Land Rover Repair: SRS Light, actron obd ii, light flickers

Question
Hi John,
I have '96 LR Discovery and recently the SRS light came on and it stays on. I took it a local mechanic who specializes in Land Rovers who said that SRS light staying on has been a common problem with these vehicles. They proceeded to tell me their software could not pinpoint why the SRS light is on. How can I go about checking this and is it possible to use an Actron OBD II reader to do this myself? I'd like to avoid taking the vehicle to the "stealership" and dish out a month's mortgage for them to diagnose what the problem might be. Thanks in advance.

Answer
Hi Vic,

I've handled many questions and I've not seen many problems with the SRS light remaining on.  Some owners have said that after 10 years, the air bag has to be replaced and that this is a reminder, similar to the  emissions reminder every 82K or so miles.  

I'm not familiar with the Actron OBDII reader...however, Autologic, Rovacom and other 'testbook' diagnostic systems claim to be able to list and reset this, so why not Actron.

In most cases, our older Disco's have the problem with corroded wiring or electrical harness/connectors.  The SRS may have been tripped during the startup test sequence because of no response or low voltage.

In rare cases, the SRS could have been triggered by the seat belt sensors...some owners have mentioned that they've resolved the SRS light by clipping and unclipping ALL the seat belts frequently.  Perhaps the seat belt tensioners are part of the fault.

Have you moved or adjusted your seats lately? Any work performed on the Disco before the SRS went solid?  What is the state of your battery? Maybe you can attach and unattach a questionable seatbelt several times to see if the light flickers or goes out?

My guess is that it's electrical (mercurial) and you'll have to find the seat belt tensioner, SRS connector or wire that's shorting out.  Since it involves the SRS (and air bag) you'll want to be very, very careful with your electrical diagnosis.  The SRS control module is a centre console repair and this can get very complicated.

Best of luck,
JohnMc

NB: some owners have learned to live with the light.  They say it keeps the ABS light company.  Others have been known to remove the bulb.  I prefer to find the fault and fix it.  

Note: I did have a stealer remove my ABS light bulb in order to claim that the service was performed correctly. One year later, I found that the bulb was missing.  They cheated me out of $1200 but I had no proof.  Lesson: for one year I thought I had a fully functioning ABS system, I did not.  Peace of mind?