fltdriver

You could always try pulling an ADM from another truck, around here anything safety related (air bags, seat belts, etc...) is free because they don't want the liability of selling you defective safety part. Also if you order a couple of the thermal fuses you could try replacing the bad one and see if that allows you to better diagnose the 14 problem, most of the cost is shipping anyway so ordering a few fuses doesn't raise the price too much.

bscottie

I have changed the fuse, everything now checks good except for the fact that I didn't have a resistor to replace the burned one, I have another module on the way, part numbers are/were close. it either will be something I can use or at least something I can hopefully get the resistor value off of to replace mine.




hopefully part will be here soon

bscottie

well I got the replacement module, went through the checkout process and installed in the truck




SUCCESS!


I did measure the value across the resistor of the "good" module, it was 15.1 ohms at 55 degrees, didn't want to break the little housing to try and read any values.


so the conclusion of my problems were bad clockspring, bad fuse and resistor in my module. I am not going to see if adding a new resistor to my old module will fix it but will keep it to try if needed down the road, only bad thing is cruise control still doesn't work, hopefully its issue is a little easier to track down without any guesswork.

z-man1

FYI - that resistor is there to provide the heat to open the thermal fuse. I would recommend replacing the resistor and attaching it to the fuse if you're going to reuse the module.

twodogs

Hi folks, my name is Bruce and I have been lurking here for a while trying to find a answer to a airbag question, so I joined up since you folks seem to know a lot about Fords. My question is I bought a 1995 F-150 xlt 5.0 auto rwd with 97000 miles on her, I have sorted out everything but the airbag light, it seems to come on every once in a while, it does not flash or chime or stay on all the time, I have gone a week or better without it coming on and other times it comes on just going a few miles or so, everything works on the truck and everything I have done to it was clean and in really nice shape I think for a 95 so does anyone have a idea of why the light comes on but won't flash a code?
Thanks for your time in advance.
Bruce

z-man1

Hi Bruce, I'll try to help out a bit here, but I'm no expert. Do you have any intermittent problems with the horn? Try blasting the horn and turn the wheel fully in both directions to see if it cuts out. If so, your clockspring in the center of the steering wheel is failing. My truck was telling me the passenger side sensor was bad, and it was supposedly still bad even after replacing it. The problem ended up being a bad ADM (the airbag computer - blue box under the dash by the gas pedal). The capacitors in the module are typically what fail - if you can solder, replace the caps in the computer paying close attention to the polarity as well as the values. Otherwise, it's $30 - $60 for a used module at a junk yard (make sure you get some sort of warranty). My junk yard module was bad as well, but I was able to take parts from both & make a good one. I'd have 2 working ones, but the thermal fuse is a special part and nobody seems to sell them (the fuse housing on mine had melted beyond repair when the module failed). Good luck!

Just did a quick search and found that a continuous light means that the ADM is "disconnected or inoperative" - check the connections on the module for corrosion and that they're tight. I did read somewhere a while ago that a leaking windshield caused water to corrode someone's ADM. Also, do a Youtube search for "Ford Airbag Diagnostic Monitor repair" - he shows how to replace the thermal fuse for a flashing code 51, but it's still good information on what the ADM looks like.

Let us know what you find to be the cause of your troubles.

twodogs

Thanks for the reply, ill check it out, everything works.i think I pissed the neighbors off with the horn test though. Bruce

twodogs

Well I checked ADM and everything checked out, everything looks clean and plugins correct, the PO said he had the seat belt switch replaced when I bought the truck and it looks good also, I drove back and forth to work about 20 miles each way for 4 days and no light, then halfway on day 5 it came on till I shut the truck off and restarted it, the light has not come back on so far this weekend. I do know that I need a drivers side gray seat belt, the one I have is frayed pretty bad. Thanks for the help.
Bruce

z-man1

I hope you get along with the neighbors! LoL... It almost sounds to me like the capacitors are going bad, which they do after 20 to 30 years of heat, cold, etc. With the steady light, it's telling you that the computer doesn't see the ADM any longer. You could probably simulate this by disconnecting the 2 harnesses on the ADM. If you do this, you really should disconnect the battery and wait an hour or so. There's a capacitor inside the ADM that stores a charge so it can still trip the air bag in the event your battery is destroyed.

I bought a "capacitor kit" on eBay recently that the electronic hobbyists use and it appeared to include all of the correct values needed inside the ADM. I just haven't decided to replace mine yet in the good one because, well, it's still good. I forget what I paid for the kit, but I don't think it was over $20. Do you know anyone who messes with electronics, CB or Ham Radio? Ask them if they would replace the capacitors for you if you're not up to it. It should only take a couple hours TOPS. Like I mentioned before - there's the junkyard option, but that's no guarantee either. Just make sure you can get some sort of guarantee that it will work. Oh, a ripped seatbelt shouldn't do anything - the sensor is in the clasp and not the whole belt. Good Luck!