Airbag – ecu – configuration error 401

[hogweed]

My airbag light was on again, and I turned it off some weeks ago using the SRS Tool to disable the pre-tensioner.


Unfortunately, she was in for something else today, and the mechanic moved the driver’s seat – now it’s on again, this time with “AIRBAG – ECU – CONFIGURATION ERROR 401”


Can anybody shed any light on this one please?

[SD1too]

Originally Posted by hogweed

My airbag light was on again, and I turned it off some weeks ago using the SRS Tool to disable the pre-tensioner.

Hi Roger,

Is it a good idea to disable part of a safety system which may one day save your life (or the next owner of your car)?

In your other thread today you describe a brake fault due to corrosion of the backplate and the fitting of a non-standard nut and bolt. This may well come back to bite you as well. If the backplate is corroded to this extent, you should really renew it.

The recurring faults and consequent bills can be minimised by correcting these problems at source as soon as they occur. That may not be the cheapest solution at the time but it will be in the long term.

Simon

[Jamiewelch]

Hook the car up to a T4, do a reconfigure so it sets the ECU back up correctly then fix the issue. Disabling part of the airbag system probably invalidates insurance.

[hogweed]

Originally Posted by SD1too

Is it a good idea to disable part of a safety system which may one day save your life (or the next owner of your car)?

Pretty sure I mentioned in my original post about this that it was a temporary stop-annoying-me “fix” till I could get it sorted properly… and isn't the system disabled when the airbag light is on anyway?

Originally Posted by SD1too

In your other thread today you describe a brake fault due to corrosion of the backplate and the fitting of a non-standard nut and bolt. This may well come back to bite you as well. If the backplate is corroded to this extent, you should really renew it.

Well, I’m at the mercy of whoever I can get to do work on any particular day/month/year. Sometimes, when they say something is OK, I just have to decide whether to trust their judgment or not. I just don’t have the luxury of leagues of mechanics queuing up for my business… and I am on a limited budget, whether I like it or not.

Originally Posted by Jamiewelch

Hook the car up to a T4

If only. There are, to my knowledge, 2 T4 operators here, and both well beyond the reach of anything like public transport for getting back home if I take the car to them. And the one I know is generally booked up weeks in advance. So, however ill-advised it may be, people in my position have to try alternatives sometimes.

[Jamiewelch]

Originally Posted by hogweed

Pretty sure I mentioned in my original post about this that it was a temporary stop-annoying-me “fix” till I could get it sorted properly… and isn't the system disabled when the airbag light is on anyway?


Well, I’m at the mercy of whoever I can get to do work on any particular day/month/year. Sometimes, when they say something is OK, I just have to decide whether to trust their judgment or not. I just don’t have the luxury of leagues of mechanics queuing up for my business… and I am on a limited budget, whether I like it or not.

If only. There are, to my knowledge, 2 T4 operators here, and both well beyond the reach of anything like public transport for getting back home if I take the car to them. And the one I know is generally booked up weeks in advance. So, however ill-advised it may be, people in my position have to try alternatives sometimes.

It takes less than 5 minutes to do a reconfigure on the T4, so you definitely wouldn't need to leave a car for something like that. 15 minutes would see a reconfigure and fault codes read, including hooking the T4 up and booting the laptop up. I know people want to try alternatives, but I've had to rebuild 4 cars ZCS codes from scratch because of people messing with TOAF, and changing the coding in the airbag ecu doesn't always work correctly and leaves corruption, which is most likely what you are experiencing.

[hogweed]

Originally Posted by Jamiewelch

It takes less than 5 minutes to do a reconfigure on the T4, so you definitely wouldn't need to leave a car for something like that. 15 minutes would see a reconfigure and fault codes read, including hooking the T4 up and booting the laptop up. I know people want to try alternatives, but I've had to rebuild 4 cars ZCS codes from scratch because of people messing with TOAF, and changing the coding in the airbag ecu doesn't always work correctly and leaves corruption, which is most likely what you are experiencing.

Thanks Jamie, I know that’s good advice, but he doesn't do “while-you-wait” I’m afraid. No, I do want the wiring fixed properly, everything reset to standard etc but, because of the logistical difficulties, I need to accumulate a list of things to be done, book him for some time in May probably, then get it all done at once.


And while it keeps breaking down and I need it now, that’s very difficult. Thus my thoughts about it being time for a new car… except I can’t afford anything I’d actually like to have.

[stevestrat]

Forgive me if I'm stating the bleedin' obvious or its something you've already checked but the airbag light can be triggered by either the airbags or the seat belt pre-tensioners. My old 1.8T actually had a knackered seat belt pre-tensioner, nothing to do with the wiring itself.

[hogweed]

Originally Posted by stevestrat

Forgive me if I'm stating the bleedin' obvious or its something you've already checked but the airbag light can be triggered by either the airbags or the seat belt pre-tensioners. My old 1.8T actually had a knackered seat belt pre-tensioner, nothing to do with the wiring itself.

Just beat you to it - see above


Only thing is, though, over my 12 years of ownership, the **** light coming on has always immediately followed moving one of the seats, and been recitifed by fixing the wiring

[stevestrat]

I battled the airbag light for a while on the 1.8T I had. I'd get rid of it only for it to reappear. In the end I gave up and had a trip to Brian's, he diagnosed the pre-tensioner.

Eventually it came back to haunt me again so went down the solder/heatshrink route but added 6" of wire all round so that seat movement wouldn't be a problem. Ended up doing the same with the 260.

[hogweed]

Originally Posted by stevestrat

Eventually it came back to haunt me again so went down the solder/heatshrink route but added 6" of wire all round so that seat movement wouldn't be a problem. Ended up doing the same with the 260.

Yeah I've already done that. Just one thing though... since my last question I've read some posts saying that polarity matters with the two wires to the pretensioner?


Having read endless ones which said it didn't, I failed to pay attention to which wire was which when putting the new connectors in... maybe I'll have to turn them round and try again