I recently picked up a new airbag indicator light for my
987.1
as the one from the previous owner was cracked and also, not connected.
Example of unit:
https://shop.porschedowntowntoronto....ndicator-light
I read that this may require a battery temrination...does that mean disconnecting the battery so it doesnt cause the airbag to deploy?
If so...disconnect the negative only? Or both? And for how long?
Looking to get her out of storage in the coming weeks since it is finally getting warmer!
Thanks anyone in advance for the help.
If you want to break the circuit, all you need to do is remove the negative cable. If they check your exhaust emissions,where you live, make a note that this will erase all of your stored data which will take hundreds of miles and time to replenish. Regardless of whether replacing that lamp affects your airbag, you certainly are not going to go wrong by using hypervigilance and just disconnecting power.
If the previous owner disconnected the airbag light (in the console), you will need to clear the error after you place the light. I believe that will require a
Porsche
specific OBDII tool. I don't think a generic one will work. I'm sure someone will correct me if I'm wrong.
As an aside, sounds like you bought the car with a non-functional airbag. There might be other issues with the SRS (Supplemental Restraint System) that the previous owner was hiding.
Oooofff, that's something I never thought about. I did have a PPI done on it and of course safety...not sure if they check THOSE specific items of course.
That console airbag light is a notification that the passenger airbag has been deactivated because the car detects a weight on the passenger seat that could be a child in a car seat. You can test it by putting a bag of 15 pounds or so on the passenger seat when you're driving. Above a certain weight (maybe 50-75 pounds) the airbag is activated. There's a sensor in the passenger seat that detects the weight.
If you disconnect that light while the battery is still connected, you will indeed cause a dashboard error light that can only be reset with a
porsche
-specific durametric/
foxwell
/etc. Disconnecting the battery while the work is being done will prevent this.
The light is to tell you the passenger airbag has been disabled, by the use of the key in the “switch” in the end of the dash.
It isn’t in the direct circuit for the airbag - it’s driven by the airbag control unit separately, and given the previous owner disconnected it, then you won’t get a light on the dash (since there isn’t one on at the moment. )
I changed mine without disconnecting the battery, just with the ignition off, no issue.
