Fitting swivel adaptor

[Steve52]

Hi People
I want to fit a swivel kit to the drivers seat my Q is can I just disconnect the cable at the yellow plug fitting under the seat, the cable goes to the seat belt. I need to remove seat completely to fit the swivel kit. I think it's the seat belt pretensioner but is this also to do with the airbags. If I disconnect the Battery at the negative. But then would I need to reset anything .my Motor home is a fiat Ducato base 2017.
Any advice or tips would be most appreciative.
Thanks

 

[pappajohn]

I would expect an OBD fault code to show and a dash warning light to come on if the SRS pre tensioner was unplugged.
It would need an OBD reader to delete the code and reset the fault.
It is part of the airbag system (SRS = safety restraint system) but I don't think the bag would be deployed if the seat was unplugged with the battery in place. (needs verifying)

 

[mitzimad]

if you dont switch on the ignition while its unplugged you shouldnt get a warning light so yes you can unplug just dont switch on cos you want the radio on

 

[quilkin]

I've read elsewhere that you should disconenct the main battery before doing this. That's what I did (Late 2016 Boxer, so v. similar to the Ducato) and had no problems with fault codes etc. after reconnecting the battery

 

[Deneb]

Disconnect both battery terminals and cover them to prevent accidental shorts. Wait at least 20 minutes before disconnecting the pre-tensioner plug to allow for any residual current to dissipate from the SRS system. Reconnect it when you are done and then connect the battery cables. You won't get any fault codes or warning lights if you disconnect the battery before disconnecting the SRS cable, as the system will have powered down before you disconnect it, and as long as you reconnect the SRS cable before reconnecting the battery the vehicle won't see anything different to switching the ignition off and on.

After reconnecting the battery, it is good practice to switch the ignition on (not start the engine) for 30 seconds or so, switch off, remove the key, shut all doors and wait 5 minutes. This will allow all the vehicle systems to power down and reset correctly.

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[Guigsy]

My converted van already had swivel seats fitted. The cables and the pre-tensioner for the missing middle seat were just left in a jumble to bounce around in the seat frames.

So, I um... just disconnected them, zip-tied it all up nicely tucked out of the way and reconnected. I didn't disconnect the battery. No bangs. No dashboard lights. Probably not recommended though.

 

[1ten]

I fitted swivels to my VW T5, in fact I had the seats in and out few times, and all I did was ensure the ignition was off and disconnect the seats. The seats in that also had airbags built into them I never had any issues.

 

[Deneb]

I fitted swivels to my VW T5, in fact I had the seats in and out few times, and all I did was ensure the ignition was off and disconnect the seats. The seats in that also had airbags built into them I never had any issues.

And 99 out of 100 times you won't. But it would be wrong to not tell people the correct method, which is meant to avoid any possibility that you might damage your SRS ECU or other electronics on the vehicle, trigger the pre-tensioner mechanism or the seat airbag, which could cause serious injury or worse.

I have seen detached airbag units just thrown onto piles of other units in chop shops without a problem. I have also seen the results when they have exploded in the face of the handler in similar circumstances.

 

[138go]

The seat belt on a Fiat Ducato is a simple roller belt unit on a metal arm with a couple of bolts. The wires you are referring to goto the clip end of the belt and give the signal that the seat belt is locked in place. The seat in a Fiat Ducato is very heavy and has lots of nice sharp corners just waiting for you to catch something. The Pilote MH we had was fitted with swivels and the seat was to high. Fitted the lowered version of the seat base but then the seat trim would not fit until it was cut down.

You can release the seat frame by removing the two front bolts the back two remain in place but can be removed. Biggest problem was working in a very confined space.

 

[mfw]

The seat belt on a Fiat Ducato is a simple roller belt unit on a metal arm with a couple of bolts. The wires you are referring to goto the clip end of the belt and give the signal that the seat belt is locked in place. The seat in a Fiat Ducato is very heavy and has lots of nice sharp corners just waiting for you to catch something. The Pilote MH we had was fitted with swivels and the seat was to high. Fitted the lowered version of the seat base but then the seat trim would not fit until it was cut down.

You can release the seat frame by removing the two front bolts the back two remain in place but can be removed. Biggest problem was working in a very confined space.

I had the same problem with seat height being too high on old van and unless as QFOUR says you reduce height of base you may regret it mine was a ducato as well

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[Deneb]

The seat belt on a Fiat Ducato is a simple roller belt unit on a metal arm with a couple of bolts. The wires you are referring to goto the clip end of the belt and give the signal that the seat belt is locked in place.

The belt is a simple roller belt unit. Until it is clipped into the seat buckle it has no connection to the seat at all (apart from some seats which have an upper belt guide on the backrest).

The seat buckles mounted to the seat frames incorporate pyrotechnic canisters in their mountings which activate the pretensioners in the buckle assemblies in the event of a collision warranting their activation as determined by the SRS control unit. The driver's pretensioner assembly only, also has a sensor to detect whether the belt is fastened.

Some seat assemblies may also have side airbags incorporated in their backrests.

Wiring to the SRS components is identifiable by the yellow connector plugs which the OP mentioned. The driver's connector does however also carry the cable for the belt worn sensor.

Unless you intend competing for the Darwin Awards, it is recommended to follow the vehicle manufacturers instructions for working on the SRS system, which they state "MUST BE FOLLOWED" before any work on or disconnection of components in the SRS system. These include removing the ignition key from the vehicle, disconnecting both battery terminals and isolating them, and waiting at least 20 minutes after disconnecting the battery before attempting any work on the system. If you are unsure of the correct procedure for the vehicle you intend working on I would wait at least 30 minutes to be sure, as recommendations vary.

The yellow SRS connectors incorporate a short circuit clip designed to prevent any risk of accidental operation of connected devices WHILST the connector is disconnected. They cannot prevent risks associated with disconnecting or connecting the plugs whilst the vehicle battery is connected or residual current has not been discharged.

Many people fail to follow the correct instructions without incident, but that doesn't help at all if you are the one who is not so lucky!

 

[138go]

@Deneb .. I stand corrected .. I just pulled the plug apart but the ignition was off at the time. I didn't even know I was sitting on pyrotechnics, you learn something new every day.

 

[Rob84]

The seat belt on a Fiat Ducato is a simple roller belt unit on a metal arm with a couple of bolts. The wires you are referring to goto the clip end of the belt and give the signal that the seat belt is locked in place. The seat in a Fiat Ducato is very heavy and has lots of nice sharp corners just waiting for you to catch something. The Pilote MH we had was fitted with swivels and the seat was to high. Fitted the lowered version of the seat base but then the seat trim would not fit until it was cut down.

Hi QFour,

Could you tell me where you bought the "lowered version of the seat base"?
(I have a 2018 Fiat Ducato motor-home, and the seat is too high for me. I have a lower seat base which was fitted to my previous motor-home based on a 2004 Fiat Ducato. Unfortunately, it doesn't fit the new vehicle - and I can't remember now where I bought the low seat base. )

Thanks,
Rob

 

[138go]

Only problem I had was the trim bits did not fit so had to cut them down. Not very successful and the front fold down lids are somewhere in the shed. Certainly made driving easier. We did cure the problem once and for all by buying an A Class

 

[Rob84]

Only problem I had was the trim bits did not fit so had to cut them down. Not very successful and the front fold down lids are somewhere in the shed. Certainly made driving easier. We did cure the problem once and for all by buying an A Class

Many thanks. Will contact them to see if it fits the 2018 Ducato.

Rob

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[Grantls]

if you dont switch on the ignition while its unplugged you shouldnt get a warning light so yes you can unplug just dont switch on cos you want the radio on

Thanks for the heads-up. Yesterday I disconnected the underseat yellow seatbelt pre-tensioner connector on my 2007 Citroen Relay, without realising the impact. I reconnected it today, before switching on the ignition and no error messages, phew!

 

[TerryL]

When Regal reupholstered our van, they just disconnected the plugs and took the seats out, then reconnected them on installation. As we'd parked there overnight there was no need to switch the ignition on until they'd finished. I then checked all the functions, lights etc. and the fitter commented he'd done dozens of these and never yet had a problem.

 

[Deneb]

When Regal reupholstered our van, they just disconnected the plugs and took the seats out, then reconnected them on installation. As we'd parked there overnight there was no need to switch the ignition on until they'd finished. I then checked all the functions, lights etc. and the fitter commented he'd done dozens of these and never yet had a problem.

Reminds me of the chief battery engineer in the UK for a Japanese electric car manufacturer who I met on a course at their training facility. He was supposed to wear gloves, hat and face shield etc. every time he flicked the safety isolation switch on the battery pack, but after doing dozens without incident, he didn't bother anymore until the time the switch flashed back and severely burnt his hand and most of his face.

I know that's not a pretensioner connector, but there is a reason all vehicle manufacturers dictate a specific procedure for working on any part of the SRS system