Car Stuff and More Pushups
I had the car rust-proofed over the weekend, which was a good idea since they use the nastiest salt on the roads here and it rots cars from the inside out it seems. Anyway, I don't know if that procedure had anything to do with it or anything, but the next day the "SRS" light came on on the dashboard (d'ya like that? the "do do" in a row, and I wasn't even talking about my 4 year-old!) and it was not going off. Naturally, what with this car being new to us, I started to wonder what the heck was going on. Turns out the SRS system has a multitude of sensors all over the place, like in the airbags, the seat belt buckles, under the front seats, and in the tensioners on the seat belts. These sensors are particularly sensitive to voltage fluctuations, and I wondered if the rust-proofing that was sprayed all over the engine affected the alternator or something.
Anyway (and I'm sorry for this boring recount, but if you own a Honda you may actually find this interesting) we talked to our mechanic this morning and he recommended I disconnect the battery for a few minutes, and if the SRS light stayed on afterwards to bring the car to him or get on the horn with the dealer who sold the car to us. He even said he'd talk to the dealer on our behalf! What a great guy.
However, disconnecting the battery would also make our radio inoperative since it's one of those "anti theft" kinds and the code that unlocks it was nowhere to be found. Therefore I went to plan B: erasing the memory of the computer that stores the SRS data. If we managed to do that and the light still came on I knew the problem was serious enough to involve a professional. If it stayed off, we'd be OK, at least for the time being. I should also mention that this is a problem that is common to all Hondas, and I was assured that the danger of the airbags deploying without warning was non-existent.
So, tonight we managed to reset the computer using a pair of tweezers from a Swiss Army knife. It involved turning the key to the "on" position, and then going through a series of steps where the tweezers were used to complete a circuit in this wire doohickey located in the fuse box. The instructions I found on the Internet said it's likely this would take more than one attempt since the sequence had to be followed precisely with proper timing, etc. We got it on the first pass and the SRS light is off! We'll monitor the situation and hope that this solves the problem.
Also of note, on my bike while heading home I noticed not one, but two Honda Civics of the same vintage pass me with their SRS lights clearly visible on the dashboards! You'd think Honda would deal with this somehow since it seems to be a prevalent issue.
Oh yeah, this isn't a car blog, and I am not a car guy... But hey, I can't run so I might as well write about what I'm up to, right?
Tonight I did do some more push ups. The sets for Week 5 Day 1 went 36-40-30-24 and then I maxed out at 58 for a total of 188. It was not easy.
Anyway (and I'm sorry for this boring recount, but if you own a Honda you may actually find this interesting) we talked to our mechanic this morning and he recommended I disconnect the battery for a few minutes, and if the SRS light stayed on afterwards to bring the car to him or get on the horn with the dealer who sold the car to us. He even said he'd talk to the dealer on our behalf! What a great guy.
However, disconnecting the battery would also make our radio inoperative since it's one of those "anti theft" kinds and the code that unlocks it was nowhere to be found. Therefore I went to plan B: erasing the memory of the computer that stores the SRS data. If we managed to do that and the light still came on I knew the problem was serious enough to involve a professional. If it stayed off, we'd be OK, at least for the time being. I should also mention that this is a problem that is common to all Hondas, and I was assured that the danger of the airbags deploying without warning was non-existent.
So, tonight we managed to reset the computer using a pair of tweezers from a Swiss Army knife. It involved turning the key to the "on" position, and then going through a series of steps where the tweezers were used to complete a circuit in this wire doohickey located in the fuse box. The instructions I found on the Internet said it's likely this would take more than one attempt since the sequence had to be followed precisely with proper timing, etc. We got it on the first pass and the SRS light is off! We'll monitor the situation and hope that this solves the problem.
Also of note, on my bike while heading home I noticed not one, but two Honda Civics of the same vintage pass me with their SRS lights clearly visible on the dashboards! You'd think Honda would deal with this somehow since it seems to be a prevalent issue.
Oh yeah, this isn't a car blog, and I am not a car guy... But hey, I can't run so I might as well write about what I'm up to, right?
Tonight I did do some more push ups. The sets for Week 5 Day 1 went 36-40-30-24 and then I maxed out at 58 for a total of 188. It was not easy.
posted by Vava at
9:50 PM
7 Comments:
The vehicle I drive at the moment has more gadgets and gizmos (way tooo many dumb things) than a simpleton like me needs or wants.
What would we do without the internet eh.
Smart idea to have the car rust proofed. When I go to get my car fixed here in NC, all the people ask me if I lived up north since my car is so rusted out.
Ooooohhh interesting notes on Hondas. I'll have to remember this. Thanks!
[Puffing out my chest proudly] Ummm, I know how to fill up my Honda with gas. [But not much more than that.]
Impressive work on the SRS reset. Good luck with the car.
My check engine light has been on since October.
Why on earth are you doing all these push ups? It sounds terrible.
Viper: The ladies like pectorals.
Well, at least my lady does...
I have an adorable blue Honda, so that was interesting info. Running smunning, I need all the car help I can get!
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