16 captured repliesDiscussion pagination complete · Source accounts, not a confirmed diagnosis
THIS DISCUSSION / SOURCE-DERIVED OVERVIEW
Discussion summary
YOUR RESEARCHAir bag light on after boost
Leading reported evidence
Disconnect battery, remove the airbag insert
Suggestion or failed attempt
No successful repair reported for this finding.
0
Reported fixes
0
Unsuccessful attempts
1
Discussions
Read evidence and context
Explicit resolution reports before identified causes, performed actions and suggestions. Within each level, matching component labels precede direct query mentions and inherited thread context; successful versus unsuccessful discussion counts, owner confirmations and independent discussion support determine order. This is not a probability of success.
Discussions that contain suggestions
1
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Suggestion
I'd disconnect the battery, remove the airbag insert from the steering wheel, and see if the clockspring (the gadget that plugs into the airbag) is still whole.
Leading evidence: 'Disconnect battery, remove the airbag insert' (no explicit attributable resolution; this is a reported action or suggestion). Across 1 matching discussions, The most frequently discussed action is 'Disconnect battery, remove the airbag insert' (1 discussions). For that action, 0 discussions report a resolution and 0 report an unsuccessful attempt. No action has an explicit, attributable resolution report under the current rules. These are forum reports and suggestions, not a confirmed diagnosis.
Source reports, not a diagnosis or a success probability. Counts refer to discussions and can overlap.
Explicit resolution reports before identified causes, performed actions and suggestions. Within each level, matching component labels precede direct query mentions and inherited thread context; successful versus unsuccessful discussion counts, owner confirmations and independent discussion support determine order. This is not a probability of success.
Discussions that contain suggestions
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Suggestion
Even if you know the issue, however, the answer is still most likely to replace the clock spring
Explicit resolution reports before identified causes, performed actions and suggestions. Within each level, matching component labels precede direct query mentions and inherited thread context; successful versus unsuccessful discussion counts, owner confirmations and independent discussion support determine order. This is not a probability of success.
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Suggestion
Here is a video of removing the steering wheel to replace the switch assembly.
Reset airbag lights among many other useful features
Suggestion or failed attempt
No successful repair reported for this finding.
0
Reported fixes
0
Unsuccessful attempts
1
Discussions
Read evidence and context
Explicit resolution reports before identified causes, performed actions and suggestions. Within each level, matching component labels precede direct query mentions and inherited thread context; successful versus unsuccessful discussion counts, owner confirmations and independent discussion support determine order. This is not a probability of success.
Discussions that contain suggestions
1
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Suggestion
Durametric is the most cost effective choice for DIYers and it can reset airbag lights among many other useful features.
These are separate views of the same evidence. Frequency alone does not establish a fix, and these counts must not be added together.
Disconnect battery, remove the airbag insert
No successful repair reported for this finding.
0
Reported fixes
0
Unsuccessful attempts
1
Discussions
Read evidence and context
Discussions that contain suggestions
1
0 original-poster resolution reports. Counts can overlap; they are not unique people or a success rate.
0 discussions have direct query context; 0 report a fix in that context. Other evidence may inherit the discussion’s subject.
Suggestion
I'd disconnect the battery, remove the airbag insert from the steering wheel, and see if the clockspring (the gadget that plugs into the airbag) is still whole.
Counts describe captured discussions, not unique people or a diagnosis. Author identities are not reliably stored. Exact duplicate evidence is counted once across matching discussions; one discussion counts at most once per action/state. Multiple repairs reported together remain a combination. Suggestions and failed attempts do not establish a fix. Matches cover whole discussions and can include related faults, model variants and incomplete threads.
16 eligible posts · 0 unverified posts · 1 discussions match the subject in their title or opening post.
Rennlist: 1 discussions
0 evidence records excluded for query context · 0 excluded by outcome qualification · 0 adjusted by outcome qualification.
0 acknowledgements have no verified action link; they do not establish a repair result.
Generation: 20261027T173940Z · outcome-qualification-6. Deterministic extraction; no AI model inference. How we use sources
Hey Gents,
Strange one here.
During a hard acceleration, my air bag light came on and I have something clunking around in my steering column now.
Did something come apart in there?
I did a search here and found nothing like this.
Any ideas?
2001 996 TT
Sounds like maybe your clockspring mechanism came apart. I'd disconnect the battery, remove the airbag insert from the steering wheel, and see if the clockspring (the gadget that plugs into the airbag) is still whole.
Please be careful. Airbags are dangerous.
You got Duametric? At a minimum you would want to retrieve the error code(s) first and go from there. That would narrow down which SRS components the controller thinks are the problems.
Once the ABS light is tripped, it needs to be reset by one of the Porsche scanners even if the fault has been corrected. Durametric is the most cost effective choice for DIYers and it can reset airbag lights among many other useful features.
You might try asking in a couple of forums (Boxster, 996, etc.) for models compatible with the Durametric to see if anyone near you (a) has the pro version to lend, or (b) has the Enthusiast version they'd be willing to sell a third of to you. Otherwise, buying the enthusiast version for $287 from Durametric is the cheapest legitimate way to get yourself one.
Here is a video of removing the steering wheel to replace the switch assembly. You probably only need to watch to ~1:38 and pick it up again at ~2:33 if you are only going for the clock spring.
Porsche 986/996 Indicator Stalk Replacement - YouTube
^^^ I watched the video this morning when I was trying to educate myself.
I have access to a Professional Durametric, but it's nice to have everything yourself as I hope to have this car for a while.
I couldn't get very far without my OBD scanner.
I finally got around to pulling out the clockspring and there is lots of clunking going on inside. Not sure if this video will work.
Do I just replace it?
Hard to hear anything over the plugs whacking the body and table, but I think I was picking something up. Did you ever read out the codes with a Durametric?
Of course the simplest answer would be to just replace it if you are unsure, but you could try some continuity and resistance tests.
I don't know what the specs are, but I would bet on the resistance being the problem as that seems to cause grief to airbag systems. Even if you know the issue, however, the answer is still most likely to replace the clock spring
There are only two possibilities, neither of which can be sorted out from your video. 1)Part of the internal mechanism has separated on the inside (unbelievably long ribbon cable, spring, connectors, etc.) 2)Otherwise a piece of the signal return tab broke away (its on the opposite side you filmed) and entered the only opening to the outside, which is directly below it. The first seems most likely. The sure fix is to replace it. It you decide to attempt a fix, it has to come apart (which it isn't made to do) be mindful that the cable position has to be maintained or rewound (major pita). GL w/repair.
