Test Notes

Normal Operation

NOTE: The connectors for the air bag and the air bag sliding contact have shorting bars built into the plastic hard-shell connectors. The shorting bars are designed to short circuits 611 and 612 together when the connectors are not mated.

The air bag diagnostic monitor measures the resistance across pin 10, circuit 612 (BK/Y) and pin 11, circuit 611(GN/Y) every time the ignition switch is turned to the ON position. Normal resistance across these circuits is between 1.5 ohms and 2.0 ohms. If the resistance across these two circuits exceeds 4.0 ohms, the air bag diagnostic monitor will flash Diagnostic Trouble Code (DTC) 32.

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 ensure that it is installed correct1y.

Possible Causes
Excessive resistance across pins 10 and 11 can be caused by:
- A poor connection where the air bag sliding contact connects into the main wiring harness or where the air bag sliding contact connects to the driver side air bag module.
- An open circuit or high resistance in the clockspring windings inside the air bag sliding contact.
- An open circuit or high resistance in the wiring harness in either circuit 611 (GN/Y) or circuit 612 (BK/Y).
- An open circuit or high resistance in the driver side air bag module. Do not attempt a direct resistance measurement of the driver side air bag module. Follow the diagnostic procedures to determine if the air bag resistance is higher than normal.