Getting prepared to repair Code 26.

[rdgfx3]

I am getting a 26.Can I simply disconnect the battery for a while to assure that I won't deploy the bag when I remove the sensor?(Personally I think it's rather odd to have a 26 when a 16 is almost always prevalent.Since it was 8 years old when I bought it I'm assuming that the previous owner had the 16 repaired)

 

[vigman]

Better safe then.....

500 dollars later when the bag false deploys..

A friend of mine ALWAYS works the system hot and he had never been burned..until last week. He cooked the brain box!

I warned him.

At minimum pull the fuse. I like taking the battery off, you will have to relearn the ECM, set clock & radio stations etc. But it give you a chance to clean the battery terminals.

Code 26 right side sensor?

Mike

 

[Steel Half-Shafts]

rdgfx3,
I definitely agree with Mike on disconnecting the battery, and waiting approx. 15 min. or so for the capacitor in the system to discharge .

I’ve had to service my LH sensor a couple of times for a Code 16 due to corrosion. :eek

Code 26 is not that uncommon, as the water discharge from your AC usually drips right on the sensor.

 

[Drewser]

Airbag Safety

As a locksmith I pull a fair amount of steering wheels and deal with many different airbags. I would NEVER attempt to work on an airbag equiped vehicle without first disconnecting the negative terminal from the battery and waiting for atleast 15 minutes, 30 would be preferable. If you have to pull the wheel (and airbag) the safest way to do it is from the passenger side as stray static electricity has been known to set them off. Accidental deployment doesn't happen very often and I have never had one go off on me but it has been known to happen from time to time. Never a cheap accident either. Good luck.

 

[rdgfx3]

O.K.
Thanks for the input.I'll let you know how it goes.
The A/C comment makes sense.Thanks!

 

[rdgfx3]

Ok Got that 26 whupped.
Think I'll check the left side while I've got the hood up.That's a code just waiting to happen.But you knew that dincha!:cool

 

[TopDown94]

But you knew that dincha!

Are we from Texas or what.....and he even spelled it right!

Merry Christmas Y'all:SANTA

RIKO

 

[rdgfx3]

You Betcha!

Code 26 should have been a 16.Corrosion to the max!:eek

Unreal how the right side was relatively clean,and the left side looked like

Fixed her up,lookin' good!:cool

Man,I gotta post a pic.Been lookin' for a good background.Not much beauty around this flat land though.I'll have it up soon.

 

[Steel Half-Shafts]

rdgfx3,
Sounds like you got the problem licked.

Here's a little tip if a Code 16/26 should return.
Under the drivers side "kick panel" above the LF Bose speaker, there's a Yellow Connector that's held in place by a plastic retaining clip.
This Connector is where the wires from the LF sensor pass thru the firewall and plug into the SIR system.
I've seen a few cases (including my own) of a Code 16 set by this connector being partially pulled apart or dirty.
Simply unplug it, spray a little contact cleaner in there, firmly plug it back together again and install it back in the retaining clip.
I assume there's a similar connector on the passenger side for a Code 26 problem.

Could save you a lot of work if you pull a Code again shortly.

 

[jerrys96lt4]

I know this a little late . Guys please be careful with those air bags. they will deploy. pull the fuse ,dissconnect the neg cable and wait. We have had a couple go off in the bodyshop its not a pretty site. Drewser had a good point stay on the other sideof the bag your working on. It may save a broken arm or nose

 

[Dad]

While we're on the subject-- Air Bags

I’m not sure if I’m just gun shy or what, but I will not drink anything out of a hard cup while driving. Do we have any idea what a smile would look like with an air bag propelled cup sticking out of the smile? The thought makes me shudder. If you can get past that, how about a cell phone key pad in an eye socket?

Working with the air bag is just part of the problem, living with them is another part, what they do "for" us sometimes is the questionable part.
:confused

 

[Drewser]

Airhag

I was working on a newer Lincoln the other day that had been totaled, making a key for it (Don't ask me why...they bark and I jump) anyway, the airbag had deployed. I noticed a little spot of red on it, so I pulled it out and there right in the center was a perfect set of red lipstick prints. As bad as this car was totaled I'm sure it saved her life (that and there wasn't the telltale pool of blood on the floor). By the way, if you DO have one of these things blow on you DON'T breath in any of the dust. It is poisonous. Arsenic, I believe. It isn't air in that bag, but a tiny explosive that fills it up. You can't inflate the bag fast enough any other way.

 

[jerrys96lt4]

We have had customers show up with burns, The bags use nittrgen gas to ignite sodium azide and potassium nitrate to inflate. Somedoso at 200 mph I also have seen the lipstick print on the cover.