DIY: Airbag Module replacement & reset

[Blloyd29]

Since I couldn't seem to find a really good tutorial on this I decided to make my own. I bought a wrecked '02 986 and rebuilt it using parts from a donor 1999 986 parts car I bought minus engine/transmission.

Before:



After:


But then after it's all put together and I try to reset it...airbag light is on.

And it's giving me this code:


The seat belt tensioner has gone bad. This sets off the Airbag module. These can be rebuilt by soldering on a new capacitor, maybe I will do that DIY next. It's a $.05 part that fixes a $300 airbag control module.

Luckily I had a spare parts car so I just took the module form it.

Disconnect your battery before doing anything with the airbag system and let it sit for a few minutes.

The module is located under your stereo head unit and in front of the gear shifter. Very little needs to be done to get this out.

First you remove the side panels, these are just popped off, take them off evenly so you don't break the tabs. No tools needed.

Now you can see the module:


There are safety bolts that are supposed to keep you from tampering with the unit but these can be taken off with some patience and a set of pliers.



When you put this back together, use regular 10mm nuts.

Here you can see the different modules out, they can have different serial numbers on them but they are the same part number.




Now that you've plugged the new one back in and bolted it back down, you can reconnect the battery.

Plug in your Durametric plug again and reset the light. Done.

Overall time to pull out 2 units (1 in parts car) and reinstall: 30 minutes. I bought a Durametric kit for $300 shipped and spent less than an hour after installing it, putting in the new unit and taking out an extra one for the parts car. Way better than the $1,500 I was quoted by the dealer.

[somclan]

Many thanks for the great post.I found it easy to follow and perfect for my needs. I need to replace the passenger side and steering wheel air bag on my 99 986. :ah:Will I have to source a new sensor after the bags have been deployed.Ie is the sensor "once only " or can they be reset ?
Also
My car has had the 3 spoke wheel fitted at the factory as a optional extra.. The air bag can be got but they are ching ching.Meanwhile what I understand to be the less desirable 4 spoke wheel c/w airbag are available for about a quarter of the price.

Will the 4 spoke wheel replace the 3 spoke wheel with out much drama..

Thanks

Stephen

[guesswecan777]

Very useful info but how do you get the code?

[guesswecan777]

A friend told me that by reconnecting the sensor can sometimes reset airbag light. Is this ture?

[JFP in PA]

Originally Posted by guesswecan777

A friend told me that by reconnecting the sensor can sometimes reset airbag light. Is this ture?

No.................

[TeddyBoxster]

UPDATE:

For anyone that finds themselves in a similar situation, you do not have to replace your original airbag module. Even if the airbags have been deployed, Just use your scan tool, and replace what error codes are being displayed and then reset the codes and you'll be good to go without replacing the airbag module. The FOXWELL NT530 scan tool will work for this.



I know this is an old thread. But I need some help. I'm in the same situation that Blloyd29 was in. I followed his instructions to a T. My O2 Boxster s was involved in a light front end collision that deployed both driver and passenger side airbags. The original airbag module stated that both airbags needed to be replaced and the driver side seat belt buckle tensioner.

I replaced all three of those items. Got a used airbag module from a 02 Boxster that was not involved in an accident , cleared it and then new codes appeared stating that both driver and passenger side airbag sensors needed to be replaced and the passenger side tensioner buckle needed to be replaced also. At first I thought the airbag module came from a car that was involved in a collision. So I got another one from the local Porsche used parts place, that they let me take off of a car that was not hit in an accident. I installed that airbag module and the same three codes appeared again. Both impact airbag sensors and the passenger side seat belt buckle.

Is it just as simple as I need to replace those three other things also, then clear it again and I should be good to go? Or does my airbag module need to be programmed with the VIN number from my car? Any advice would be appreciated. I was wondering if any of you guys ran into the same thing when trying to fix your cars.

Thanks,
Ted