Test Notes

NORMAL OPERATION
The air bag diagnostic monitor measures the resistance across pin 10, circuit 31S (BK/O) and pin 11, circuit 8 (W/BL) every time the ignition switch is turned to RUN. Normal resistance across these circuits is between 1.5 ohm and 2.0 ohms. This resistance comes from the driver side air bag module itself (approximately 1.0 ohm) and the air bag sliding contact windings (0.25 to 0.5 ohm per winding, two windings in all). If the resistance across these two circuits is less than 0.7 ohm, the air bag diagnostic monitor will flash code 34.

NOTE: The connectors for the driver side air bag module and the air bag sliding contact have metal spring clips that act as shorting bars. These shorting bars are built into the plastic hard-shell connectors. The shorting bars are designed to short circuits 29 (O) and 31S (BK/O) together when the connectors are not mated. Do not attempt to remove the driver air bag shorting bar and measure the resistance of the driver side air bag module.

The air bag sliding contact shorting bar may be removed to measure the air bag sliding contact resistance. Use extreme care when reinstalling the shorting bar to make sure it is installed correctly.

POSSIBLE CAUSES
Low resistance across pins 10 and 11 can be caused by:

1. A poorly mated air bag sliding contact connector not pushing the shorting bars back into their fully retracted positions.
2. A damaged shorting bar may short circuits 29 (O) and 318 (BK/O) together.
3. A short in the air bag sliding contact windings.
4. A short across the air bag terminals within the driver side air bag module. Do not attempt a direct resistance measurement of the air bag. Follow the diagnostic procedures to determine if the driver air bag resistance is lower than normal.