Hi! First post here, been searching and reading around for the last two weeks before buying my first Transit. Many thanks for all the useful info around here!
The van is a 1998 150 LWB semi-high roof, 2.5TDi, that started it's life as a 9 seater personnel transport for the fire department, it seems to be in brilliant condition all in all, no rust so far, serviced regularly and very few kilometers on the meter. It's registered as a 3 person van now with the extra seats in storage and we will be travelling with it during the summer. Some updates are planned as to "modernize" it a bit and make it suit us better.
Without knowing much about transits it feels like it's got quite a lot of bells and whistles including electric mirrors (manual windows though), electrically operated (on/off button on the dash) diff-lock, anti-theft, webasto with timer, electrical fan in the back, extra installed lights both inside and out, seat warmer for the driver seat, an extra button panel mounted on the top of the dash center console (mainly for controlling lights, the extra fan, probably sirens at some point etc.).
First upgrade that we are trying to crack is safety. In other words the passenger side air bag. The fire department seem to have had it ordered without passenger air bag and had instead mounted an LA com radio in that hole, so there's a square hole cut in the panel covering the airbag hole, the panel seems to be the original from factory in which they just cut a hole for the radio.
I suspect it's wiring is high spec (especially since it's got electrical mirrors and the seat warmer) and thus, from what I've read here on the forum, the passenger airbag control cable connection should be available somewhere behind the dash.
I've found an airbag, the passenger-side control wire/harness and an Mk5 On/Off airbag button which I could order. But what more would be needed in parts, mounting hardware for the airbag or anything else?
Also, how big a job would this be? Could I connect and install it myself with this forums assistance and then drive it over to a Service Station (I guess with an lit up Airbag warning light) and have them configure the ECU to recognise two air bags instead of one? Or should I just order all the parts needed and have a service station connect everything?
Attached you'll find a few shots looking into the dash, if they are to any help in figuring out what parts would be needed.
Grateful for any replies and help!
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