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Removal of passenger seat

1894 Views 29 Replies 11 Participants Last post by  pounce
I took the passenger seat out of my 2008 Element without knowing you should disconnect the battery first. I plan on leaving the seat out. Is this going to cause problems with the drivers side airbags?
Thanks for any help on this.
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I’ve heard there is a company that makes resistors that plug into the disconnected SRS connector to make the SRS module think the removed component is still there. We have a diag tool here that does the same but it’s pretty bulky.
So, maybe a dumb question, but does the drivers side airbag work if you reset the system… without the passenger seat in the car?
No. The SRS system does a self diagnostic every time the key is cycled on. If it picks up a malfunction (in this case the missing passenger seat belt buckle) it will illuminate the light and disable the entire system. You need to be able to trick the SRS unit into thinking all components are present and functional. Only then can you clear the light and keep it off.
I’m going to be making some airbag bypass connectors this weekend to trick the SRS unit into thinking the airbag inflators are still there. They should work for the seat as well because the connector is the same and the resistance spec is the same. I’ll test it and report back. If they work would you be interested in one?
It would be great if you told us what the resistance was.
Diagnostic procedures on both the airbags themselves and the seat belt tensioner (buckle) call for use of the the Honda SRS simulator tool in the 2 ohm ports. As such, I’ll be making the bypass connectors using 2 ohm resistors and original OEM connectors. They’ll snap right in where the airbag inflators (or seat belt buckle) would have been plugged in.
First attempt was unsuccessful. I plan to try again tomorrow. May need to break out the multimeter when I get back to work on Monday and do some testing to see if my resistors are the issue or if the simulator tool is actually a different resistance than the service information shows.
Yes, I’d be really interested! Thanks

So my first attempt was in fact successful for Chop_E (2003) but not when I swapped it into Otherment (2008). Turns out 03-06 uses the same connector but different pin layout than 07-11. I should have noticed that if I had actually looked at the wires before plugging in my bypass. When I get another OEM connector I’ll put together one that will work for for your 08 and test it in our 08 to confirm.
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Well, the new bypass works perfectly in our 2008. Nancy, PM me if you’re still interested.
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I’m new to posting here. I’ve owned only E’s since 2004. Now prepping my 2010 for a 2 month road trip. Here’s a pic under the passenger seat. There are 7 connectors, 4 of which have to be released to free the seat from the wiring harness coming from the floor. From left to right, connectors 1,2,5, & 7. Does only one of those connectors need to be tricked into thinking the seat is still there? If so, which one? I am keenly interested in Chop_E’s bypass adapter.
You brought up something I hadn’t thought about. The bypasses I’ve been making are for the driver’s and passenger’s primary airbag inflators as well as the seatbelt buckle. The older Es only have a single SRS connector under the passenger seat for the seatbelt buckle (like the ‘03 I’m making these for) so they can be bypassed with a single modified connector. The newer models added an airbag in the seat as well as what appears to be an OPDS unit. In your picture the yellow connectors are the SRS components. The far right connector is the seatbelt buckle for which I made a bypass. To trick the system completely on these newer model E’s like this we would need to have a bypass for each of the three SRS components that come out with the seat. The airbag and buckle I am confident I can trick. I’ll have to do some homework on the OPDS.

I’ll be driving our ‘08 in to work on Friday. I’ll try to match up the connectors while I have it at the shop and do some backwoods R&D.
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After doing a little research I’ve found that the three yellow SRS connectors under the passenger seat on the newer Es are for the in-seat side airbag, the seat belt retractor/tensioner, and the buckle/pretensioner in that order. All of them can be bypassed in similar ways but I’ll have to come up with the other two connector types. When I have my 08 in tomorrow I’ll try to match them up with the spares we keep on hand.

That said, the 2007-11 models also utilize an OPDS that gets info from the seat weight sensors built into the seat rails. These connectors are separate from the standard yellow SRS connectors and I’m not sure if unplugging them will set a DTC or not. Again, I’ll know more once I get the 08 up to the shop.

More details to come
After testing our ‘08 I confirmed that while I can bypass the standard SRS components, the OPDS (particularly the seat weight sensor) is going to be an issue on the 07-11s. Tricking the variable weight calibration will call for some fancy electrical voodoo to get right. I’m sure it’s possible to bypass but may require the use of a scan tool to either recalibrate the system to the new bypass or to match the bypass to the current calibration. This calls for additional research but it’s not something I’m going to be able to delve into for some time.

That said, if anyone has an ‘03-06 and wants a bypass, let me know. I have plenty of resistors left from my airbag delete project and I can come up with the connectors as needed. That is, assuming that’s not breaking any of the forum rules. Mods, if this is a no-no please set me straight.
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Hello, I would also be very interested in purchasing this bypass for my 08 Honda element if possible! Thanks

Edit: just saw that 07-11 will require additional research, so no rush. But I would be very interested in purchasing if you are able to get this working!
I appreciate the interest. ChopTopChallenge starts on Thursday so I’m going to be occupied for some time. If I’m able to get this working for the newer Es I’ll post a separate thread so I’m not cluttering up OPs thread.
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