FromTexasInColorado

I've got a '98 cherokee with the airbag light on. I'm reading that it's usually the clockspring, but I'd like to try to diagnose that before buying the part and renting a puller.

The light is mostly on, but sometimes goes away when I have a passenger. My steering wheel is not perfectly straight (laziness), it's off by about 1/8 of a turn - I've heard of people breaking the clock spring this way, but my horn is still functioning.

The jeep was also in a fender bender before I bought it. I was told the airbags did not deploy. It was bad enough to bend the frame rail where the bumper bolts on, but didn't even really bang up the fender. I'm wondering if the front passenger sensor was damaged.

Basically - if you all were trouble shooting this, what would you run down or would you just assume it's the clock spring?

dzywicki

Depending on what kind of life you XJ has lived you may be able to get the steering wheel off without a puller. Disconnect the battery first. The middle section comes out by removing two small bolts from the backside of the steering wheel. Then the middle section comes out and you can disconnect the airbag and horn. then you can remove the middle nut holding the steering wheel on. Sometimes, I can just use my knees and yank on the steering wheel really hard a few timed and it will come out. Once you get that out, the clock spring is right there. It's a simple connector with 4-5 wires. You can remove the clock spring and check each connector for continuity. It's a simple ribbon cable that has a 45 degree fold over itself and the wire eventually cracks at that bend. A continuity check with a multimeter will tell you if the ribbon cable is still good.
There is no sensor on the passenger seat but maybe there is a sensor int he passenger seat belt. It is not a real sophisticated air bag system. There was a recall to move the airbag control module from under the drivers seat to under the middle console. The module was moved because it could get wet under the drivers seat. That would be something to check as well. From experience, I would start with the clockspring.

dave1123

A good DRB scan tool can test the system and isolate the fault. Mine was on and the horn didn't work either. My mechanic's daughter said let her test it before I bought a clockspring. Sure enough, open squib circuit which goes thru the clockspring. The sensor is nothing more than an inertia switch. Get enough of an impact to move the weight on it's spring and it closes the circuit. It's a box with an arrow embossed on it. Arrow to front of vehicle. On my WJ, it's underneath the center console glove box.

dzywicki

I just double checked since I had to remove and replace the passenger seat this evening to pull up the carpet since it got wet during the heavy rain we just had. There are no electrical connections to the passenger seat and the seat belt anchor is attached to the seat frame so a passenger should have no effect on the airbag light.

FromTexasInColorado

Interesting on the sensor. I wish I had a DRB tool that could read the codes.

I'm a noob with a volt meter, but there's some decent youtube videos on testing continuity so I think I can figure it out. The car is not my primary vehicle, so it's not a huge deal to have it off the road for a few days.

I keep trying to save some money up to have the windows tinted, but this thing seems to sense my disposable income and break down accordingly.