Swapped B3 steering wheel and glove box into B4

[Thorgs]

Now the SRS/Air-Bag light is constantly on on the center console. Is there a fuse or relay I can pull to shut it off?

 

[Thorgs]

Anyone know? thanks

 

[Mcgink]

Why not just pull the bulb out? right behind the plastic cover?

 

[turbodieseldyke]

I was going to suggest that you fix the airbag problem, rather than just turn off the light. If I am reading your case right, you no longer have any airbags, right? If so, then just pull the light bulb, like Mcgink says, and keep it as a spare for when some other bulb burns out.

 

[Abacus]

A friend pulled not only his airbags, but his controller and I don't remember his airbag light coming on.

 

[ToddA1]

My airbags and are pulled and the controller is unplugged. I still get the airbag light.

One person told me to pull the wiring from the fuse panel, but I'm not sure what would be different....

The bulb is soldered into the warning light. You'd have to break or cut it out.

-Todd

 

[0die]

is there a way to put a jumper wire across the old airbag plug? make the car "think" the bag is still there?

 

[0die]

Once my "new" Passat's maintenance repairs are all up to date that will be my first mod too...

 

[ToddA1]

is there a way to put a jumper wire across the old airbag plug? make the car "think" the bag is still there?

I read a DIY that had a range of resistors that was supposed to work. I tried at least 5 values in that range and got nowhere. I measured the resistance at the airbag, got a resistor that was still close and it didn't help.

Sooner or later, I'll trace the harness that runs to the fuse panel. If that doesn't work, I'll disable the bulb, but that's a last resort.

My light has been on for close to a year. I've gotten use to it.

-Todd

 

[Lug_Nut]

I have a B4 air bag warning lap that doesn't light up. The fact that it's unplugged and sitting on a shelf may have something to do with that.

 

[Thorgs]

I think I can turn it off using vag-com. That way if I ever sell the car and the person wants the airbags, they can just turn it back on and install them. I just ordered a new center console light and it came broken from VW. Those little clips break easily.

Off-topic but does anyone have the console light with just airbag/brake? That's the one I have but there's 3 lights behind it and I think it was meant for the airbag/brake/abs...or maybe VW was just cheap and put 3 bulbs in all of them. It just looks weird because when my e-brake is pulled, only half the word "brake" is lit and when the airbag light is on, only half the icon is lit.

 

[RIP TDI]

The correct 2-bulb module (3A0919235M) seems to be NLA from the dealer and there doesn't seem to be a supercession, so who knows what they sent you.

 

[Thorgs]

Is 3A0919235P the same thing as 3A0919235M?

 

[compu_85]

Getting rid of the driver's airbag in a car that originally had one is probably a bad idea, unless you like taking a nice bite out of the steering wheel. Remember seatbelts are designed to stretch in a crash.

-J

 

[oilhammer]

compu brings up a good point, you may want to get some non-pretensioner seat belts to go along with the lack of airbags, as those type are designed to be used without SRS. I don't crash cars, so I wouldn't be too worried, but it may be worth considering. There are a LOT of idiots we have to share the road with.

 

[Thorgs]

Thanks for the concern J and oilhammer. My old leather steering wheel was crumbling apart every time I touched it and I found a really good deal on a non-leather B3 wheel. I feel pretty safe w/o an airbag. My last 2 vehicles didn't have them and I never had any issues. I only really do around-town driving these days and have never been in a serious accident *knock-on-wood*

 

[Thorgs]

Is 3A0919235P the same thing as 3A0919235M?

Well it turns out the part I ordered was 3A0919235P but Jim Ellis VW Parts website lists them as the same. Maybe they did away with 3A0919235M and only make the 3 bulb warning lamp.

http://www.jimellisvwparts.com/prod...hand-brake-ILLUSTRATI/5375816/3A0919235P.html

 

[RIP TDI]

compu brings up a good point, you may want to get some non-pretensioner seat belts to go along with the lack of airbags, as those type are designed to be used without SRS.

That's interesting. What's the difference? Do the inertia reels in the pre-tensioner belts allow a bit more travel before they lock than the non pre-tensioner belts, or what?

 

[oilhammer]

Most SRS equipped vehicles in the A3/B4 era used the pyrotechnic decel tube for the seat belts. Basically, a little canister of solid rocket fuel that fires off and blows ball bearings or a toothed rack past a gear wheel to make a controlled payout of the belt.

Older, pre-SRS versions just have a simple cam that locks into place all at once, no control of payout really.

If you do a google image search for "seat belt pretensioners" there are plenty of pics to look at.

But these smart pretensioners work in conjunction with the air bags, as they are in concert part of the SRS (supplemental restraint SYSTEM). So by not having the air bags, or the SRS controller, you have also in essence defeated the seat belts as well, or at least the proper function of them, which is why I suggest installing the older type seat belts that do not require any input from the SRS controller to work properly.

 

[RIP TDI]

I know about pretensioners but I thought on these early models they were triggered by their own propreitary g-sensors, independent of the SRS sensors

 

[oilhammer]

I know about pretensioners but I thought on these early models they were triggered by their own propreitary g-sensors, independent of the SRS sensors

That is a valid point, however I still think their design was done in conjunction with the rest of the SRS, as in they showed up at teh same time. And I must say, I have no "crash data" to support my opinion one way or the other. Maybe pretensioners as equipped with air bags are still better seat belts than than the older ones, even if the air bags are no longer functional.

I'm not going to try and find out, though.

 

[compu_85]

I know Mk3s without airbags did not have pretensioners on the belts. (I helped strip a 1996 1.8l Golf CL, no SRS!)

That's not to say no car without airbags has them... all W126 and W124 Mercedes have them, weather or not there is an airbag. I'd say you're probably better of with them.

I've probably spent too much time watching NHTSA crash test videos from the 80s and see too many dummies heads bend the crap out of the steering wheel... I'll keep my SRS

-J

 

[VWannabe]

I will say that my seatbelts in my 1997 A3 seem to have pretensioners. I have triggered it before sometimes just by moving forward too suddenly. I have also crash tested my airbags before, unfortunately, and they HURT! Like being punched in the face. Also got burned on the arm by the explosive trigger chemical and the car stunk for about a week. That sucked! Was a pain trying to replace all those parts but part outs are your friend there .

 

[oilhammer]

I will say that my seatbelts in my 1997 A3 seem to have pretensioners. I have triggered it before sometimes just by moving forward too suddenly. I have also crash tested my airbags before, unfortunately, and they HURT! Like being punched in the face. Also got burned on the arm by the explosive trigger chemical and the car stunk for about a week. That sucked! Was a pain trying to replace all those parts but part outs are your friend there .

It does have them, but you do not "trigger them" by moving too suddenly. They are triggered in a crash, and once they have popped, they are done, just like an air bag.

It is also worth noting, that SRS has come a L-O-N-G way since the A3/B4 systems. Multi-stage release, occupancy detection, seat position, vehicle speed, all kinds of things are used now to make the cars safer. Everything except making sure the DRIVER is better, that is.

 

[Lug_Nut]

Thorgs, I still don't know why you don't just unplug the two pin connector (brown /green and black / red wires) from the back of the lamp cluster....

 

[0die]

on the glove box...does the air bag module just bolt out and the glove box just pop in? of course all the other stuff involved in accessing mounting screws and such...

but i assume the glove box housing and door is all the parts that are needed?

 

[ToddA1]

Is 3A0919235P the same thing as 3A0919235M?

No. As mentioned "P" is for ABS equipped cars and has 3 bulbs.

Off-topic but does anyone have the console light with just airbag/brake? That's the one I have but there's 3 lights behind it and I think it was meant for the airbag/brake/abs...or maybe VW was just cheap and put 3 bulbs in all of them. It just looks weird because when my e-brake is pulled, only half the word "brake" is lit and when the airbag light is on, only half the icon is lit.

Sounds like someone swapped a 2 bulb lens on a 3 bulb housing.

Thorgs, I still don't know why you don't just unplug the two pin connector (brown /green and black / red wires) from the back of the lamp cluster....

Sounds too easy and it didn't work for me. I checked the Bentley and It's the correct plug, but my bulb remained on.

I ended up just unsoldering the air bag bulb. While I was in there, I replaced the brake bulb with a LED. I didn't feel like having to swap it later.

I had to pull a lot of my dash apart to retrieve the switch spring clips, so I glued the switch and clips with rubberized CA glue. These switches seem to be pretty fragile... hopefully, that's the last time I need to deal with it.

-Todd

 

[0die]

My light has been on since buying the car...I wonder if the bag is disconnected or something...I'll need to pull the bag off the steering wheel to see. The pax side was still connected...up until I installed a glove box.

 

[G60ING]

and here I was thinking about retrofitting airbags to my corrado with a Mk3 Harness, Mk4 wheel and a 1995 corrado glovebox delete airbag. If I were you I would yank the harness from the airbag system.