Air Bag light, quick advice please

[hirstyman84]

Guys.

Because i'm a techy and petrol head, I get asked for advice on all sorts of subjects and quite frequently too.
Today I've been asked about an illuminated airbag light on a 206cc.
I have a code reader, which hopefully will reveal the error codes tomorrow, and failing that an ELM327.

It seems that a very common fault, maybe related to some green plugs under the seats ?
Before i start disconnecting these, would i need to remove the battery ?

I don't want to get too involved as it's not my car.
Any more than reconnecting a green plug is about the sum total of how far i want to go with this.
Anything more complex, and i'll advise her to book it in somewhere.

[gazza82]

Depending on the age of the car, you may not get a generic code reader to work .. or provide the right codes. Peugeot like other manufacturers have specific OBD systems which means that they need a particular diagnostic to get a proper reading.

I have a Sealey code reader with specific settings for Peugeot/Citroen and Renault and even that has problems getting proper readings from our two Pugs (works brilliantly on the Renault!). So I invested in the Lexia3 cables and got PP2000 which is the Peugeot diagnostic software on an old laptop now.

If you are fiddling with the airbag connectors, make sure the car has been left switch off for 10 or so mins to let the airbag system discharge or you could trigger it ... really the battery should be disconnected but I guess you don't want to get that far in or you'll be doing all sorts of resets.

[GrandadMonkey]

Our 206cc is 9 years old and often, if the driver's seat is moved for whatever reason, the airbag light will come on afterwards. 9 times out of 10 a fiddle with the wires under the seat will sort it.

The only time this didn't cure it was when the car was about 8 years old and the battery was nearing the end of its life. A failing battery tends to bring up spurious warning lights on these cars. On that occasion a brand new battery cured the problem. There is a procedure that needs to be followed when replacing the battery (you will find it on this forum) and it is mentioned in the handbook. Furthermore the 206cc battery is different from the one for the hatchback - it is taller.

A failing battery usually begins to make itself apparent in the autumn when the colder mornings start to arrive.

[hirstyman84]

It is a generic code reader, I bought this a few years ago when we having issues with the Megane.
Which incidentally was a year 2k, so probably on the wrong side of OBD or it's too generic, as i couldn't get any codes from it.

When i mentioned things under the seat, the lady almost instantly said, "well that'll be it then", so I'll take a look under the seats at lunch time before plugging the reader in.

I'll also mention the battery issue.

Thanks for the heads up chaps, this is why i love forums.
Much appreciated.

[hirstyman84]

Either no codes were logged or my code reader couldn't read it.
I found the green plugs under the seats, and gave them a bit of a wiggle, but couldn't split the two haves.
I'd like to have a go at at least splitting and reseating the green plug, but didn't want to start ragging at it and snap anything.
Any tips for splitting this, I couldn't see any obvious tabs to squeeze, other than a tiny flexible tab, but this didn't appear to allow the release.

[hirstyman84]

Doesn't matter. I found the answer.
It seems the tab i was referring to needs to be lifted and not squeezed.

[GrandadMonkey]

Well done. Good luck. Let us know how you get on.

The wires on our car were held by a plastic clip to the frame of the seat and the clip had broken allowing free movement of the wires. I refixed them using cable ties and have had no issues since doing that.

[hirstyman84]

The plug was fixed to the plastic plate thing with no obvious signs of damage.
Now i know how to split the green plug, i'm going to do this on both sides when we finish at 4pm.

After this, she'll have to book it in somewhere.
Although she is quite fit, so i might have to tinker longer than expected.

[Capncol]

[hirstyman84]

Sorry for the delay in replying.
By the time I'd got to the car park last week, she'd already left.
Today has been the first opportunity for me to look at it.

I released and re-seated the green plug under the drivers seat about 6 times, before switching on the ignition and this didn't cure anything.
I really should have done the passenger seat also, but didn't, and then didn't want to start poking about with it now that the ignition had been switched on, so I'll hopefully have a pop at that this afternoon.

Failing that, and considering my reader won't read anything, what's the worst case scenario, and an average cost to put right.

[Capncol]

Failing that, and considering my reader won't read anything, what's the worst case scenario, and an average cost to put right.

How longs a piece of string? It all depernds on what is wrong and you will need the codes to tell you that. Where are you? Someone here may be local and have a reader that will work.

[gazza82]

Go to peugeotforums and find someone with PP2000, guve them some money and get them to read the airbag codes.

Unlikely your ELM327 will work and it probably isn't wired for airbag. Some come with adaptors for airbag, abs, etc.. My Sealey is designed for PSA cars and doesn't. My PP20000 s/w and Lexia3 cables do.


Pre-Sept 2000 cars could have hydrid, custom obd software after that EODB. But few in uk have obdII which is us spec.

[hirstyman84]

She took it to ATS at the weekend.
This is the info i was fed this morning.

Apparently 3 codes were logged, they wiggled a few things and 2 went off.
The third one they say is in the steering wheel.

That's about as much info as I have, and she now has it booked in to a local garage.

[Capncol]

3rd one is probably comm2000 unit.
She's probably done you a favour taking it elsewhere.

[hirstyman84]

They've told her it's the squib and quoted £400.
I'm not sure if these guys are Pug specialists though, so it's possible that they are clutching at straws ?