $65 ridiculous! Ford dealership only, as far as I know.

I recall reading somewhere that it's possible to solder in a new bulb. Haven't done it myself so I can't say for sure.

To get at the bulb though, you need to remove the switch asssembly, which entails removing the ashtray and the bracket, unplugging the electrical connector, popping off the switch cover, and removing the switch retaining screws.

I tried to solder in a 12V light commonly used in video games.....the light came on at start-up and then went off(as it is supposed to do), but my air bag light still blinked the 27 code. I finally took a deep breath and paid $87.43 for a new assembly at my "friendly" Ford dealer. It was worth 87.43 to have peace of mind in my air bag system. You never know when you'll need it, but when you do, you'll be happy it went off. (well....as happy as you can be while getting punched in the face by a 120mph airbag!) :}

Straying slightly off topic, but does it not strike anyone else strange that these lights go bad and yet are only illuminated at start up? Is this bulb something different than other dash warning lights that seemingly last forever?

I had the bulb go bad in my 99 also. Ended up replacing the switch. I found one at a Ford truck dealership (not an auto/truck dealer - they handle only trucks) for around $55.00. Still way to high but the code blinking was driving me crazy. It is strange that the lamp burns out all to frequently, it appears.

Found a replacement lamp
 

I found a replacement bulb, not exact replacement but close enough to work without any problems

12volt 25ma mini lamp with 1-3/4" hookup leads
Radio Shack part # 272-1141 $1.29 each

five minutes to remove $0.00
One replacement bulb $1.29
little bit of solder and hot glue < $0.50
five minutes to install $0.00

Keeping my dealer from ripping me off PRICELESS

Seems like a poor design to use incadesent lamp in the days of LED

just my 2 cents

I soldered in a new bulb a couple years ago. Been working fine every since. :-wink

IIRC, you are the one who posted before about it here, and that's how I think I "heard" about it. :)

Measure the resistance of the lamp, then find an LED and measure its resistance. If there is any difference, put a resistor in series with the LED. Problem solved.

As far as the airbag deactivation switch is concerned, I don't see why it would be a problem to either fabricate your own, or jumper across the switch so that the computer would at least think its functional. If someone has a scan of the EVTM for the years with the switch (my 95 doesn't even have a passenger airbag) I'd be happy to look over it to see if there is a way around it. :D

Looking at a 98 book and a 2002 book they work the same. The switch goes to ground through a 500 ohm resister for OFF and a 1000 ohm resister for ON. Both books show an LED for the indicator that gets a ground by the restrants control module to light it up. I can see how the restrants control module can tell the difference of the 500 or 1000 ohm to tell if the switch is bad (0 ohm would be a bad open switch. It may sense the current through the Led for an open/shorted Led) It does not show any light bulbs, just an Led. It may be different on different years, but thats the story on 98-2002.
Dave

Worked on my 99 f150 as well!! thanks!
 

Thanks! Five minutes to swap, ten to realize I made a cold solder joint, five more to fix, and no more 2-7 code!


THANKS!

Its on all the time in mine since I have a car seat there for the little guy and the AB off. I replaced the whole thing, its just not worth risking the AB either blowing up in my face or not inflating when I need it. It was 70 or 80 dollars, if it goes out every 4.5 years, I can live with that.

What about the 2003 Ranger 4x4 XLT

I know this is an old thread but if anyone is needing to resolve this issue this is what I did. I soldered a 5mm yellow led bulb in place of the original incandescent bulb, just make sure you get the polarity correct when you solder in your led bulb. Then take a knife and break the circuit trace on the circuit board and it doesn't matter whether its on the positive or negative side of the bulb your just breaking the circuit. Then solder a 600 to 700 ohm resistor from the led bulb on the side you that you broke the trace on to the pin of the plug bypassing the broken trace. This cleared my warning light and gave me back the air bag off light. If you don't care about having the airbag off light, then you can just solder the resistor in place of the incandescent bulb and that will clear the warning lamp. Hope this helps someone.