W203 SRS warning light

fifthwheel

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Hi all I have been running with the SRS light on for a while so bought an emulator from China that didnt work. Its the passenger seat thats at fault according to the Icarsoft MB11. I have just bought another emulator with dip switches on the unit and a blue flashing light showing its on. It also came with a seatbelt emulator, I blamed the first one as cheap Chinese rubbish but the SRS light is still on with the second one.https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/E-Class-...e=STRK:MEBIDX:IT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649
I can clear the light but it does come back on after a couple of minutes or less, the small blue light is flashing as it should on the emulator. I have eliminated the possibility of a bad connection under the seat as both yellow plugs have been used with new pins to connect the two emulators. I dont have the seatbelt light on just the SRS light. The car is a 2004 W203 220cdi facelift 2005 model. Thanks John
 

LostKiwi

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What code is the iCarsoft giving you?

Also that link shows as being for a W211?
 

umblecumbuz

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Same seller lists these as being suitable for 203's also, so I guess the OP stated his model when he bought it.

If not, he should have done!

Maybe these gadgets have a place, but they're still masking the symptoms without fixing the cause. Akin to snake oil, methinks.
 
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LostKiwi

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Same seller lists these as being suitable for 204's also, so I guess the OP stated his model when he bought it.

If not, he should have done!

Maybe these gadgets have a place, but they're still masking the symptoms without fixing the cause. Akin to snake oil, methinks.
No - they do work.
I have one on my 210. All it does is force the car to think the seat is occupied and hence fire the airbag in the event of an accident.
The alternative is to spend a fortune stripping the seat, replacing the sensor mat and rebuilding the seat, which on a car which cost £600 makes no economic sense.
There is no negative safety aspect as long as a child isn't allowed to sit in the front seat (which I never allow anyway).
 

John Laidlaw

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Good point LK, went through the 17 pages of compatible models and no 204s on there
 

umblecumbuz

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No - they do work.
I have one on my 210. All it does is force the car to think the seat is occupied and hence fire the airbag in the event of an accident.

Goodness me!
That is almost as heinous a crime as fitting an electronic gizmo to fool the ecu into thinking that the egr valve is working when it's not!

Now me - I would never do such a thing.
 

LostKiwi

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Goodness me!
That is almost as heinous a crime as fitting an electronic gizmo to fool the ecu into thinking that the egr valve is working when it's not!

Now me - I would never do such a thing.
Ah but its not... One has zero effect on the legality of the vehicle and its ability to meet regulations whereas the other doesn't....
There is no legal requirement to prevent an airbag being deployed in a vehicle when a seat is unoccupied. :)
 

umblecumbuz

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There is no negative safety aspect as long as a child isn't allowed to sit in the front seat (which I never allow anyway).

That could be a deal breaker for some, or an unrecognised hazard for those less knowledgeable.

My brother has fitted one on his BM, and I wonder if he realises this when taking out his grand children?

What exactly is the negative effect?
 
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LostKiwi

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That could be a deal breaker for some, or an unrecognised hazard for those less knowledgeable.

My brother has fitted one of his BM, and I wonder if he realises this when taking out his grand children?

What exactly is the negative effect?

True it could be a dealbreaker/unrecognised hazard but for me its neither (hence why I fitted it).
The 210 will only be leaving my possession in pieces (or flakes of rust) so future buyers are no concern either.

The implication of a child sitting in the front seat and the airbag deploying are that the airbag will fire too high to protect and in some cases can break the neck of anyone sitting there as it forces the head backwards when the body is going forward.

I've always been a firm believer in children sitting in the back of the car where they are furthest from any accident (and can't mess with switches - the ESP button and gearstick are both in easy reach of small fingers in a 210).
 

umblecumbuz

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I've always been a firm believer in children sitting in the back of the car where they are furthest from any accident (and can't mess with switches - the ESP button and gearstick are both in easy reach of small fingers in a 210).

Unfortunately my brother's Beemer is a two seater.

On Malta - and indeed in many northern African countries, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, et al - it is normal for kids to sit unrestrained on the front seats, and even worse, to stand between the front seats!
Absolutely frightening, especially the way they drive.
Try telling their mothers, and you get fleabitten!
 
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fifthwheel

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The emulator fits my W203 I ordered the W211 by mistake but asked the seller if it would fit, they said it would. In the ebay listing for my unit does say that its the same unit. I have code 9024 showing on the Icarsoft and also a little message. The component or signal line to component B48 front passenger seat occupied and child seat recognition has faulty or short circuit. I do have the passenger airbag light on in the centre of the dash above the radio all the time. Just a guess having looked on this site do you think it could be the frontal acceleration sensor? john
 

LostKiwi

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Ok that suggests the SRS controller is not seeing the expected signal from the emulator.
Possible causes are:
1. Faulty/incompatible/incorrectly set emulator
2. Incorrectly wired emulator
3. Faulty wiring to front seat
4. Faulty SRS controller (Unlikely).

As a first step I would ask the seller if there is anything they can suggest.
 

mercedes13156

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My wife's CLK had a problem with the driver's airbag and the iCarsoft 980 was telling me that the seat squibs 1 and 2 were the problem. I can't remember the codes. After a few attempts at cleaning and reconnecting the plugs under the seat I googled the seat squib and was surprised to see it was part of the steering angle sensor assembly under the airbag. I replaced it and no more problems.

You'd really need to see the exact description of the fault, but could this be a problem with the wiring under the airbag in the dash?
 

ajlsl600

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Unfortunately my brother's Beemer is a two seater.

On Malta - and indeed in many northern African countries, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, et al - it is normal for kids to sit unrestrained on the front seats, and even worse, to stand between the front seats!
Absolutely frightening, especially the way they drive.
Try telling their mothers, and you get fleabitten!
somewhere i have a photo of mother,father ( presumably) and small child plus baby strapped to mother all on a 100cc motorbike.....
 
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fifthwheel

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Is it possible for a numpty like me to do some wiring checks with my multimeter?
I contacted the seller a couple of days ago but have heard nothing yet. He has sold quite a few and has 100% feedback.
I doubt its the emulator as the original Chinese item didnt work, could they both be faulty? maybe but I doubt it.
 

LostKiwi

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Is it possible for a numpty like me to do some wiring checks with my multimeter?
I contacted the seller a couple of days ago but have heard nothing yet. He has sold quite a few and has 100% feedback.
I doubt its the emulator as the original Chinese item didnt work, could they both be faulty? maybe but I doubt it.
The main thing to check is the wires are connected correctly and haven't pushed themselves back out the connector when you reconnected it.
Other than that looking at the instructions it suggests trying a couple of other switch positions.
 
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fifthwheel

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Thanks for all the replies, the seller has sent me a message to suggest switching number two and three on leaving number one off. I have tried all the switch positions before he replied but still no good. There has been a change since fitting the emulator now I can switch off the engine then restart and the SRS light goes out as it should but comes back after around 25 secs without the scanner connected. I am just back from taking the car for paint so cant play with it for a couple of days. thanks john
 
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fifthwheel

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Pontefract area West Yorks. East of the A1 south of the M62
 
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fifthwheel

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Back on this again I never got to the bottom of it, can anybody suggest a multimeter test method at the seat supply connector?
 
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