problem solved. still alive, too. whew...

 

Well, it's been about ninety minutes, so the battery should run down soon.

Other than mentioning that an airbag is like a hand grenade and I prefer to let well-insured mechanics fiddle with them... No, I can't think of anything else to say.

Gary

 

Personally I would not be messing w an airbag that might need to deploy properly one day. I am sure you will get all kinds warnings if it is not in right. While I respect your frugality, go to the dealer, do not pass go......and do not let an idiot work on your car.

 

once you've said that, there's not much more you could possibly add. thanks.

Usually I appreciate the sarcasm, but fyi--the horn does not blast unless the ignition is on.

 

`Seriously man there are some things in life that should not be messed with unless you really know what you are doing. The trick is to figure out what they are before it is too late.

 

You probably figured this out already, but the problem is almost always the flat wire that goes to the airbag. Gotta put the airbag in perfectly straight and make sure that the flat cable stays in the little depression for it, on the right side.

Love all the useless responses here. sounds like you already figured it out, but hopefully this will help the next guy, as this seems to pop up at least once every couple of months (and it happened to me, too.)

 

No kidding? I don't remember that I ever used it all, but it's wired to the switched circuit, huh?

Well, that saved your battery anyway.

Gary, P.S. Since you scorn my sarcasm, can I just say it straight? Get to a damned mechanic! Preferably a dealer, but certainly a professional. A body shop that's Porsche certified if you don't like dealers. It's fun to work on our cars, but life-critical stuff should be handled by people with formal training, and in this case, people less likely to hurt themselves. Would you ask a neighbor's help with a troublesome cardiocatheterization?

And no, this isn't a 'useless' reply. It's just not what you want to hear, it's what you need to hear. If I had the shop instructions lying beside me I wouldn't copy them. For an owner, the instructions are: Pick up phone and make appointment.

 

thanks for the kind words. there's actually something irregular about the airbag I bought. Believe me, I spent enough time with this thing, that I know the process very very well. The flat wire harness does not seem to be the culprit, as it seems to lay in place perfectly for the prior airbag. In fact, I went ahead and put the old airbag into the new wheel, and it slid in very smoothly, clicked as it engaged the wire retainer in the rear, and required no pressure at all.

I'll send the airbag back to the vendor and ask him to look it over. I think he will find something "not right" about its shape.

In addition to the wheel, I installed a few interior trim pieces I bought, that I would not have had the guts to install myself were in not for this and one other forum. The information available here is fantastic. So I can take the bad with the good, if you will.

 

Huh, interesting. I'm curious as to what he comes back with. I used the old airbag in my new wheel and it went in a little differently but I finally got it to line up after a few tries. It was the flat wire catching on my install.