Light means air bags will fail in a crash

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March 13, 2010

Auto Scanner The Salem News Sat Mar 13, 2010, 06:00 AM EST

Q: I have a 2006 Mercury Montego. The signal is on for the impact sensor. A mechanic told me he could install another, but my question is, other than not passing inspection, will there be harm to my car driving with the signal on?

A: A few things to talk about here. First, with the impact sensor nonfunctional, the air bag system is shut down. In the event of an impact, the air bags will not deploy. That's dangerous. Next, the fact that an impact sensor has a signal code on does not by itself require you to replace the impact sensor. Diagnostic work needs to be performed to see if the problem is in the sensor, wiring or the controller. Be advised that the replacement of an impact sensor has a very exact installation process. Please be sure your service technician subscribes to a repair service such as ALLDATA to get the proper diagnostic and repair information. If by chance this job is not performed properly, you could either blow out the controller or have an accidental air bag deployment.

Q: My son has a 1986 Corvette convertible pace car that has been in storage in Florida for six years. A few months ago, he started the car and it heated up. He took the thermostat out, and it still gets hot. The fan goes on. I told him to put his hands on the radiator, and he said the top part gets hot and the bottom gets cold. I think the antifreeze blocked the radiator — there is no antifreeze in the oil and nothing coming out the tail pipe except exhaust. I don't think it is a blown head gasket.

A: I checked through my ALLDATA information system for tech service bulletins for this problem, and it came up clean, so let's go this route. First thing I would do would be to check for debris in front of the AC condenser. Next disconnect the radiator and check for flow top to bottom. If the radiator is OK, I would look for flow in the radiator neck to verify the water pump doesn't have a broken impeller. If that turns out OK, as well, the next test would be to check for the presence of hydrocarbons at the radiator neck. If there is a hydrocarbon reading of more than 100 parts per million at the radiator neck, you are probably looking at a head gasket failure.

Q: What are your thoughts on the Right to Repair bill before the Massachusetts Legislature?

A: If the car manufacturers are allowed to embargo their information, we as independent service facilities will cease to exist. The first major blow to the repair industry was when the "Cash for Clunkers" program came about. This took out quite a few automobiles and trucks that needed regular repairs and maintenance. This put a lot of people into brand-new cars. That's wonderful, as well. But just like the banks giving mortgages to unqualified buyers, and all of the calamity that followed, Cash for Clunkers is heading the same way. There will be lots of repossessed cars and cars driven by people who cannot afford to do the maintenance needed due to the elevated monthly payment for the new car. It seems as though the government didn't give much thought about the repair industry when they came up with that winner of a bill. But I digress. Back to your question. If the repair industry is deprived of the information needed to repair today's cars, the dealerships will have a monopoly in the auto repair industry. Once this monopoly is in place, you as the consumer will be forced to pay a significantly higher price as they will be the only game in town.

Car Care Tip: To save your auto repair shops, tell your congressman to vote for the Right to Repair bill.

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Larry Rubenstein is a master technician who owns a North Shore service station. His column appears every Saturday. Write to Larry at The Salem News, c/o Auto Scanner, 32 Dunham Road, Beverly, MA 01915, or send e-mail to scanauto@aol.com.

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