I've got a 98 ZR2 Blazer. 98's still came with the old style steering wheel. I got the change to pick a working wheel and airbag module off a 2000 Blazer, so I did. It was a fairly easy swap, that I've heard many people talk about having done on this forum and that other forum. For me, the only hard part was that I had to modify the clock spring connector a bit. Not the actual internal metal parts, just the outside of the connector. Here's an image:



As you can see, the inside of the connector, the business part, is exactly the same. It's just the plastic outer shell that is slightly different. But it was very easy to mod the 2000 connector to plug into a 1998 socket.

BUT it didn't work! I get an airbag light whenever I have the 2000 wheel plugged in. I've swapped back a few times now and had the codes looked up. It definitely doesn't have this problem on the 1998 wheel and airbag and clock spring, but it definitely DOES have it on the 2000. I find this weird because I've heard so many anecdotes of people doing this swap in their S10s. And this airbag was not having any issues when it came out of the donor truck.

It looks great!



But anyway, the code I'm getting is:
So I took out the multimeter and tested both bags (through the clock springs, not directly on the bags). The 1998 was giving me about 2.4 ohms, and the 2000 was giving me about 0.5 ohms. Does this mean the bags are simply not compatible? Or is there something wrong with the new bag. I can always revert back to the original airbag and steering wheel, but I like the new one so much better. I have all this information I gathered in this thread, but I'm no mechanic so I just don't know what it all means!

 

There was a change in the 2000 airbags. I know at least the passenger airbag did anyway. The newer bags have reduced inflation pressures due to too many airbag injuries in crashes. The reason they changed the connector style was to prevent the older bags being put into the newer cars. This may be your problem. Your fault message would indicate that the ECU can measure the resistance of the bag circuit, which makes sense to know if the wiring is good. I'm just guessing that your newer airbag is not compatible.


It is also possible that you have another connector disconnected somewhere. maybe that small connector on the bag itself? They have self-shorting devices built into the connector that short the terminals on the airbag side when disconnected. This is to prevent accidental detonation on the parts when sitting on the parts shelf. Many meters cannot measure below about 0.1- 0.3 ohms. Your measurement of 0.5 ohms may be measuring the shorted terminals and not the airbag itself. You will have to verify this.


BTW, you are very lucky you didn't explode the airbag when testing the resistance. Meters apply a voltage across the leads to measure the resistance (current). Some meters use 9V batteries. A 9V battery can, I assure you, trigger an explosive event. Been there, done that.

 

Your explanation makes sense, except that it doesn't explain how so many members of this forum and others, have upgraded their steering wheels to the newer style. I suppose it's possible every last one of them ignores the airbag light, but that seems unlikely. Who knows. But I'll probably just throw the old wheel/bag back on. Then I'll only have the crash sensor problem to deal with.

I did stick a credit card into the self shorting device before testing, so I was getting the real reading, not a shorted reading. And my DMM is definitely more accurate than 0.5 ohms. As for the bags firing, I was well out of the way when getting the readings just in case, but I had the ohms sensitivity turns down to it's lowest setting, expecting the readings to be under 10 ohms, so i would certainly expect that there wouldn't be enough power to trigger the explosive. If that little current could do it, it would be conceivable that driving over a powerful magnet could induce enough current to trigger the bags.

 

I swapped out the big 98 airbag and wheel for the newer style and added the audio controls. I think I ended up ordering a new clock spring with a 2001 bravada p/n for the audio controls. The wires weren't plug and play in the back of the 99 airbag I had, so I found an 01 blazer airbag. Of course, that plugged right into the 2001 clock spring just fine BUT the 01 clock spring would not plug into the 98 wiring harness. Broke out the FSM and it stated it was okay to repair the airbag wires with a butt splice. Sooooo, cut off the 01 end, connected the 98 end and have never had a problem with it....

I'm not sure what to suggest in your case. I wouldn't think the connector ends would change the resistance to such a degree, but then again, I'm not an electrical engineer either...

 

Yeah what you have and what I have are electrically identical. I'm using the 2000 clock spring and airbag. The actual connection inside the plastic connector is the same. Unless the 2001 and 1998 airbags are compatible but the 2000s are not (which seems super unlikely). I suppose another options is that maybe the connector, which does have the piece to disable the shorting bar, is somehow not working properly. I can double check that, but at this point, I'm thinking I may just have to revert back to my original wheel.

 

I did swap out the dash from a '99 into my 2000 Jimmy. The passenger side airbags had different connectors as you did with the steering wheel bag. At first, I just removed the connector housing and put the contacts into the 2000 housing. but in the end, I wanted the proper, lower powered, 2000 bag. I swapped out the airbags so the 2000 bag went into the '99 dash that went into my 2000 Jimmy.


Then I blew up the '99 bag just because I could and I didn't want to put the explosive in the trash. I triggered it with a 9v battery. That is why I mentioned it.


I have no knowledge about the self check aspect of the ECU so will leavte that up to others to comment.