peugeot 406 airbag light and ecu

Discussion in 'Peugeot 406' started by angloirishman, Jan 9, 2008.

  1. Hi all,
    How do you tell if the airbags on a 406 have been discharged?
    The dash light indicates they have, but I'm not sure 100% as i have
    been told disconnecting wires can cause this. The girl i bought it off
    had a child seat in the front and assured me(hmmm...) that this is
    what is causing the aitbag light to flash. Whilst i can't see any
    loose connections, i'm no expert! Also, on another forum a member said
    that you can tell a discharged airbag by the ecu near the belt pre-
    tensioners (under the centre console). Apparently something will stick
    out!?!!? Unfortunately he didn't elaborate!!
    thanks in advance
    rik
     
    angloirishman, Jan 9, 2008
    #1
  2. angloirishman

    Comboverfish Guest

    You wouldn't be able to miss a blown airbag. If you don't see white
    powder all over the place and a huge fabric sack sticking out of the
    steering wheel or dash, they aren't blown. It's not a matter of the
    components being discharged (that's obvious if it's happened), but
    whether the control module, squib(s) or related wiring is failing.

    Please understand that if you don't know this basic of information,
    then you are seriously underequipped to diagnose the airbag system
    fault(s). Therefore I suggest that you take the car to a Peugeot
    specialist with the proper scanner and experience to tell you what is
    wrong. I've never even worked on *one* Peugeot product. They stopped
    selling in the US when I was in middle school, and even then they were
    rare.

    A competent and properly equipped mechanic will tell you what is
    wrong, how much to fix it, and be able to do it safely so the system
    works properly in the case of an accident.

    Toyota MDT in MO
     
    Comboverfish, Jan 9, 2008
    #2
  3. angloirishman

    Adrian Guest

    By the fact the car's badly bent and there's a couple of limp bedsheets
    hanging out the steering wheel and dash...
    The light doesn't tell you they've gone off. It tells you there's a fault.
    If those wires are related to the airbags or pretensioners, yep.
    Crap. Unless the passenger airbag was disconnected. If it wasn't, the
    dead child would be a clue as to any previous airbag deployment.

    The airbag light is almost certainly down to damaged wiring under the
    seats for the seatbelt pretensioners, unless she did have somebody
    disconnect a passenger side bag.
     
    Adrian, Jan 9, 2008
    #3
  4. angloirishman

    Doctor D Guest

    FWIW, on my 206 the airbag lights occasionally come on complete with warning
    message. Jiggling the multi-plugs in the area under the steering wheel near
    the fuses makes it go away for several more months.
     
    Doctor D, Jan 9, 2008
    #4
  5. angloirishman

    Tim.. Guest

    You wouldn't be able to miss a blown airbag. If you don't see white
    powder all over the place and a huge fabric sack sticking out of the
    steering wheel or dash, they aren't blown. It's not a matter of the
    components being discharged (that's obvious if it's happened), but
    whether the control module, squib(s) or related wiring is failing.

    Please understand that if you don't know this basic of information,
    then you are seriously underequipped to diagnose the airbag system
    fault(s). Therefore I suggest that you take the car to a Peugeot
    specialist with the proper scanner and experience to tell you what is
    wrong. I've never even worked on *one* Peugeot product. They stopped
    selling in the US when I was in middle school, and even then they were
    rare.

    A competent and properly equipped mechanic will tell you what is
    wrong, how much to fix it, and be able to do it safely so the system
    works properly in the case of an accident.

    I quite agree, airbags are not things to be messing about with if you do not
    *specifically* know what you are doing.

    Tim..
     
    Tim.., Jan 9, 2008
    #5
  6. angloirishman

    Adrian Guest

    Nah - they're easy. Disconnect the battery, then put the kettle on. By
    the time you've sat down and had your cuppa and a natter, the bags are
    safe.

    Even better, you can charge the customer for your tea-break.
     
    Adrian, Jan 9, 2008
    #6
  7. angloirishman

    tricky4000 Guest

    My 307 is having a similar problem. Its turns out it is the COM2000
    box which is the switch box that sits behind the airbag on the
    steering wheel which houses all the switches from the indicators to
    wipers, to stereo controls and even headlight controls. The box is
    damaged through wear and tear and the connections that power the
    airbag runs through the COM2000 box. When I turn the wheel for the
    first time after starting the engin, there is a slight disconnection
    of tje power which causes the airbag light to turn on. This might be
    the case folr you also. Could be a wiring issue. As soon as it
    senses a slight power failure (even the slightest such as a
    millisecond of power disconnection) the warning will appear. It might
    well be some wiring under your seat also.
    I hope it is as simple as that for you.
    Dan.
     
    tricky4000, Jan 9, 2008
    #7

  8. This is a very common occurrence on the 406. Under each front seat there
    is a connection to the seat belt pretensioners. Both mine have gone at
    different times and, on each occasion, the Pug agent removed the naff
    connectors and remade the joint with a soldering iron. Been right as
    ninepence ever since. If someone has tried disabling the airbag system by
    disconnecting the wires under the front seat then that would certainly cause
    the warning light. I think you are going to have to get on your hands and
    knees ;o)
     
    Keith Willcocks, Jan 10, 2008
    #8
  9. Thanks all. Don't you love holier than thou yanks? US and UK-DIVIDED
    BY A COMMON LANGUAGE
     
    angloirishman, Jan 10, 2008
    #9
  10. angloirishman

    Duncan Wood Guest

    Well he was more help than you.
     
    Duncan Wood, Jan 10, 2008
    #10
  11. angloirishman

    Nigel Guest

    I think the clue is the girl had a baby seat on the passenger seat.
    Therefore she disconnected the passenger airbag using the switch in
    the centre console provided for this purpose. This puts the light on
    as a reminder that the airbag is switched off. All you need do is use
    the ignition key to switch the airbag back on.
     
    Nigel, Jan 11, 2008
    #11
  12. angloirishman

    Comboverfish Guest

    Holier than thou yank... what? Correct me if I'm wrong, but you asked
    how to tell if an airbag has been discharged, no? That's one of those
    questions that leaves no doubt of your lack of SRS expertise - to put
    it mildly. That said, just what kind of reply did you think *was*
    going to be helpful?

    I wouldn't think of posting to a television repair group asking "how
    can I tell if my picture tube has imploded?" Besides much expected
    derision, I would be lucky to receive a reply that explained what an
    imploded picture tube entailed, and why I was out of my league in
    regards to its repair i.e. seek professional help for an estimate and/
    or a proper repair. Of course airbags are merely crash safety items;
    perhaps they should be played with willy nilly, as no dire
    consequenses could ever come from the ignorant butchering of said
    equipment.

    Toyota MDT in MO
     
    Comboverfish, Jan 11, 2008
    #12
  13. As far as i'm aware, there's no switch in the centre console for the
    airbag. Nothing is mentioned in the supplied handbook, but it is a 97
    model
     
    angloirishman, Jan 11, 2008
    #13
  14. D'oh , obviously i wasn't talking about an airbag discharge that had
    just occured. Surely that's obvious?! Yes i'm sure i do have of SRS
    expertise (whatever that is). Why do you think i'm posting on this
    newsgroup? Pretentiousness and superior know-it-all we can do without
    thanks
     
    angloirishman, Jan 11, 2008
    #14
  15. IT'S MY POST BURK!!
     
    angloirishman, Jan 11, 2008
    #15
  16. In that case, it definitely sounds like the very common under seat wiring
    problem (see my reply on 10/01/07)
     
    Keith Willcocks, Jan 12, 2008
    #16
  17. Thanks Keith. Will have a look but seem to remember that there was no
    loose wires, must look closer!!
    cheers rich
     
    angloirishman, Jan 12, 2008
    #17
  18. angloirishman

    Chrs Guest

    you keep things that far back Keith?
     
    Chrs, Jan 12, 2008
    #18
  19. angloirishman

    Comboverfish Guest

    You say this now to save face, but the original post stands in infamy
    thanks to Usenet. For example, which idiot typed this: "How do you
    tell if the airbags on a 406 have been discharged?
    The dash light indicates they have, but I'm not sure 100% as i have
    been told disconnecting wires can cause this." Tell me at least two
    stupid things about your quote and I'll give you some credit. You've
    had three days to think about it already.
    You don't know what SRS stands for, yet from the best I can parse of
    your childish type, it appears that you think you have the ability to
    diagnose your airbag problem with a little internet help. Hmm. How's
    it going so far? What's your time worth? Surely you possess some
    expertise that makes you enough money to justify paying an expert to
    FIX your car safely. Do it for the children, m'am!
    You're welcome, though I was neither pretentious or "know-it-all-y".
    Too bad so sad, but I know more about car repair than you likely ever
    could even if you exerted a 100% effort towards the craft from now
    until the day you died. Instead of believing an expert, it's obvious
    you would rather belittle me for offering sage advice than fess up to
    your own ignorance. Me so sorry I didn't point you to the exact
    failure point in the system (having not looked at the car or received
    accurate symptoms and preliminary test results). Here you go: the
    driver's squib circuit is open. Run around in circles with that bit
    of bullshit advice if it puts your stupid mind more at ease.

    Here's a tip: check the resistance reading across your airbag and
    pretensioner terminals with an analog ohmmeter.

    Toyota MDT in MO
     
    Comboverfish, Jan 12, 2008
    #19
  20. Jesus, your cage has been well and truly rattled hasn't it? Well i'm
    sure you do know more about cars than i ever will. So what, does that
    make you a superior being? Thanks for the advice, but you really must
    get out more often
     
    angloirishman, Jan 13, 2008
    #20
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