hi guys,

i got in an accident many years ago, and ever since the SRS light has been on since the driver-side SRS module deployed.

i ended up getting a new airbag, but it seems to be quite the chore to remove the old one from the driver-side seat.

can anyone give me some tips as to how i can eek through the space between the cushion and bracket to get it out? i would appreciate if someone could share the size of bolt, and what socket wrench/ratchet combo they used to remove it.

am i wrong in assuming it's this easy to replace the module? i was wondering how much of a chore it would be to connect the cable of the new module. was hoping i didn't have to remove the covers (seems i may have to, though, which would make the first problem go away since there'd be more room).

thanks.

 

Just pull the cover off. You will have all the room you need. You will however need to buy two clips for the seat back since you can't remove it without breaking them.

 

Hi SuperGreg,

thanks for your response. To pull off the seatcover, do I have to remove the entire seat? I was looking at that handy service manual someone else shared on the forum (the 800MB+ PDF), and saw that they ask you to remove the seat.

thanks.

 

That makes it easier, but no you don't have to. I partially removed the cover one time to replace the OPDS module in the passenger seat without removing the seat. You just may have to play with the seat adjustment back and forth to get the seat positioned in a way that lets you get to what you need to.

I can't recall exactly how far apart the cover needs to go to get to the SRS module (I've taken both seats completely apart to fix seat heaters, etc), but there are upholstery clips in some areas that need to be removed. You can either pry them open with needle nose pliers and reuse them, or cut them off and use zip ties when reassembling. You may be able to pull the cover out of the way enough just by unclipping the back after pulling the seat back off, hopefully that's the case.

Good luck!

 

yo greg.

just doings ome more prepwork for this job. thinking about using some of these butt splice wire connectors to solder the wires, any cautions?
also, trying to find more clips so that i can re-upholster the seat after fixing the heater. here is the diagram:


are the clips used in (28) any different from the set offered in (1)?
hoping these pliers i have can do the job. worried that removing them will be a chore, but it seems less so after looking at this link: http://joshsworld.com/cars/acura-tl-seat-heater-fix/

is the seat heavy, btw? i am hoping i can move it myself. planning to run the left side harness wire and fix the seat heater at the same time, so that the dash harness swap will be less tedious (and only involve removing the front seats instead of having to work on one, and then running hte left side cable).

thanks.

 

The clips in (1) are upholstery "hog ring" clips, like this: https://www.amazon.com/Drake-Off-Road-PLIERSET-P-Professional/dp/B00FS0WFAA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1484939656&sr=8-1&keywords=upholstery+clips. (28) are plastic clips that slide into a slot on the seat back, and snap into the seat (and will break when you remove the seat back). Like I said it's possible to remove/replace the hog ring clips with needle nose pliers, and if need be you can use zip ties when reassembling (I did zip ties on one seat, and re-used the clips in the other seat. Both worked fine).

I think I may have used that same DIY link when I was fixing my seats. The seats aren't too heavy, I can remove/replace them myself but you have to be really careful not to scratch your paint with the very sharp brackets on the bottom of the seat. If you have any doubts about being able to finagle the seat in/out of the car it might be good to get someone else to help. If you can't get some help, I would lay some blankets over any exposed paint around the door opening.

And if you need to take the seat bottom apart to fix the heater, you absolutely have to take the seat out of the car.

For the splice I just soldered in a piece of regular insulated wire. I think it's good to get a fairly thin wire so as to reduce the amount of stress at the solder joint, as the wire in the heated seat pad is very thin and flexible.

Good luck!

 

thanks dewd i'll be mindful to order those clips when i get my next batch of things finalised (need a headlight seal and hood struts too).

hoping these butt splices and/or simple heat-dry connector work good. don't want to solder as i think the wire is copper (?) so i feel like putting solder to connect copper is pointless.

these splices OR these connectors (you put each end of the frayed wire in each end and just heat dry it, so contact is key) should work.

wanted to solder (i have one) and i still might do it using these splices (apparently heat activated, so when you solder in each end, the rubber cover shrinks around it.

 

That's the first time I've heard that.