Vehicles Involved, Dealer Action & Service Procedure Information
VEHICLES INVOLVEDInvolved are twenty-six 1989 Oldsmobile Ninety-Eight vehicles, built at the Orion Assembly Plant, equipped with Supplemental Inflatable Restaint system (RPO AJ3), listed below by VIN:
K4303874 K4303963 K4306021 K4306060 K4306148
K4306187 K4306190 K4306251 K4306289 K4307185
K4307197 K4307292 K4307480 K4307496 K4307569
K4307585 K4307635 K4307673 K4307681 K4307776
K4307816 K4308216 K4308242 K4308256 K4308417
K4308503
DEALER ACTION
To prevent this condition from occurring on the above listed vehicles, dealers are to inspect each involved vehicle, replace parts as required, and perform a S.I.R. electrical test, as per the SERVICE PROCEDURE in this letter/bulletin.
Dealers are to perform this campaign on all involved vehicles at no charge to owners, regardless of mileage, age of vehicle, or ownership from this time forward.
Whenever a vehicle subject to this campaign is taken into your new or used car inventory, or it is in your dealership for service, you are to ensure the campaign correction has been made before selling or releasing the vehicle.
Dealers are to contact owners of vehicles recently sold from your new vehicle inventory and arrange for the campaign correction to be performed.
SERVICE PROCEDURE
1. Disconnect and tape the negative battery cable.
CAUTION: Wait 15 seconds before doing any IR system diagnosis or service. The Energy Reserve Module may maintain IR system voltage for a period after the battery voltage is disconnected. Servicing the IR system during that period may result in personal injury.
INSPECTION:
2. Inspect to determine if the correct instrument panel parts were installed for the Supplemental Inflatable Restraint system (See page 8C-7 of the 1989 Oldsmobile Eighty-Eight Royale, Ninety-Eight Regency Service Manual):
3. Compare the I/P Lower Trim Panel Assembly in the vehicle to the Panel (6) shown the upper illustration of Figure 7. If there is a door in the pad (to the left of the steering column) for the fuse block, the Trim Panel Assembly must be replaced with the appropriate color panel previously mailed to the "ship-to" dealer (P/N 25533885-6-7-8-9, depending on color).
4. Turn to page 9JA, Figure 6. Examine the L.H. Insulator Assembly ("closeout panel"). It should have a fuse panel door and fuse panel as shown in Figure 6. If not, the L.H. [Sound] Insulator Assembly must be replaced with P/N 25531469, and the fuse block must be relocated (Step 8).
5. Return to page 8C-7, Figure 7 in the service manual. Drop the L.H. Sound Insulator Assembly and confirm that the IP Lower Brace (2), as shown in the lower illustration, is installed and that there is an extension on the IP Lower Tie Bar Assembly (9) for the IP Lower Brace to attach to as shown in the figure. The IP Lower Brace will need to be installed if it is missing. If the IP Lower Tie Bar Assembly is missing, an extension for attaching the brace, it must also be replaced.
6. Information from the Assembly Plant indicates that probably NO IP Lower Tie Bar Assemblies will need replacing.
PARTS INSTALLATION:
7. If the inspection indicates that paRTs must be installed or replaced, obtain the box of parts previously sent to the dealership (on or about May 26, 1989), which was labelled for the involved vehicle(s). The appropriate color IP Lower Trim Panel Assembly should be in the box. The box also contains attaching parts; and a sheet which lists the VIN(s) of the vehicle(s) the parts are intended for, and itemizes the parts.
8. Install the required parts (determined by the inspection, above) as directed by Section 8C of the service manual and (if required), transfer the fuse block to the L.H. Sound Insulator Assembly as shown in Figure 6 on page 9J-4 of the service manual. The Sound Insulator Assembly should be left partially down to provide access to the S.I.R. connector later (in Step 10).
9. If the IP Lower Trim Panel has to be replaced, also install the parking brake release handle and confirm that the parking brake operates properly.
ELECTRICAL TEST:
10. Plug the S.I.R. Electrical Service Tester (J 36884-A) into the vehicle's S.I.R. connector located above the L.H. Sound Insulator Assembly. Do NOT make the connections to the IRS control center.
11. Untape and reconnect negative cable to battery and connect tester battery leads.
12. Turn ignition key to run position and perform only step 23 (selector position 14) on page 9J-8 to verify that there are no wire-to-wire shorts in the steering column.
13. Unplug the S.I.R. Electrical Service Tester from the vehicle's S.I.R. connector at the L.H. Sound Insulator Assembly.
14. Using the Service Tester's built-in voltmeter and test leads (rotate selector to "Probe Volts"), verify voltages on the S.I.R. test connector referenced to ground (door jam switch) as follows:
Pin "A" (Blue wire) & pin "C" (purple wire) are to read between 0.5 and 1.0 volt.
15. Verify proper "INFLATABLE RESTRAINT" Warning Light operation:
A. Ignition must be off for a minimum of five (5) seconds.
B. Turn ignition to the "RUN" position.
"INFLATABLE RESTRAINT" must come on immediately and stay on for a minimum of 6 seconds.
"INFLATABLE RESTRAINT" telltale must turn off in less than 15 seconds following ignition on, and the telltale must remain off for the remainder of the ignition on period.
If the telltale does not function as listed above, perform the diagnosistics and/or repairs as needed, starting at page 9J-5.
16. Install a Campaign Identification Label.
17. Scrap the parts removed from the vehicle. Once all involved vehicles have been campaigned, scrap the unused parts remaining in the box (from Orion).