should i be scared of air bag removal?

-
J

jdsduster

Well-Known Member
Joined
Aug 5, 2011
Messages
1,295
Reaction score
262
Location
indiana
05 magnum,bad clockspring.i have a new one.going to try and change it this weekend.ive never removed the air bag before.i know to dissconnect the battery and wait 30-45 minutes,but still in the back of my mind,it goes off and breaks me.should i be concerned or am i too cautious.
 
nah ....nothing to worry about .....the odds of it going off when following proper procedure is astronomical.

Only thing I was warned about is putting arms through the steering wheel spokes.

I have really skinny arms and I was in a bad habit of driving with my arm through the spoke and a dealer told me that if the air bag went off, it would snap my arm in two.

Being somewhat cautious and using common sense and you will be fine.
 
I dont know your mechanical capabilities, but I do airbag work for a living as well as module programming on these newer cars and although the job you are attempting is fairly straightforward, I cant tell you how many times I have had to fix someone elses mistakes due to just not knowing. I would actually suggest just paying someone to do the job who does that kind of work for a living.
 
Did mine a few years ago with no issues. Think I gave it a good 45 min.
 
tell me why i need to to pay someone???$200.00 to remove the bag?looks pretty straightfoward to me.other than the removal of the airbag,which is like i said,dissconnect the battery and wait 30-45 minutes before i remove the two bolts that hold the air bag in.what else would a dealership tech do?
 
Be VERY careful with the SRS connectors! (yellow harness). If you break or crack one you may be buying a new harness because the SRS won't work. Battery disconnected for 5 minutes is plenty of time for the capacitors to bleed down.
 
5 minutes probably is enough, but... Why rush it. I never pulled an airbag before either, so know where you're coming from. I took a leisurely lunch break and came back to mine. Felt a little less like I was on the bomb squad. LOL
 
I have done three clock springs in caravans. No problem with the airbag, use common sense and take your time, wait the prescribedtime for the capacitor to discharge as you mentioned. Be sure to follow proper procedure installing the clock spring or you can drastically shorten its life.
 
I've removed plenty of airbags without an issue. I just disconnect the battery and by the time you've got the bag ready to pull, it's had plenty of time to discharge. People make it out to be way more dangerous than it is in the real world. Your UNPLUGGING the airbag.... So your UNPLUGGING it from the power source.
 
**** I don't even disconnect the battery ! I know, stupid .... Just a bad habit I guess
 
Just make sure you have the wheels straight..New one will have a plastic clip holding in the straight forward position.(centered)

Here some directions:
 

Attachments

  • clock.pdf
    437 KB · Views: 202
  • clocky.pdf
    359.3 KB · Views: 328
I've done a ton of them. Just got done with a Byoowack Century in fact. Had to replace both airbags, the airbag module, repair the dash frame where the passenger airbag bent it all to hell, windshield, hood, front bumper and cover, bumper support and remake the right front frame horn. On the GM cars, you have to replace the module either with a new one, or one that's not been in a crash where the airbags have deployed. When you go back with everything, you need to pull the fuse(s) for the SRS system before you reconnect the battery, then have the module reprogrammed. Whether all this is true for the Chrysler products or not, I don't know. Handling them never has bothered me. It takes an electrical charge to set them off. As long as they are disconnected, that almost cannot happen.
 
Lol, everybody is a self proclaimed expert. Only one guy spoke correctly about the procedure. Everybody else is shooting from the hip and has no idea whats going outside of the fact that in the end they didnt have a problem and so it must have been easy. I am not saying you cant do the job, but without getting into a huge discussion about it, if you dont have dealer level scan tools and factory information along with on the job experience you are better off leaving these cars to the properly tooled and trained individuals. The problem is a lot of guys grew up on and can and do work on thier older cars with great success, but the modern automobile is a networked computer on wheels and most dont have a clue.
 
'68cuda416 said:
Lol, everybody is a self proclaimed expert. Only one guy spoke correctly about the procedure. Everybody else is shooting from the hip and has no idea whats going outside of the fact that in the end they didnt have a problem and so it must have been easy. I am not saying you cant do the job, but without getting into a huge discussion about it, if you dont have dealer level scan tools and factory information along with on the job experience you are better off leaving these cars to the properly tooled and trained individuals. The problem is a lot of guys grew up on and can and do work on thier older cars with great success, but the modern automobile is a networked computer on wheels and most dont have a clue.
Click to expand...

So can you help the guys on FABO out and let us know what the correct procedure is?

I do agree that the modern car is indeed a network of data lines and computers!
 
I have no problem at all helping out anyway I can, but the most important thing to remember is that year to year, models, different manufactures all have different procedures. If you are not intimately familiar with what your working on then I suggest factory based service information to help guide you. Again I just want people to not underestimate the technology and potential pitfalls with just jumping in headfirst on these vehicles, thank you.
 
The last thing I want to have is a dealer getting ahold of my car. I pay good money to drive them off the lot, hopefully the one and only time. If I cant fix it I just get rid of them. Far less hassle. I did a few clock springs on my Town and Country. They just dont seem to last on those cars.
 
I don't feel comfortable pulling airbags if the air humidity is much below 40%because that's the threshold for static electric buildup. I need to get a static wrist band. Might keep it in mind.
 
What, you ain't never had a good punch in the face before???
 
Only big problem is if you have accident and it does not deploy because you where to cheap to have it done right, you are screwed. If your insurance company finds out you replaced it yourself you loose. If you are not certified to repair and do the correct diagnostic you should not play with them.
But that is all up to you- ""it is all fun and games until some losses an eye""
 
I don't think the OP ever asked how to do the job, just had concerns about the airbag. I am not an 'expert', but I did replace the clock spring on my '05 Magnum after educating myself on what was involved. Here are a couple fairly detailed posts with pics from other forums that I referenced on how to do the job. Hope you find them as helpful as I did.

http://www.lxforums.com/board/showthread.php/64740-How-to-Remove-Change-your-Steering-Wheel

http://www.chargerforumz.com/showthread.php?t=120233&highlight=Turn+signal+lever

Oh, and don't close the rear hatch with your battery disconnected. LOL
 
Well, I have seen one go off in the shop and they can kill you. It's like a stick of dynamite.

I wouldn't recommend that anyone without professional training attempt doing this.

Suit yourselves. I'm sure this will get a lot of flack from the "experts" commenting on here
but I WOULD NOT try it.
 
In general airbag work in particular should be left to those trained on the subject and have the proper tooling and knowledge to perform that kind of service. I know there are independent and dealer techs that are part of this website and so I would exclude some of them, but the average guy has no clue and there is way more going on than i care to explain. Just because you do a clockspring on one of the easiest systems to perform that repair doesnt mean that they are all that way. There is no other system on the modern vehicle that will get you hurt or killed like the SRS system can, and lets not forget the liability issues and responsibility at stake. To each thier own but I make 6 figures doing mostly SRS work and also module programming and vehicle diagnostics so I feel I am more than qualified to give my input and advice, thank you.
 
RustyRatRod said:
I've done a ton of them. Just got done with a Byoowack Century in fact. Had to replace both airbags, the airbag module, repair the dash frame where the passenger airbag bent it all to hell, windshield, hood, front bumper and cover, bumper support and remake the right front frame horn. On the GM cars, you have to replace the module either with a new one, or one that's not been in a crash where the airbags have deployed. When you go back with everything, you need to pull the fuse(s) for the SRS system before you reconnect the battery, then have the module reprogrammed. Whether all this is true for the Chrysler products or not, I don't know. Handling them never has bothered me. It takes an electrical charge to set them off. As long as they are disconnected, that almost cannot happen.
Click to expand...

Hi Rusty,I just wanted to correct you on the GM module replacement in the event of bag or belt deployment, you are incorrect and im only raising this point so that others dont assume wrong. For starters unless you are intimately familiar with that year,make and model then I would suggest looking up in service information to find out the criteria for " locking " the module up, again all different years, makes and models do it differently. For example GM now allows for 1 bag deployment and up to 3 belt deployments before " locking " the module, wasnt always like that but my point is know for sure what your getting into ahead of time and not assume when working on these systems. Again not a bash against you in any way I just wanted to try and educate, thanks.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
-

Back
Top