Re: Airbag Dodging

[Pat Donahue <pdonahue@xxxxxxxxx>]

Josh asks:
> 
> I have a couple of questions about my 1990 325is for anyone who can answer.
> First, my cruise control is dead and I have concluded that it is the entire
> switch unit (it is total mush, no distinguishable cliccks in the different
> positions).  I am quite sure that my BM Dexterity will permit me to change
> out this switch with a new one.  
> One problem, the airbag.
> I am frightened by it, or at least all of the horror stories about it.
> Could anyone instruct me how to safely work around it and replace the
> switch.

Josh, you need to disconnect the battery and let the car sit for a while
to be sure the air bag has no power.  In bygone days it was thought that
a capacitor should keep voltage available for firing the air bag in case
the battery was destroyed and there was a subsequent impact requiring
the bag(s).  According to a flyer sent to EMS personnel this _can_ take
up to 30 minutes.  If you're nervous (and you should be) then just
disconnect the battery and go make yourself a sandwich and have a
Rolling Rock (sponsor of PFest II - had to say it).  When you get back
it should be perfectly safe.

While you have the air bag disconnected _don't_ apply power to the car
and turn it on as this will cause the air bag fault to be set and you'll
have to have a dealer clear it.  I realize this makes it hard to test
your repair.

I checked at
http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/people/injury/ems/airbag/index.html to see what
those times should be.

> And...
> as long as we're talking about my steering wheel, it produces a strange,
> dull, rattle originating out of stalk somewhere and is directly correlated
> to movement (you know, bumps).  It is one of those rattles that only
> surfaces when driving and hard to locate when your navigating urban chaos. 
> Anybody had anything like it?  Did you figure out what it was?
> Thanks for any information.

It may have been in response to your message, but have you checked the
little universal joint in the steering column under the hood?
- -- 
Pat Donahue  CCA 125031
Vienna, VA
'91 M5 4GTFUL
'72 MGB 8LYFGR&

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