[jhop]

Hi everyone,

Of course my first post is a HELP! thread.

I just picked up a 1994 mustang 5L after jumping ship from VWs. I heard about the emissions scandal and decided I wanted an environmentally friendly car :grin:

Anyways, i've got an airbag light, code 44 meaning (i believe) the drivers side airbag impact sensor is not mounted properly.

Now I know exactly why, the previous owner was very forthcoming and let me know someone had backed into the car, they had a trailer hitch that basically drove through the front of the car mangling a few things on the way.

I noticed the drivers side sensor mount was bent back so the sensor was touching the A/C condensor.

Hoping for the best I bent the mount back and tried resetting the code using the paperclip method, No luck!

so I am guessing the sensor is damaged and am looking at replacing it before the car needs its safety inspection in a month.

Now my questions:

(1) is there anything else I should check/try before assuming the sensor is damaged (no visible damage)?

(2) do all sn95's have the same impact sensor part numbers? I checked fordonlyparts and they were selling one a while back that was listed as 1994 mustang so i wasn't sure if the sensor was unique to that year (i ran the part number from the picture but couldn't find much info)

(3) Airbags scare the hell out of me, I was reading through my chilton manual and they say after a minute of no power from the battery the system is disabled however other online sources say there is a backup battery that powers the system without the main battery. Should the system be "disabled" before changing the sensor? is it even advisable to change the sensor myself? I know nothing of airbag systems.

Sorry for the wall of text!

Thanks

 

[jhop]

Well after doing some research I decided to try replacing the sensor myself. Problem is now solved.

Correction to the first post. Code 44 is passenger side airbag crash sensor not properly mounted (not driver side as I initially thought).

Here is the quick how-to I posted on corral:

Replacement How To - this is for a 1994 mustang GT which needed an airbag crash sensor replaced to solve a code 44 airbag fault (procedure should be the same for all sn95s):

Disclaimer: This should not be used as a substitute for advice from a licensed technician. It is recommended that Air bag systems be repaired only by trained technicians. I am not myself an auto tech and have very limited skills, this is purely my own personal experience.


Procedure:
(1) determine airbag code: turn ignition key to on position (no need to start vehicle). Wait for solid airbag light to go out, it will start flashing. It will flash repeatedly for the first number (count the flashes) then briefly pause and flash again with the second number of the code. It will then take a longer pause and start the process over (or if you have multiple codes it will start the next code and then repeat the process.)

(2) Click Here (veryuseful.com), navigate to the airbag tech section and check what your airbag code means. In my case this was a code 44, meaning "passenger side airbag sensor not properly attached"

(3) Locate sensor and verify it is attached properly. If it is then you likely have a bad sensor, module or wiring. But the first place to try would be the sensor.

(4) IMPORTANT STEP: disconnect the battery, allow vehicle to sit ( I chose to let it sit about 30-45mins). I also pressed down on the brake pedal for 30seconds as I've read this can bleed any power stored in capacitance in the circuits. I would not advise working on the airbag system when it is powered

(5) Locate the sensor to body harness plug. This is a white plug located between the fender liner and the front bumper and should be attached to the body by a simple push in style clip. Press on the end of a small tab holding the connectors together (sorry for the bad description). Pull the connectors apart and then pull the sensor side connector out of the body.

(6) There are two clips holding the sensor wiring to the body and the plastic shroud in front of the rad/AC condenser. These can be opened using a flat head screwdriver and prying open the clip. Un-clip these two wiring clips to release the sensor harness from the car.

(7) Un-bolt the sensor from the rad support using an 8mm socket.

(8) In haynes/chilton fashion: "installation of new sensor is the reverse of removal". Install and connect the new sensor- while feeding the sensor plug through the body I like to wrap a shop towel around the plug with a zip-tie holding it on so as not to grind dirt into the end of the connector

(9) reconnect the battery

(10) go back into vehicle and check code again. If you have repaired the issue the code should change. In my case the code 44 should change to 84.

No codes under 52 can be reset. codes below 52 mean there is still hard fault in the system.

(11) If the code has changed to something 52 or above you are ready to reset the code (check the veryuseful.com link above for what your code should change to)

(12) to reset the code get a paper clip or a piece of wire stripped on both ends. Find the gray 2 wire plug under the glove box. Turn the keys to the on position without starting car. Now jump the terminals on the gray plug (easiest to plug your jumper into the back of the plug). Wait until you here a beeping sound on the dash (should take about 5 seconds). Once the beeping is done this means the code is reset

(13) Turn the ignition off then back to the run position and verify that the code is gone.

For a video demo of resetting codes, check out this youtube video:

how to reset mustang airbag light



A couple of notes:

- As mentioned above, no code below 52 can be reset in any way. this means there is still a fault in the system

- The airbag crash sensors are physically different between the 94 and 95. I am not sure yet if they are compatible with each other. The two part numbers are :
1994 part number F4ZB-14b004-ac
1995 part number F5ZB-14b004-ab

- The part (at least the 94) has been discontinued by ford, therefore you must get them from an auto wrecker. Be VERY careful what vehicle you pull it from. Be sure the front end doesn't show signs of damage and that the airbags have not been deployed.

- my sensor needed to be replaced because it had rusted out in the back, this seems to be a very common problem so make sure you get the best sensor you can find at the wrecker as all the sensors I pulled showed signs of rust.