I'd like to confirm if 1 or more of my seat belt pretensioners deployed on my front end damaged 04 f 150. I am a long ways from anyone who could check the codes for me and would like to visually inspect the units myself. Can one detect a deployed unit by examining it?

 

If you look at the cigar end thingy, on the open end, and the steel cable is poking out, not recessed within the housing, then it deployed.

 

Great. Thank you. Mon morning I will pull things apart and see what i need to order.

 

OK. Bright and early Mon morning, pulled seats, here's what I got.......
Remember the LFC code of 34? well, the pretensioner [passenger's side] was NOT showing the cabel sticking out of the open end of the cigar. HOWEVER, the cabel end was not located as deep into the cigar as was the driver's side. Stick a measuring tape in the passenger's side cigar till it touches the end of the cabel,- 5/8 inch. Stick a tape in the driver's side, - 1 and 1/4 inch.
My thoughts are to order the passengers side and see if that puts the light out. Opinions??? Thanks in advance

 

Another thought. Since I now have access to the 2 pretensioners, is there an ohm meter check I can perform?

 

Do not check pretensioners or airbags with an ohm meter. I'm sure you're aware that ohm meters work by applying voltage over the circuit and comparing that with a set value to determine resistance...well, this same voltage can deploy airbags and pretensioners. Never, ever, ever check an airbag or pretensioner with an ohm meter. Now, you can check the wiring between the RCM and the pretensioner to be sure you've got no shorts or opens, but never, ever, ever check a supplemental restraint component directly with an ohm meter.

 

I'd dare say replace the passenger's side. I may have been wrong by saying the cable will pop completely out of the housing.

 

Are these pretensioners the thing that you feel if you stop a little too quickly? Or are they something that is only felt during an actual accident?

-Travis

 

They're explosive charges built into the seat belt buckles that tense the seatbelt up during an impact so you don't submarine under and out of the seat belt.

 

Well, I am still learning and.... haven't blown myself up yet!!!
I had an '03 and an '01 Ranger with the same problem. A gentleman on the Ranger Forum told me how to test those with an ohm meter. Told me the amount of resistance to look for. The good ones check out with 2.3 ohms and the bad ones had zero. I thought that to be a slick way to test, but what you are saying MAKES SENSE! I'll bring that up on the Ranger forum.
So is there no way to test a pretensioner other than visually?

 

If you've got access to a Ford compatible scan tool (PDS, WDS, NGS+, Diagtek, etc) that'll let you read PIDs from the RCM, you can view the resistances off all the airbags and pretensioners. Otherwise, it's just a really bad idea to start stabbing things with an ohm meter.

 

OK I understand. I will try one new RH pretensioner. If no luck with that, I will head to Ford Thanks for your help with this. I'll report back

 

Finally got my new passenger's side pretensioner in. I had a lamp code of '34' previously, meaning passenger's side. The driver's side "looked" OK. Once installed this morning I have a lamp code of '33'.
I'll just bet that is the code for the drivers side, right?

 

I hope a bumpity-bump is not impolite on this forum. Really like an opinion on the above question. Thanks in advance.

 

I think so; I'm kinda short on time right now, I'll make sure later.