They are the bit that the seat belt clicks into, they are mounted to the seat and the problem is that the lead is pulled when seat is moved with ignition on. Reach below seat and make sure the connection (Yellow wires) is correctly in place and then do a seat belt ecu reset.
The airbag/seat pretensioner light on our 916 Spider has come on and stays on, without any apparent reason other than that possibly the connector under the seat was jolted when the seat was adjusted with the engine running. Can anyone tell me how to do a seat belt ecu reset other than by visiting a dealer or using a laptop reset programme and lead as described in previous posts on this subject? With at least one FIAT we have owned some ecu functions could be reset easily by the owner. We are on holiday in southern Spain with our Spider, and not keen to visit a local Alfa dealer if we can avoid it!
The ECU has to be reset by a diagnostic program, there is no other way. The cable costs £23 in the UK and the software is free. Many 916's are driving around with the warning light on.
Once you've reset the airbag light, it's a good idea to disconnect the battery wait 20 mins and then disconnect the wiring block under the seat and clean the terminals, the end of the male connector has a small 4=way cut in the top, carefully use a thin a flat blade to open it out a little, when you push the 2 connectors back together, this will ensure a tighter fit.
This method did not work for me. The damn light still comes on. Fortunately for me I have the diagnostics tool to reset it ... frequently.
I've just invested in new EDAC 520 Series Panel Connectors to replace the original connectors as proposed elsewhere in this forum. They look promising. Lets hope they do the job.
Might be worth a check of the connector on top of the pretentioner (down the side of the seat). On mine this had been disconnected, still will need reset etc. Even made sure the airbag ECU connections were clean when powered down.
Looks like the connector on top of the pretensioner was the cause all along as it was a little loose and wobbly. I reset the airbag light on the dash to off and gave the connector a prod and a shake. Sure enough the airbag light came back on. I reset the airbag light to off again and gave the yellow connector under the seat a good tug and shake and the airbag light stayed off.
To help cure the problem I first of all removed the negative lead (I have an isolator switch) from the battery and waited 20 minutes. I then unbolted the seat, disconnected the yellow connector under the seat and removed the seat from the car.
I removed the black cover and unplugged the yellow connector from the top of the pretensioner by pulling upwards. I then used a jewellers screwdriver to prise the cover off the connector to ensure the connections inside were sound. They were so I sprayed the inside of the connector with electrical contact cleaner before replacing the cover. I plugged the connector back in to the pretensioner and secured it firmly with a cable tie to help prevent it moving. See photo. I put the black cover over the pretensioner and returned the seat to the car remembering to connect the yellow connector under the seat before bolting it back to the floor.
I reconnected the negative lead on the battery, switched the ignition to MAR and moved the seat backwards and forwards several times to see if the airbag light came back on. Hooray it hasn't! I hope it stays that way.
Thanks for all the suggestions, guys. In the end we took the Spider to Fimalaga, the Fiat and Alfa dealers in Malaga. They couldn't have been more helpful - so nice to be greeted with compliments on how well looked after the car is, and appreciation of it to the extent that one of the guys had a model of it - same Alfa red - in his office. Sorted in 45 mins, and only 47 euros. Key thing is that we now feel confident that we have friends there who will look after our Fiats and Alfas when necessary, as we spend a lot of time out here, travelling out by car at least once a year, often twice. We chatted about Top Gear and Fifth Gear, which they watch online, and I taught them the term 'petrol head'! So much more personal contact than some UK dealers nowadays...
Another one that gives the airbag light is adjusting steering wheel with ignition on, unfortunately this has the same stupid/c-rap connectors as found below the seats.
Remove the cover under the steering wheel, 3 plastic T-lugs hold it on, undo with a flat blade screwdriver. The connector is on the righthand side at the top. I recommend holding the back of it when plugging or removing the lead that connects to your laptop. Mine always feels a bit wobbly.
Bit cheeky to charge you 47euros for that imho...... I meant into to my main Alfa Dealer and just asked them to do it! Its a few mins at that for a skilled mechanic.
ok, so I've downloaded the program, cable is on its way, and I know where the connector socket is. Is there an idiot's guide to 'what to click' here on the forums somewhere? Or can someone give a quick run-through?
I need to clear the airbag light too.
any guidance at all appreciated-I just tried but, as other people seem to have found, making the car and laptop connect isn' so straightforward-the program isn't finding an interface...
Sounds like you need to install the software driver for the interface. There is a good guide included with the software. I take it you are using MES (Multiecuscan)
I am using MES, which I downloaded for free as suggested in one of the previous posts, and which starts and runs fine, but I have a disc which came with the cable and which has just installed 'FTDI CDM driver package'...
Is there an online guide to using the program?
I see MES has an online guide-and I fall at the first step, where the instruction is to change the serial port...Windows 10 doesn't show ANY serial ports...
I've had a quick look at MES forum and there are two queries there saying much the same thing-i.e. no 'serial port' in Windows 10...and no answers...:ermm:
Look in Control panel, there must be a listing of serial ports on your laptop, then you can configure the port you will use for the lead you have port.
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