Anyone have any experience messing with airbags?

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After watching tons of YouTube videos I'm still scared every time I go to disconnect an airbag. I always feel like it's going to go off in my hand and I'm going to die when disconnecting the power and sensor cables. Today I'll be swapping steering wheels on the mr2 and have to disconnect and reconnect the airbag. The nerves.

Anyone ever had any bad experiences or any experience at all disconnecting airbags?

As an avid mechanic who has done it all, am I being dumb being scared every time I mess with an airbag?
 
Originally Posted By: bdcardinal
Disconnect the battery before touching anything.


Do every time. Let it sit the 30+ minutes to drain the capacitors in the back up firing system and sill gives me nerves.
 
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I've never had an issue with airbags. I've even done them without disconnecting the battery (don't do that).

Also, make sure to touch some bare metal on the car to discharge and possible static build-up in your body.
 
lol, most never even disconnect the battery. I heard about a tech last week that blew out a bunch of airbags when replacing a ORC module. I think they said it did $4000 worth of damage.
 
I was a little scared too, the first time I removed the bag on the Focus in my sig.
The reason I had to remove it, was because I had a warning light on my dash that the bag wasn't operating properly.
After a search of Youtube vids, I found that all I needed to do was remove the bad from the wheel, then remove the connection,
then apply a small amount of dielectric grease to the connection.

Two years later and still no problems.
 
I believe with some models, you disconnect a battery cable and touch it to the other cable to discharge any stored power. Can someone verify this?
 
Glad to hear it went well. I just remembered another caveat, that sliding on interior fabric while working can result in a build up of static charge, which can be a problem.
 
I've done it without taking any precautions aside from not sliding my bum around on the seat.
 
Has anyone heard of an air bag going off accidentally while it was being serviced? I've R&R'd a couple and it was uneventful.
 
Do you worry every time you fill your vehicle with 12 gallons of highly flammable and potentially explosive liquid?

Just be smart and take the proper precautions.

Aside from being a safety precaution, disconnecting the battery first will prevent accidental triggering of an SRS fault warning light if the ignition is switched on while the airbag is disconnected. Depending on the car, resetting it can be a real hassle, requiring a factory tool.
 
Air bag connectors, on the airbag side of the connector, have shorting bars to prevent problems. Did dozens, and nothing unintentional ever happened. The intentional detonations were fun though.
 
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