Toggle Airbags for off road?

[97in619]

I have a rock crawler 97 explorer 5.0.... full width solid axles, lockers, 37s, Dana 20 xfr case... yada yada....
I want to disable airbags when offroading... The impact sensors are pretty protected behind the front bumper, but I always wince when I hit a rock hard waiting for the bag to break my nose.

Can I put the impact sensors on a toggle switch or something? I would pull the fuse, but that makes the HVAC blower no-worky.

Thoughts?

 

[dvdswan]

I just took them out on my wheeler. Yes, it is driven on the street still. If you wear your seatbelt you'll be fine. Just my opinion.

 

[BKennedy]

Welcome to the forum. I would permanently disable or remove them. With the lift and mods, you don't need them, and I'm 90% sure they won't work as designed. If it were my rig I would remove them. Maybe youu could sell them, they cost $$$.

 

[Blown]

Consider these please:

Air Bags are the reason we no longer salt and pepper the steering wheel as we no longer have to eat it!

I think it's best to wheel with a 5 point harness which negates the need for air bags.

A slow crawling wheeling style shouldn't deploy a bag and you might want the protection for fast stuff if without a harness. If it's rock bashing you like, you might set one off and consider wearing a helmet and a install full cage.........

 

[Turdle]

I'd think the power source to srs module could be found, and switched. Powering it up will not deploy bags.

 

[BKennedy]

Air bags are great. However, I've seen them deployed when they shouldn't on stock vehicles. When you lift the sensors over a foot from their original position, and stick a heavy bumper, winch, etc., in front of them, they can't possibly work as intended. Off roading can cause some serious unintended shocks, which could possibly trigger the sensors. With the height of the OP's rig, he will be above most of the impact zone in a MV collision. His generation of vehicle is the first to have a SRS system. Its not sophisticated to adjust for the reconfiguration of the vehicle.

Nice rig by the way. If you ever want to go on a local day run, shoot me a PM. I'm just over the hill in Scripps Ranch.

 

[Blown]

There's two types of mechanical airbag sensors, the cam type and ball and tube style.The ball and tube style of airbag sensor consists of a ball, in a tube, held to one side by a magnet. When the sensor experiences shock, the ball is dislodged from the magnet and strikes the terminals of a switch, sending a signal to the central SRS computer. The cam type of airbag sensor, explained in this video, uses the momentum of a pivoting cam on its own axis of rotation to strike a switch terminal completing the circuit.

I do not see how lifting a vehicle or adding a stronger, stiffer bumper would change how the sensors work? They are simple inertia switches. If you stop instantly, with enough inertia the ball will release from the magnet or the momentum of the pivoting cam strikes the switch.

IMHO, If you are wheeling hard enough to think you'll set them off, get used to wearing a 5 point harness with a full cage. No air bags needed.

 

[BKennedy]

The position of the sensors, and what's in front of them change the way they are triggered. The inertia switches could trigger with a softer impact on a more solidly mounted bumper than the bendy OEM bumper. Or, the opposite might happen due to it being raised above most other vehicles bumpers, the sensors might never get triggered because the rig will impact the softer parts of a car's body. They are also designed for smooth pavement type sudden stops, not the hard shock of some whoops off-road driving. The point I was trying to make is they are designed to trigger at a specific impact point or inertia, which has been changed by the modifications. The sensor could also be tricked by an unintentional hard landing or contact with an object, such as sliding off a rock or hitting a rock or ground with the sliders. I wouldn't want to be sliding off an obstacle on the side of a mountain trail and have the air bag hit me in the face. They have been known to knock people unconscious. Bag deployment also causes a bunch of damage to the interior and in some cases will disable the engine. All stuff you don't want to happen when 50 miles from a paved road.

The OP could wire in a simple toggle switch mounted on the dash to turn them off before he hits the trail. Might be the best option all around since he lives in a state that loves litigation. No power to the bags would trigger the air bag dash light, which would help him remember to turn it back on when on the pavement.


Air bags deploying off road, about five minutes of searching on YT. Most of these are modern vehicles with modern sensors and systems.

Landing a little hard, boom!


WTH?



Even in a car on a track

 

[97in619]

Air bags are great. However, I've seen them deployed when they shouldn't on stock vehicles. When you lift the sensors over a foot from their original position, and stick a heavy bumper, winch, etc., in front of them, they can't possibly work as intended. Off roading can cause some serious unintended shocks, which could possibly trigger the sensors. With the height of the OP's rig, he will be above most of the impact zone in a MV collision. His generation of vehicle is the first to have a SRS system. Its not sophisticated to adjust for the reconfiguration of the vehicle.

Nice rig by the way. If you ever want to go on a local day run, shoot me a PM. I'm just over the hill in Scripps Ranch.

Thanks all for the updates.
I am assuming the impact sensors need to be "crushed" and are not an inertia switch (like for the fuel pump)? That probably should have been my first question. If inertia, I need to be able to disable them - I tend to bash things from time to time or drop off rocks. If "crushed", I should be fine as they are protected by the front bumper and would only trigger when I would actually want them to.

I wheel with stock 3 point belts. Have a cage design in mind - just need to execute it. Will be an external halo with the a-pillar bars external and connecting thru the front fenders... B and C pillars will be thru the roof to the floor. The main bars will run A pillar and down the sides, so also wanting a radius bent front bar to match the curvature of the rig... What I want is beyond my ability to make - but I am working on it!

@BKennedy - where do you usually go for local runs? Ive heard there are some trails out near Ramona... wish there were some closer places to go vs Corral Canyon/Borrego/etc. Totally down for a run!

 

[BKennedy]

There are dozens of trails within an hour's drive from Poway. Most are fairly mild though and in the Anza-Borrego State Park. If you just want to get out into the back country without having to turn the hubs, Black Mountain Truck Trail is in Ramona and ends up in Santa Ysabel

https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/california/black-mountain-truck-trail

Most of the trails around Poway have been closed off over the years. I used to have a area off Scripps-Poway Rd that I used as a suspension flex testing area, but its been gated. Old picture

Off S-2 in Shelter Valley is Pinyon Mountain trail. It features The Squeeze and Heart Attack Hill. The squeeze might be a little narrow for your full-width axles as my narrowed early Bronco width D44 rubs the tires on both sides.

Just past Julian off SR78 is a now moderate trail called Oraflame Canyon. It goes down the mountain on a narrow switch backed trail that is now full of some pretty deep ruts and holes from the last rains. It goes runs into Rodriguez Canyon which goes back up the mountain, or you can continue on to S2. I drove it last week on a solo day run. From S2 you can get to Blair Valley, which is an easy but very scenic area. S2 northbound will take you to Pinyon Mountain, which runs into Fish Creek, and you can come back up the Diablo Dropoff (which is technically the wrong way, but its easy).

 

[boominXplorer]

I've seen a buddy blow the bags in his ranger just hitting a hole hard and bottoming out. No body damage. I would just pop out the 2 plugs that go into the module when I would wheel mine hard.

 

[DintDobbs]

Easiest and fastest way to disable the air bags is to go under the front seats and unplug the little yellow connectors - there is one underneath the driver's seat, and one underneath the front passenger seat. That will cause the air bag light to come on the dash, indicating that the air bags will not deploy in the event of a collision.

If you need more peace of mind than that, you can also:

1. DISCONNECT THE BATTERY

2. TURN THE HEADLAMPS ON

3. Unclip the covers on the sides of the steering wheel

4. Unbolt and remove the air bag

5. Unplug the brown connector behind the air bag

6. Return the air bag to its seat and bolt it back down

7. Turn the headlamps off and reconnect the battery.

The air bag now has no power.

If you want to do the same thing to the passenger side:

1. DISCONNECT THE BATTERY

2. TURN THE HEADLAMPS ON

3. Open the glove compartment, look up under there with a flash light, and you will find a few small bolts (7 or 8mm I think) with washers on a metal frame (if it's light enough outside, you might not need a flash light)

4. Unscrew these bolts and pull the passenger air bag outward from the dash board

5. With the air bag pulled forward, you should have plenty of room to reach behind it and unplug the brown connector on the back of the metal frame

6. Return the air bag to its seat and bolt it back down

7. Turn the headlamps off and reconnect the battery.

I have done this with both of my Explorers, and the air bag light is permanently on for both, flashing a number of sequences every time the engine is started (I know that one of these sequences is for the driver's side being disabled and one is for the passenger side being disabled).

 

[dvdswan]

 

[Blown]

Wheeling style, trail difficulty, and other safety equipment are pertinent to the decision to disconnect.

Mr. Obvious says, "When you switch them off or unplug them, then go wheeling, don't be in the front seats when you fire them off! errrr turn them back on."

 

[Turdle]

They turn on every time you switch on the key.

 

[Blown]

They turn on every time you switch on the key.

Yup, sure, but not after you have been out bashing and turned power off to them for a reason. I'm thinking I would want to be sure the sensor(s) have reset. if they were triggered, rather than sitting in front of the bags the first time I turned them back on.

Jeez not trying to be a PIA or Mr. Safety, just older and wider. Back in my day, ha, 30 years ago. I wheeled an 85 Bronc and ran it hard and fast before I installed the roll bar, 5 points, and Beard suspension seats. Then I rolled it, totalled it and came out only with a few bruises.

Thanks Bkennedy, I can see that a more rigid bumper could add shock when coming off a rock hard with quick stop or bump into another rock. It seems side air bags are even more sensitive.

I dig your rigs 4Wheelin' capability for those of you who have completed the SAS! I know the work involved. Nice rigs!