Warning Lights

[safety_match]

Last week both the airbag (INFL/REST) light and the seat belt light came on and have both been on ever since. Is there a simple explanation? I don't know about the air bag but the seat belts are used when we are in it.

 

[Ken]

You ever figure out this one? If not, this will bump the post back to the top of the page.

 

[Tom73]

The '90 is well know for this. Very common problem, the air bag sensor on the front frame rail has lost ground. They mounted it right below the A/C evaporator where the water wants to drip down. Rust will form on the screw and there goes the ground which sets a fault in the system and the two lights come on. Chevy issues a service bulliten on the repair. Hopefuly someone has the details.

(By the way, mine has been on for the last three years )

tom...

 

[melena52]

Air Bag/Seat Belt lights repair bulletin

The '90 is well know for this. Very common problem, the air bag sensor on the front frame rail has lost ground. They mounted it right below the A/C evaporator where the water wants to drip down. Rust will form on the screw and there goes the ground which sets a fault in the system and the two lights come on. Chevy issues a service bulliten on the repair. Hopefuly someone has the details.

(By the way, mine has been on for the last three years )

tom...

Does anyone know the bulletin number? date?

 

[c4cruiser]

Cleaning up the base of the frame rain and the sensor is very easy to do. Disconnect the battery first!! Remove the right front wheel and then the rear portion of the wheelwell. That will expose the frame rail and the air bag sensor. It should have taken you 10 minutes or so to get to this point and that time is needed to bleed any power from the system.

The sensor is a squarish black box bolted to the frame rail just below the heater box and is all by itself on the frame rail. There are two bolts that hold the sensor to the rail and in good GM fashion, they have different sized heads!! It takes a bit of work to get the bolts out but just keep at it. Once the sendor is out, take some coarse sandpaper and remove any rust or corrosion from the frame and from the base of the sensor mounting bracket. Clean with something like prep-sol or mineral spirits.

Apply a thin film of dielectric grease and reattach the sensor and cover the mounting bracket and rail with more dielectric grease. You can take a piece of rubber about 6" square and lay over the top of the sensor and tie it around the sensor housing with a zip-tie. That will keep moisture from the A/C from dripping down over the sensor and causing more rust.

The driver's side sensor can be done at the same time but you have to remove the battery and the battery tray to get to that one. Do the same things as the passenger side.

There is a procedure for resetting the SIR light and it's a bit touchy on the timing to reset it. The Vette catalogs have a device to reset the light and might be a good deal to get one. A dealer can do it for you too.