how do i pass VA inspection?
 

i want to purchase a new steering wheel and adapter for my car.
i just got an APR seat and its scary sitting lower when you know you have an airbag in the car.

but im about to buy a harness and wheel, so i can make it a weekend tracker.

but is there any way to pass VA inspection with one?
I talked to the inspector. He said the airbag light has to come on for 5-10 seconds at startup and go back off.

Is there a kit i can buy to trick the ecu, or a couple wires i could maybe splice?

You just connect a resistor across the pins on the airbag connector.

is there an instructional guide on this in one of the miata company websites?

wanna make sure i get this airbag light and horn to work properly first go around.

Even if you trick the light, in VA it's illegal to remove the airbag. Tricking the light might cause the inspector to not notice the missing airbag, I dunno. No big deal either way as it only takes a few minutes to swap back to stock, but definitely hold on to the stock wheel and airbag if you intend to keep the car in VA.

Just plug a resistor (I went with 3.3 ohms IIRC) into the airbag connector and stuff the pigtail up behind the outer plastic trim of the wheel adapter hub. It doesn't get any easier than that. I did not have to disassemble the clockspring bits like they show in the writeups on m.net.

The horn is just a switched ground. I used a large ring connector on the steering shaft, secured by the big steering hub nut, to provide the ground path, but there are other ways to do it.

i dont know. when talking to the inspector, he didnt even say that i couldnt have a airbag removed.......just said the light would need to work in order for me to pass it.

when i install my harness this week, im gonna work on tricking the seatbelt lights, and then next week i should get my wheel and i'll work on tricking those wires.

hell, last time they passed my car and the speedometer and instrument cluster lights werent even working.

still arent. ha

From the quick inspection guide:

20. – INSPECT AIR BAG AND AIRBAG READINESS LIGHT FOR:

* Any defects in the air bag system noted by the air bag readiness light, or otherwise indicated; or
* The air bag has been deployed and has not been replaced (and is not deactivated because of a medical or other exemption and a notice is posted to indicate that it has been deactivated); or
* Any part of the air bag system has been removed from the vehicle; or
* If the air bag indicator fails to light, or stays on continuously.

If you get an inspector who doesn't notice, more power to ya.

FWIW Scott, inspections are much more strict up in Falls Church/NOVA vs. anywhere south of stafford county. I'm in Fredericksburg (Spotsylvania County) and there isn't even any emissions inspection like you guys have up in NOVA. Down south they pretty much do a quick 5min visual inspection. I'm sure the inspector cuts breaks like that often. If he was ever questioned by an officer all he would need to say is "he had an airbag on the car when I inspected it".

Yeah I figured as much. Must be nice! Putting the stock parts back in once a year is a mild hassle I could do without.

if the light isn't on, they usually don't care.

as long as your horn works and you have headlights and brake pads youll pass.


if the car is pre-96, the airbag system can be removed in it's entirety and be legal.

A decent adapter will include the resister and instructions.

its not hard. the horn is one wire that just needs a ground. typically the horn button itself grounds out on the hub, so then you just need to wire the connector to the horn button.

the airbag is two wires. on a 90-93 you simply need to connect the two wires together. on a 94+ you need a 3ohm resistor between the two.

you have two options, cut the connector off and extender as needed, or push on spade connectors down on the pins and do what you gotta do.

its simple and easy, I just swap wheels when I do inspection cause it's about a 15 time investment.

damnnn.........i have a 97 STO....2 airbags...2 hassels

my 2001 has an aftermarket wheel and the guy only said "keep an eye on those brake pads" on my big brake kit. :)

thats hilarious. haha. well im gonna try tricking the wires first....and if that doesnt pass it, well i always have 3 options.

1) go to y8s's last inspection station
2) pay a lil extra under the table for a sticker from a dude at jiffy lube
3) swap out the stock parts for a day

4) buy my hydra

touche y8s

i would love that if i wasnt trying to do so many things with my car at one time.

at the moment, just intalled a new seat.....this week i will install new harness and wheel + hub.

next week, hopefully new suspension if the girl will spot me 800.

i think before i purchase the hydra, i will drop in a '99 engine so i dont have to worry about upgrading harnesses

Where would one find that information from an official source, i.e. somewhere besides a post on m.net back in July by a guy who may or may not know what he was talking about? The law pertaining to airbag inspection is 19VAC30-70-290 and it is identical verbatim to what's in the quick inspection guide section I posted earlier; there is no exemption for any model year. Perhaps there's some obscure law that allows it, but I've never seen the official text, citation, web link or whatnot. Post it if you know mang. I've already spent far more time searching VA airbag laws than it would take to just swap my stock wheel & airbag back in.

I need to find a reasonable inspector. All the ones I've gone to are thorough hardasses. Srsly, after removing one of my truck's rear brake drums and finding ample shoe thickness, who would bother to jack up and remove the other side to inspect that one too? A thorough hardass, that's who. They only get $16 for the inspection so you know some of them view it more as an opportunity to create some extra repair business. My Saturn had a leaky gas cap at the last smog check. Not really leaky as it still hissed out pressure when I removed it at every fill-up, but apparently leaky enough to fail on that little vacuum pump testing apparatus they use. Of course, the tester is made by the same company that would profit from you having to buy new gas caps, and it's operated by a guy who would love to extort a few extra bucks during the inspection. He tried to sell me a new one right there for $25. I told him shit, just fail me and I'll drive two blocks to Advance, buy one for $7 and come back. His price then magically dropped to $10. :jerkit: [/rant]

I go to places that look like shit and are busy. I've never had a real problem with inspections, just have to fix the random BS like cracked belts and pads and tires and whatnot. I've fail for wiper blades once.

ScottFW there is a Shell right off 66 at exit 47a that I have gotten my miata inspected at the past couple of years. Never had a problem. He has more or less turned on lights and checked brake pads on the drivers side and called it a day. This year with my miata I didnt have my hood prop in the engine bay. I offered to get it out of my trunkto hold up the hood and he said dont worry you are good.

midas at washington and lee.