Air Bag Blink Codes

Hello all,

I've got a 91 with 2 concerns:

AirBag light blinks 4 times and sometime 5 time. According to the miata.net
web site 4 blinks is a Faulty "S-sensor" and 5 blinks is a Faulty "D-sensor"
What is an "S-sensor" and a "D-sensor"?

Second problem is the headlights. When I turn on the lights the headlights
no longer pop up. I have to go to the emergency switch on the dash. When it
is wet or very muggy out the lights won't pop down when I turn off the
lights or when I use the emergency switch on the dash. I have to manually
crank down on the headlight motor.
The repair shop is telling me that the emergency switch is the only way to
make the lights go up and down and the switch is bad. I don't quite
understand?

--
message from:
Fred Vibert

With your problems, you should poke around the garage section in miata.net.
All will be answered! (maybe) in far more glorious detail than is practical
here.

"coolmiata" > wrote in message
. ..
> Hello all,
>
> I've got a 91 with 2 concerns:
>
> AirBag light blinks 4 times and sometime 5 time. According to the
miata.net
> web site 4 blinks is a Faulty "S-sensor" and 5 blinks is a Faulty
"D-sensor"
> What is an "S-sensor" and a "D-sensor"?
>
> Second problem is the headlights. When I turn on the lights the headlights
> no longer pop up. I have to go to the emergency switch on the dash. When
it
> is wet or very muggy out the lights won't pop down when I turn off the
> lights or when I use the emergency switch on the dash. I have to manually
> crank down on the headlight motor.
> The repair shop is telling me that the emergency switch is the only way to
> make the lights go up and down and the switch is bad. I don't quite
> understand?
>
> --
> message from:
> Fred Vibert
>
>

http://www.miata.net/faq/miata_airbag_faq.html
Second and third paragraphs are the most helpful for you...:-D

My first thought is that somewhere some water got into some electronics
and started shorting things. That would explain the faulty sensors and
the non-working lights. Just the same...while contrived in design, the
Miata headlights were some of the most reliable flip-ups in the
business. You'd have to have gotten some serious fluids in there...or
accidentially unplugged some things! Have you been dash diving lately?
Maybe you knocked a connector with your knee? Or perhaps you
unplugged some things under the hood? All speculaiton...just to get
you thinking.

My other thought (for the lights) is that there's a short or a
connector is coming loose in the stalk itself (where you say "HEY
LIGHTS, turn on!") Are you having issues with any other lighting
functions? Signals, brights?

Slowly try ruling things out.

Also...take a good long time to browse the miata.net FAQ
(http://www.miata.net/faq/) Garage section
(http://www.miata.net/garage/) and do a search or two in their
forum(http://forum.miata.net/vb/search.php? - you may have to be logged
in to do that.) Heck, I already found a relevant thread:
http://forum.miata.net/vb/showthread...=airbag+sensor

You should be careful that you're getting the correct airbag codes. I
know, for example, that my "solid on" light in my 96 means something
other than the same code in other cars...just be careful...these *are*
airbags.

Best of luck.
-r0ll

Fred wrote:
> Hello all,
>
> I've got a 91 with 2 concerns:
>
> AirBag light blinks 4 times and sometime 5 time. According to the
miata.net
> web site 4 blinks is a Faulty "S-sensor" and 5 blinks is a Faulty
"D-sensor"
> What is an "S-sensor" and a "D-sensor"?
>
> Second problem is the headlights. When I turn on the lights the headlights
> no longer pop up. I have to go to the emergency switch on the dash. When
it
> is wet or very muggy out the lights won't pop down when I turn off the
> lights or when I use the emergency switch on the dash. I have to manually
> crank down on the headlight motor.
> The repair shop is telling me that the emergency switch is the only way to
> make the lights go up and down and the switch is bad. I don't quite
> understand?

It sounds like you have either a bad switch or bad connector(s) for the
headlight motors. I would suspect the switch on the steering wheel column
since the headlights work properly with the dash switch. I would also
suspect the connector nearest the headlights OR the 30 amp switch in the
fuse block under the hood.

Definitely sounds like water is getting in somewhere.

Iva & Belle.)
'90B Classic Red.)
#3 winkin' Miata

Where exactly is the airbag diagnostics module located in a 93?

--
---
Chris Smolinski
Black Cat Systems
http://www.blackcatsystems.com