DIY airbag replacement-- how tough?

July 21, 2006 1:37 PM

Has anyone here ever installed a salvaged airbag? How hard is it to do yourself? My car got bumped ludicrously lightly, the airbag deployed, and a new airbag is fantastically expensive while a salvaged one is cheap. But I would have to install it myself because local shops won't do it. The car is a volvo 940 1994.

Kindly refrain from telling me that it compromises one's safety to use a salvaged airbag or to trust one's amateur self to do it. Because I don't care. If I have to drop 1000 bucks to replace the airbag in an old car I will wish myself dead anyway.

posted by Mayor Peace Love and Unity to travel & transportation (19 comments total)

If you insist on doing this yourself, at least find out what the expected lifetime of an airbag is.
posted by b1tr0t at 1:39 PM on July 21, 2006

I don't have an answer to your question, but why isn't this being covered by the other driver's insurance?
posted by justkevin at 1:51 PM on July 21, 2006

"got bumped" is passive voice for "I bumped it into something solid."
posted by Mayor Peace Love and Unity at 1:55 PM on July 21, 2006

So long as you don't really care about the safety side, here's an outfit that will just sell you the cover you need to make things look tidy again. According to the FAQ, their covers say "No Airbag Inside", so you would not be deceiving anybody upon selling the car. They do advise checking local regs as to whether you really need to replace the thing.
posted by beagle at 1:56 PM on July 21, 2006

With a less valuable car of this same age, let's say a chevrolet, many insurance companies would total the car for a deployed airbag. Whether or not that would apply to the volvo would depend on its value.

mayor, if you're not particularly worried about safety, and your insurance company doesn't require it, why replace it at all? That big hole could be a nice place for your ipod...

I've never replaced an airbag, but I have done some under-dashboard repair work for which the directions warned that an airbag inadvertently exploding while you're working on the dash could be injurious. This particular book, a Haynes guide, seemed to suggest that these things are easy to set off accidentally.
posted by M.C. Lo-Carb! at 2:00 PM on July 21, 2006

No, it needs to have an airbag to pass inspection. I want to have an airbag, but the peace of mind that I would get from having it professionally done would be outweighed by the cost of doing it.
posted by Mayor Peace Love and Unity at 2:04 PM on July 21, 2006

With a less valuable car of this same age, let's say a chevrolet, many insurance companies would total the car for a deployed airbag.

I don't have collision on the car. It's 12 years old, man!
posted by Mayor Peace Love and Unity at 2:06 PM on July 21, 2006

Google seems to suggest that replacing the entire steering wheel assembly, inc airbag is the DIY way to go.
posted by A189Nut at 2:06 PM on July 21, 2006

link pls
posted by Mayor Peace Love and Unity at 2:10 PM on July 21, 2006

My '93 850 comes witha recomendation that the airbags be replaced after ten years. Replacement would exceed the value of the car, so I'm simply trusting that either (a) the bags will still deploy if necessary and (b) if they don't, that the seatbelts and the structural design of the car will do the job.
posted by Neiltupper at 2:33 PM on July 21, 2006

You might want to try asking in the Volvo 940 & 960 Forum. I see a lot of other repairs threads there, but I couldn't find anything on replacing an airbag.
posted by ducksauce at 2:43 PM on July 21, 2006

If you don't care about the safety of the explosive device you're putting in, why not skip the replacement job altogether and save yourself the time and money? That would be the easiest solution.
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 2:49 PM on July 21, 2006

Your profile says you're in Massachusetts. Their webpage says No, airbags are not part of the state inspection.
posted by jellicle at 2:51 PM on July 21, 2006

Disconnect battery ground(black). Remove SRS or Airbag fuse. Remove four(ymmv, this is for a 95 GM, others similar) screws holding the airbag assembly in from the rear. Disconnect electrical connectors (1 or 2 for horn and 1 for airbag + whatever crap they put on your steering wheel), after marking (1,2,3)with white tape/pen. Dispose of old airbag unit per local regulations (dumpster). Ground yourself and vehicle to remove any static charge before touching new airbag. Assembly is done in reverse order of dissasembly.

Don't try this at home.
posted by IronLizard at 3:22 PM on July 21, 2006

Don't try this at home.

Yeah, seconded.

Naturally it depends on your level of car expertise, but I don't personally think it's very difficult to replace an airbag module. That said, I have a feeling this may fall into the "If you have to ask…" category.

This isn't like replacing an alternator or some other inert hunk of metal. Airbags contain explosive charges. You could (potentially) really hurt yourself if you don't know what you're doing.
posted by Civil_Disobedient at 5:19 PM on July 21, 2006

It's a bad idea to install used SRS modules, if only because of the difficulty of ensuring the match of the module to the rest of the vehicle. Year, make, model, and options are often not enough info to ensure a match, because the SRS system components are changed within model years by many manufacturers. So far, checking your make and model on a few Internet sites, I have 3 part numbers for the driver's side module, 2 of which look bolt compatible. If the SRS module you get doesn't exactly match your control system, you could have a lap full of air bag rolling down the Mass Pike on a sunny spring day, or not have the thing deploy when you need it. And probably, somebody's going to have to reset your ECM deployment code as the means of certifying the job has been done properly, so the warning light goes out, which is going to be tough to get a reputable shop to do if they haven't done the repair.

There are reasons no one is eager to do the job your way. The fact that it's uneconomic means it's not easy to do right. Doing it wrong to be cheaper isn't really an option from a liability point of view. Doing it wrong yourself may be cheaper, but what's the point of making a repair to a safety component you can't be sure is right, and which no one will stand behind if injury results?

This isn't a fuel pump or a side window, but if you're bound and determined, good luck under the shade tree...
posted by paulsc at 5:35 PM on July 21, 2006

I have your exact car. From the Chilton repair manual:

Driver's Side Air Bag Replacement:

To Remove:

1.) Place the front wheels in a straight-ahead position.
2.) Disconnect the negative battery cable and tape the cable end away from the battery.
3.) Turn the ignition key to position I so that the steering lock is off.
4.) On some models, remove the sound insulation knee gaurd and the side panel from the center console.
5.) Turn the steering wheel slightly in order to reach the 2 Torx bolts in back of the steering wheel.
6.) Remove the two attaching bolts.
7.) Disconnect the connector and remove the air bag module.

To Install:

8.) Rest the bottom of the air bag assembly on the steering wheel and reattach the connector.
9.) Place the air bag module in position, being careful not to get the leads caught.
10.) Install and tighten the retaining bolts to 53 inch lbs (6 nm).
11.) Install the knee gaurd.
12.) Connect the negative battery cable.
13.) Turn the ignition on and check the SRS system for codes.

Passenger Side:

The passenger side airbag is removed when the instrument panel cover is removed. See the Instrument Cluster Removal and Installation Procedure, later in this section, for removal of the cover. After the cover is removed, the air bag module is slightly unbolted from the cover. To install, tighten the module retaining bolts and install the cover back onto the instrument panel.


I haven't done airbags, but the 940 is generally an easy car to work on, and the Chilton manual is great. If the above passage is transparent to you, then by all means try replacing the air bag yourself. It's always important to follow any torque instructions, so make sure that you find a torque wrench for tightening the retaining bolts.
posted by Derive the Hamiltonian of... at 6:12 PM on July 21, 2006 [1 favorite]

Oh, and the Chilton manual instructs you on how to clear the code memory to deactivate the warning light, which should go right back on if anything has been done incorrectly or some component has failed. I have to run or I'd look it up, but you can probably find it online or just spring $20 for a manual yourself.
posted by Derive the Hamiltonian of... at 6:17 PM on July 21, 2006

I have your exact car. From the Chilton repair manual:

Driver's Side Air Bag Replacement:


That's what I was asking for. I should have been more aptient to order the repair manual when I couldn't find it in my local book shops.

Thank you so much!
posted by Mayor Peace Love and Unity at 7:10 PM on July 21, 2006