well here it is boys and girls... the solution to that awful srs light that haunts you and prevents you from buyin those recaro's u've been wanting since you bought the car. but before i start, i must post a disclaimer. anything you do to your car, as well as any damage done to your car or you, is NOT my problem. i hold no responsibility whatsoever for any actions you do according to my DIY guide. and thanks/props to rsxdude for helping me along with my project.
ok... now thats over with... on to the good stuff. keep in mind you will ONLY need the passenger seat to work with because thats the only seat that actually has the side airbag sensors in it
supplies needed that come from the stock passenger seat:
stock seat sensors (3 of them)
stock opds unit
opds unit extension harness
additional supplies needed:
2- 2 watt, 2 ohm resistors (i have 4 available for sale, so if a couple of you want to buy them just pm me)
now for the directions...... its a little hard to describe considering i dont have a stock seat to rip apart again and show just where to reach your hand or what to unscrew, but u get the picture. i'll make due with what i have and you'll have to be satisfied as well
reference pic:
![Image]()
step one: unbolt stock seat (held in by 4 bolts. if you really cant figure it out type in "seat removal" on the search page
step two: unplug all sensors and seat belt tensioner plugs
step three: remove seat from car
step four: unzip the back of the seat, slide off the plastic connecting piece on the bottom. its long and it goes along the very bottom edge of the back seat fabric. you'll see what i'm talking about when you get to it
step five: "unwrap" the inner side part of the seat covering to expose the opds unit cover. it is white. remove the cover (there are a few simple clips. it comes right off) and expose the opds unit. the unit will be grey in color and have a few harnesses plugs on it.
step six: unbolt the opds unit and unplug all plugs that run to it. set the unit aside
step seven: remove airbag..... to do this you will have to kind of look into the seat as if you were int he back seat looking at the passenger door. there will be a single bolt/screw holding the airbag in place. you'll see where it is when you look. when you unbolt the airbag, it will kind of just hang there, so be careful not to rip the wires out of the airbag unit itself. to get a little slack, you can remove the plastic pieces holding the airbag harness to the bottom of the seat. once again, sorry i dont have pictures but you'll see it when you investigate your seat.
step 8: slide the airbag assembly THROUGH the actual seat cover so that you can slide the seat cover over the side of the seat. you can see in the cushion backing just where the sensor harnesses run to. this is the easiest way to "feel" for the sensors so that you can remove them. the side sensor was the easiest. carefully start peeling the sensor off the seat foam. be very gentle, although the sensors themselves are pretty strong surprisingly, so dont baby it if it doesnt wanna budge in a couple spots. once you have removed the sensor off of the foam, you'll have to pull the sensor through the seat foam and out of the back of the seat cushion
step 9: remember the long black plastic piece that was connecting the back seat cover to the seat?? you have to slide that between the seat backing and the seat cushion. (see pic of stock seat. the bottom red is where u will pull it through) this is very difficult, and it seems like it wont go through, but it will. once again, just be gentle and it will find its way through. once you have this through that space, you have to lean the seat backing all the way back. reach your hand up in there and you'll feel the big sensor. just as you did with the side sensor, gently lift it off of the foam, once completely removed, you can either pull this one out the front or out the back, it doesnt matter. its easier to pull out the front.
step 10: remove the upper sensor. this is the hardest to reach because you literally have to fist your seat. be careful not to stretch the leather or cloth seat cover towards the top of the seat. remove this sensor from the seat just like the other 2
step 11 (almost done now): remove the little harness extension that went from the opds unit to the front of the seat. there will be a few zip-tie lookin things holding it to the seat springs. they come off easily
ok....... now this is when you have to REINSTALL the sensors and opds unit into your new seat. keep in mind that i have a civic si seat, but your recaro, sparco, cobra, etc seat may differ. you have to find placement for the sensors and the opds unit, but be careful that the smallest sensor is not being pressed on with any weight. the smallest amount of pressure could give you a "side airbag off" light sometime down the road. as you can see in my pic, its just dangling there.
![Image]()
![Image]()
so...... reinstallation is a bit easier. all you have to do is find a place for your sensors, find a place for your opds unit. plug them all up. run the opds unit harness extension thing to the front of the seat, plug it in.
![Image]()
then, take two resistors (one for each side) and complete the circuit in the airbag harness. please do this with your battery unplugged just in case so you dont set something off. look at my pic and its easy to understand. remember, the ONLY thing air-bag-related you have to do to the drivers side is the resistor. it has no sensors.
![Image]()
once you have everything lookin all neat and pretty and all zipped back up and ziptied down and bolted in and taped and yadda yadda yadda, you must reset the srs light. reconnect the battery and follow this link on how to reset the srs light. from here you should be good to go! --->>http://forums.clubrsx.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=59139&perpage=25&pagenumber=1
i hope this helps some of you ease your worries about getting new aftermarket seats
additionally, if you dont want to rip the sensors out of your stock seat, you can just as easily buy the seat backing cushion from honda or acura. any of the sensors from the odyssey, civic si (not a non-airbag one of course), or an rsx will work. from www.acuraparts247.com you can find the seat backing for around 230 dollars. but..... i wanted to be careful with my stock seat and just save 230 bux. if there are any additional questions, please post them and i'll do my best to help.
i have no clue how to fix steering wheel related srs lights!! so dont ask! dallastypes is the guy for that. hah. good luck guys
edit: since i got civic si seats, i didnt have to replace my seat belt tensioners..... the unit is the same between the 2 cars. so..... more than likely you have to remove these from your stock seat as well. not too sure about that one though....
ok... now thats over with... on to the good stuff. keep in mind you will ONLY need the passenger seat to work with because thats the only seat that actually has the side airbag sensors in it
supplies needed that come from the stock passenger seat:
stock seat sensors (3 of them)
stock opds unit
opds unit extension harness
additional supplies needed:
2- 2 watt, 2 ohm resistors (i have 4 available for sale, so if a couple of you want to buy them just pm me)
now for the directions...... its a little hard to describe considering i dont have a stock seat to rip apart again and show just where to reach your hand or what to unscrew, but u get the picture. i'll make due with what i have and you'll have to be satisfied as well
reference pic:
step one: unbolt stock seat (held in by 4 bolts. if you really cant figure it out type in "seat removal" on the search page
step two: unplug all sensors and seat belt tensioner plugs
step three: remove seat from car
step four: unzip the back of the seat, slide off the plastic connecting piece on the bottom. its long and it goes along the very bottom edge of the back seat fabric. you'll see what i'm talking about when you get to it
step five: "unwrap" the inner side part of the seat covering to expose the opds unit cover. it is white. remove the cover (there are a few simple clips. it comes right off) and expose the opds unit. the unit will be grey in color and have a few harnesses plugs on it.
step six: unbolt the opds unit and unplug all plugs that run to it. set the unit aside
step seven: remove airbag..... to do this you will have to kind of look into the seat as if you were int he back seat looking at the passenger door. there will be a single bolt/screw holding the airbag in place. you'll see where it is when you look. when you unbolt the airbag, it will kind of just hang there, so be careful not to rip the wires out of the airbag unit itself. to get a little slack, you can remove the plastic pieces holding the airbag harness to the bottom of the seat. once again, sorry i dont have pictures but you'll see it when you investigate your seat.
step 8: slide the airbag assembly THROUGH the actual seat cover so that you can slide the seat cover over the side of the seat. you can see in the cushion backing just where the sensor harnesses run to. this is the easiest way to "feel" for the sensors so that you can remove them. the side sensor was the easiest. carefully start peeling the sensor off the seat foam. be very gentle, although the sensors themselves are pretty strong surprisingly, so dont baby it if it doesnt wanna budge in a couple spots. once you have removed the sensor off of the foam, you'll have to pull the sensor through the seat foam and out of the back of the seat cushion
step 9: remember the long black plastic piece that was connecting the back seat cover to the seat?? you have to slide that between the seat backing and the seat cushion. (see pic of stock seat. the bottom red is where u will pull it through) this is very difficult, and it seems like it wont go through, but it will. once again, just be gentle and it will find its way through. once you have this through that space, you have to lean the seat backing all the way back. reach your hand up in there and you'll feel the big sensor. just as you did with the side sensor, gently lift it off of the foam, once completely removed, you can either pull this one out the front or out the back, it doesnt matter. its easier to pull out the front.
step 10: remove the upper sensor. this is the hardest to reach because you literally have to fist your seat. be careful not to stretch the leather or cloth seat cover towards the top of the seat. remove this sensor from the seat just like the other 2
step 11 (almost done now): remove the little harness extension that went from the opds unit to the front of the seat. there will be a few zip-tie lookin things holding it to the seat springs. they come off easily
ok....... now this is when you have to REINSTALL the sensors and opds unit into your new seat. keep in mind that i have a civic si seat, but your recaro, sparco, cobra, etc seat may differ. you have to find placement for the sensors and the opds unit, but be careful that the smallest sensor is not being pressed on with any weight. the smallest amount of pressure could give you a "side airbag off" light sometime down the road. as you can see in my pic, its just dangling there.
so...... reinstallation is a bit easier. all you have to do is find a place for your sensors, find a place for your opds unit. plug them all up. run the opds unit harness extension thing to the front of the seat, plug it in.
then, take two resistors (one for each side) and complete the circuit in the airbag harness. please do this with your battery unplugged just in case so you dont set something off. look at my pic and its easy to understand. remember, the ONLY thing air-bag-related you have to do to the drivers side is the resistor. it has no sensors.
once you have everything lookin all neat and pretty and all zipped back up and ziptied down and bolted in and taped and yadda yadda yadda, you must reset the srs light. reconnect the battery and follow this link on how to reset the srs light. from here you should be good to go! --->>http://forums.clubrsx.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=59139&perpage=25&pagenumber=1
i hope this helps some of you ease your worries about getting new aftermarket seats
additionally, if you dont want to rip the sensors out of your stock seat, you can just as easily buy the seat backing cushion from honda or acura. any of the sensors from the odyssey, civic si (not a non-airbag one of course), or an rsx will work. from www.acuraparts247.com you can find the seat backing for around 230 dollars. but..... i wanted to be careful with my stock seat and just save 230 bux. if there are any additional questions, please post them and i'll do my best to help.
i have no clue how to fix steering wheel related srs lights!! so dont ask! dallastypes is the guy for that. hah. good luck guys
edit: since i got civic si seats, i didnt have to replace my seat belt tensioners..... the unit is the same between the 2 cars. so..... more than likely you have to remove these from your stock seat as well. not too sure about that one though....
