Airbag Sensor Light after changing seats

[tallaght180]

Hi.

Am new here so hello...! :-) I tinker with basic mechanics but not an expert by any degree, so all the help I can get here the better.

I have a 1998 E36 316i Saloon (my daily driver) in which I have just changed seats in, from ragged cloth to nice half leather. In taking out the cloth seats I had to disconnect what I am assuming is an airbag sensor connector. The issue is there isn't one on the replacement set and now I am getting a dashboard warning light... as I've obviously 'disabled' part of the circuit.

So my question is... is there an easy fix for this or am I going to have to strip the airbag components from the original seats and install into the replacement ones... (which I'd rather NOT have to do).

Any advice appreciated, thanks.

[sparkythecat]

You can fool the system into thinking the airbag is still there by replacing it with an appropriate resistor.
Some googling will tell you how to do it and you'll need something like this.

https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2...

[DaveH23]

If it's any consolation I used to have Peugeot 306 which had the airbag light on for years.

A bit of electricians tape turned it off from my point of view and even though the light was on, the airbag itself still worked.

[tallaght180]

DaveH23 said:

If it's any consolation I used to have Peugeot 306 which had the airbag light on for years.

A bit of electricians tape turned it off from my point of view and even though the light was on, the airbag itself still worked.

Thanks, yeah she's due the NCT so the airbag light would be automatic fail. Any idea how easy it is to get at the bulb to blank it off?

[tallaght180]

Looking at various 'fixes' online and some mentioning 'Seat occupancy sensor' and some mentioning 'Passenger Seat Occupancy Mat'...?

There is just one connector under each seat, both comprise of two yellow wires going into yellow and black plastic connection block. So question is, what are these connections/wires connected to within the seats? I'm 'assuming' they are simply to seatbelt sensors.

Edited by tallaght180 on Monday 28th October 16:44

[pyruse]

Isn't an airbag warning light on an MOT failure?

[tallaght180]

Well that's a pain in the arse. Wish I'd noticed that before installing replacement seats. Just checked orig seats and found that there's an additional devise attached to the seatbelt receiver. Once again I'll 'assume' this is a trigger device that actuated airbags if the unit detects a sudden jerk. So in reality it looks like a switchover is required...

Edited by tallaght180 on Monday 28th October 16:43

[TEKNOPUG]

Disconnect the leads and fit a resistor into the sockets.The ABS lights come on because the plug is disconnected and there is no resistance in the circuit.

I literally did this yesterday when swapping seats between my Imprezas. Typically you need a 3.3ohm 1/4w resistor. You should be able to find out on any of the Beemer forums exactly which ones you need. I paid £1.69 for 100.....I needed 2.......

You just bend the wires and plug each end into the each connector in the socket. Then tape it up to stock is falling out.

[DaveH23]

pyruse said:

Isn't an airbag warning light on an MOT failure?

I believe it must come on with the ignition then go out. Removing the bulb isn't an option as it must come on but happy to be corrected.

My sticky tape got my 306 through about 3 MOT's but that was over 10 years ago.

[TEKNOPUG]

tallaght180 said:

Well that's a pain in the arse. Wish I'd noticed that before installing replacement seats. Just checked orig seats and found that there's an additional devise attached to the seatbelt receiver. Once again I'll 'assume' this is a trigger device that actuated airbags if the unit detects a sudden jerk. So in reality it looks like a switchover is required...

Edited by tallaght180 on Monday 28th October 16:43

The seatbelt one will just be the signal that someone is in the seat but not wearing their seatbelt?