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1995 940 Deer Collision - SRS Repair questions 900 1995

posted by jd620 on Fri Dec 4 09:52 CST 2020
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last visit: Fri Oct 17 07:42 CST 2014

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My daughter's 1995 940 met up with a deer 2 weeks ago and it was totaled by the insurance company. The deer hit pretty much dead center front of the car and took out the radiator, A/C condenser, grill, windshield (from the passenger air bag) and hood but the front fenders are okay. I should be getting the car back from the insurance company in the next couple days.

The worst part for me repairing the car is the SRS system and my ignorance. The air bags both blew and the pyrotechnic front seat belts both retracted. They all did their job and my daughter was not hurt. I replaced the seat belt in a 1993 940 a few years ago so am somewhat familiar with that part of the job. I have two 1994 940s for SRS parts which, from what I have read, are interchangeable with a 1995 940. I have read the FAQs here and the cautions about the repair. Some questions:

Is there anything I need to check and possibly replace in the SRS other than both front seat belts, both air bags, and the crash sensor?

How do I open the cover for the passenger air bag to replace that air bag?

Is the air bag test resistor just a resistor and if so, what is it's value?

Thanks in advance for the help. I hope to keep our 6 running 940s in the family going for a few years longer with help from the Brickboard folks.
--
Mine:3-940s running; 1-740, 2-940 parts; dtrs:4-940s running

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1995 940 Deer Collision - SRS Repair questions 900 1995

posted by spook on Fri Dec 4 12:04 CST 2020
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last visit: Fri Oct 24 08:06 CST 2014

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Dear jd620,

Hope you're well and glad - especially - that your daughter is OK, thanks to sound Swedish engineers!

I didn't know that insurance companies considered the outcome for an animal killed in an auto collision! How much did they deduct for the venison's value?

The first step in the replacement process is to remove the driver's seat, so you can access the SRS module, affixed to the floor pan.

DEATH DANGER WARNING: Before trying to remove the seat, remove the negative battery cable clamp from the battery terminal, and put the clamp in a plastic bag, to isolate it. This cuts power supply to the SRS (Airbag) System.

If, after the system has been restored, this sensor is banged - if you drop the seat on it, or drop a tool on it - the airbag could deploy. This can be lethal, at close quarters.

Yes! You should replace all of the bright orange SRS cables. Volvo considers them to be "expended" once the system has activated. The cable that goes to the passenger airbag is hard of access. It is secured with a heavy duty cable tie, that is next-to-impossible to reach, as it is behind the dashboard's center air vents.

To remove this cable from a salvage yard car, I took a hacksaw blade, and used a Dremel with a cutting disc, to cut a notch from the toothed edge of the blade to the round hole used to attach the blade to the hacksaw frame. I thus formed a hook. I then used a small grinding wheel to form a blade around the hole's circumference. I put this cutter around the cable tie and - with some "elbow grease" - was able to cut the cable tie and so to free the cable.

Do not try to open the passenger-side air bag. The cover is integral with the airbag, so is replaced as a unit. The passenger airbag is secured to the metal under-dash structural framing by two hexagonal nuts, that screw onto the airbag's studs.

I have never used the airbag resistor test tool.

When you have installed all of the replacement components - sensor, airbags, seatbelts, and cables - turn the ignirtion key to "start".

Then, go to the battery and replace the negative battery cable onto the battery's negative terminal. This restores power to the system, without you being near the airbags, when power is restored. With a bit of luck, nothing happens.

I hope the dashboard itself was not damaged by the deployment. Replacing a dash will be time-consuming.

Hope this helps.

Yours faithfully,

Spook

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1995 940 Deer Collision - SRS Repair questions 900 1995

posted by jd620 on Fri Dec 4 19:03 CST 2020
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last visit: Fri Oct 17 07:42 CST 2014

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Great post Spook. Thank you very much.
The force of the air bag on the passenger side must have been terrific. The windshield is cracked where the air bag cover hit it and the windshield is actually bowed out a bit in that area. The removal and replacement of the passenger air bag was a mystery until your post.
I am still waiting to get the car back from the appraisers and may have more questions.
--
Mine:3-940s running; 1-740, 2-940 parts; dtrs:4-940s running

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1995 940 Deer Collision - SRS Repair questions 900 1995

posted by spook on Sat Dec 5 17:01 CST 2020
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last visit: Fri Oct 24 08:06 CST 2014

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Dear jd620,

Hope you're well. Airbags are protective because their briefly-contained explosion provides a cushion for about 50 milliseconds after deployment.

The explosion, though contained, can be lethal if - for example, someone's head is right in front of the airbag when it deploys. That's why short persons should sit as far as possible from an airbag.

Because airbags contain a solid (sodium azide) that on ignition generates huge amounts of gas (mainly nitrogen), airbags are classed as an explosive and may not lawfully be shipped via the post office in most countries.

Your report is useful because it validates Volvo's guidance that the factory-installed airbag system's service life is equal to "the life of the vehicle".

The airbags used in 940s were made by a unit of Electrolux (Sweden), not Takata, the Japanese firm whose airbags sometimes deploy with such force, that the metal canister fragments. In some cases Takata's airbags killed the driver or passenger. See: https://www.nhtsa.gov/equipment/takata-recall-spotlight .

Hope this helps.

Yours faithfully,

Spook

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posted by john sargent on Sat Dec 5 12:28 CST 2020
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last visit: Wed Oct 22 09:07 CST 2014

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The airbag clock spring connection will be toast. Maybe the seat belt detonation cables also. You will know when you look at them. The passenger side airbag is held in place by two 10mm head nuts accessible when the glove box is out. The windshield gets broken by the passenger side airbag 90-95% of the time.

I have had many driver's seat in and out of 940 and 960 series, and have never had a problem with setting off the crash sensor.
--
john

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1995 940 Deer Collision - SRS Repair questions 900 1995

posted by CeeBee1 on Fri Dec 4 16:23 CST 2020
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last visit: Wed Oct 16 20:06 CST 2013

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SAAB Planet

https://www.saabplanet.com/saab-and-volvo-remain-the-best-in-collisions-with-moose/

Channel 4′s 4Cars (UK) says it best:

There are some 600,000 moose on the loose in this overgrown Christmas-tree plantation [that is, Sweden] and, in some districts, they account for up to a quarter of all road traffic accidents. Indeed, 5 per cent of all reported accidents involving Saab cars cite a moose as the third party.

https://www.saabplanet.com/the-elk-test-preparing-for-the-unexpected-animal/

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