changed seat, now what to do about the SRS

[dwol]

I couldn't stand the seat in the XD. So I changed it for a lexus manual seat. Seems much better, but what do I do about the SRS airbag? I have a big red light on my dash.

[Luc1f3r]

1 dont look at.
2 drive with eyes closed
3 remove led
4 add a resistor
5 put stock seats back in


i personally opt for option 1 or 2, it works for me.

[dwol]

Nice! I'll just put some tape over the light. :)
Anyway, I think I will use my SRS yellow cord in the new seat, and I am already using the factory seat belt. But what about the little magnetic gizmo that plugs in and is bolted on the bottom of the seat. I think it is a seat position sensor?? Does it need to be plugged in, and if so, can I just stick it to the new seat?

[Luc1f3r]

ummm, i dont think i would plug in the airbag harness, they yellow cable, i would be worried the new seat has a different resistance or something and it would deploy the bags....

as for a position sensor, the wheel airbag should be disabled along with that seat as they are in the same zone, i wouldnt worry about the sensor, just leave it under the seat.

[The5ickne55]

Curious, where did you get the seat and how much?

[dwol]

As for the seat I got it on Ebay for $150. It doesn't fit perfect, I had to make custom adapters because the rails are longer and narrower, but it seems to be much better. I can't begin to tell you all how shi tty the factory seat is, I'm sure you all know. Can't believe that Toyo would make such a nice little car and not offer a decent seat. I shouldn't be forced to do this, but oh well. I even almost bought the honda fit, just because of it's seat. Can you believe that?

[dwol]

FYI: I ended up changing all the SRS stuff for what was originally in the XD seat. I had to dismember the XD seat to get at everything, but in the end all of the lights are gone, and all sensors and bags are now retrofitted into the lexus seat. Because of design differences, I can not say whether the airbags will work as intended though. Hopefully, I will not find out anytime soon....

[Luc1f3r]

umm.............. seriously, prolly not the smartest idea.... that seat was not designed for that bag.... prolly gona be an issue on deployment that will make things worse.

but, where are pics of this seat install?

[DeadCannon]

Pics!

[dwol]

umm.............. seriously, prolly not the smartest idea.... that seat was not designed for that bag.... prolly gona be an issue on deployment that will make things worse.

but, where are pics of this seat install?

This is true, but when I took the XD seat out I was amazed at how crappy the air bag was set in the seat. It is probably as cheap as you can get. The Lexus seat had the same air bag, but you could look at it and understand how it would deploy; i.e. the seat had an opening that was supported on one side and not on the other, so that when the bag deployed it would be forced to inflate a certain predictable way. And on the XD the air bag is simply bolted with 2 bolts to the side of the seat, then coverd in foam and finally the cover which is what you see and sit on the outside. My guess is that when it deploys, the foam rips predictably and the bag either inflates under the cloth or ripps it as well, but it is lacking a directional complonent to force it to open on one side or the other. Hard to explain, but basicly its just bolted with 2 bolts to the side of the seat and thats it. So thats what I put on the lexus seat, bolted with the 2 bolts. I believe that it will function the same as in the old seat. I am more concened with the Seat position sensor. It uses a "hall effect" which is basicly a magnetic pickup to sence the position of the seat. If the seat is moved close to the steering wheel, then the rail of the seat is moved away from the sensor and the hall effect is minimized, and the air bags are dissabled. I can not replicated this on the new seat rails, so instead I mounted the sensor to the metal of the bottom of the seat. My hopes are that the sensor will have the hall effect and report that the seat is away from the steering wheel, and let every thing work as it should. No matter what, I tell you this, the old seat was a safty hazzard for me! This new seat is much much better! Wish this wasn't so damm complcated! ITs just a Fric ken seat.... Can you imagine what these cars are gonna be like in 50 years?? I'll see if I can get some pics as well.