Hit a deer, hood poppers deployed

[5amp5on]

Well this thread finally made me pull the trigger and order the eliminators from Japan. They said I should get them first week of December.

 

[splatrd]

For anyone that has had the unfortunate experience of having the hood poppers deployed, did you have to replace/reset the air bag control module?

 

[splatrd]

I ordered the cancellation pieces from Nengun, but saw these today.
Nissan Z34 Fairlady Z Pop-up engine hood Cancel New F/S Japan | eBay
Not sure if I would trust it as it does not include the connectors.

 

[up4speed]

I ordered the cancellation pieces from Nengun, but saw these today.
Nissan Z34 Fairlady Z Pop-up engine hood Cancel New F/S Japan | eBay
Not sure if I would trust it as it does not include the connectors.

I would NOT trust it without the connector. The last thing you want is moisture in there shorting things out, or the wires short circuiting! Imagine the manufacturer designing all of the electrical connectors on a car that way? How long will the car last?
I would want the car as close to OEM as possible.
But then again, I'm the type of guy that also took the finger tip off of a 7mil glove and zip tied it to the exposed connectors of the hood poppers, just so they aren't corroded if I decide to put the car back to stock (which I will once I am done tracking the car), lol

 

[RadzShadow]

Did you physically remove the poppers from the vehicle? If so, how? If they can't be removed from the top, I would have to find a shop 'willing' to do that part.
Obviously, these mods would probably void any warranty associated with them and possibly the SRS system completely.

 

[5amp5on]

Did you physically remove the poppers from the vehicle? If so, how? If they can't be removed from the top, I would have to find a shop 'willing' to do that part.
Obviously, these mods would probably void any warranty associated with them and possibly the SRS system completely.

Yes you remove them from the top. It's awkward but is done with normal hand tools. Once I get my deletes in I plan to post a step by step with photos. I'm not having these dumb things pop when I hit a squirrel, they are not required by DOT or anything else in the USA. I want them gone personally.

They don't affect any other part of the vehicle's safety system and warranties cannot be "voided" in the USA, warranty claims can be denied if you modified the vehicle and caused the breakdown or defect, which must be documented, but adding or deleting things from your vehicle will not "void" any warranties. If your adding, modifiying or deleting causes damage that you are trying make them repair under warranty, sure claims can be denied, and rightly so, the manufacturer warrants their work, not ours.

 

[RadzShadow]

I agree, they should've never even been installed. The roads around here can be rough and some of the civil engineering of suburb curbs/speed bumps are questionalbe to say the least, even within the parking lot at work.
I'd rather remove/replace with $120 solution than thousands in body work over a bump in the road.
I appreciate all your answers!

 

[up4speed]

I just left them in place when installing the popper eliminators. A little extra weight in the (already heavy) car for nothing. But didn't want to do the extra work

 

[5amp5on]

I just left them in place when installing the popper eliminators. A little extra weight in the (already heavy) car for nothing. But didn't want to do the extra work

I did not know that was an option. So you just unplugged the connectors from the poppers and plugged in the eliminators? I assumed there would be not be room for that.

 

[RadzShadow]

I did not know that was an option. So you just unplugged the connectors from the poppers and plugged in the eliminators? I assumed there would be not be room for that.

That was my thought process, leave them in and just wrap up the popper end, unless removal was easy.

 

[5amp5on]

That was my thought process, leave them in and just wrap up the popper end, unless removal was easy.

I'll probably still remove but it's nice to know this is possible, takes the stress off removing them if they are a huge PITA.

 

[up4speed]

I did not know that was an option. So you just unplugged the connectors from the poppers and plugged in the eliminators? I assumed there would be not be room for that.

Yes exactly!

 

[splatrd]

Did you physically remove the poppers from the vehicle? If so, how? If they can't be removed from the top, I would have to find a shop 'willing' to do that part.
Obviously, these mods would probably void any warranty associated with them and possibly the SRS system completely.

The removal process is not that bad. However, I was an autobody technician years ago. So, I am accustomed to this kind of work. First and foremost, disconnect the battery before you disconnect anything. Do not reconnect the battery until everything is plugged back in. You will need to remove the entire cowl panel, wiper blades, battery, and a large wire harness on the right side. The harness can be left connected, but you unclip it from the bracket it is on. Then remove the bracket. Then you will have access to the popper bolts. The left side is much easier, as there is nothing blocking it. The only thing I am waiting for now is a definitive answer as to whether the air bag module has to be reset since mine had deployed.

 

[splatrd]

I finally got around to removing the air bag module and sent it off to be reset. What a pain in the ass to get to. It is buried under all the trim behind the seats under strut tower bar. I had to not only mostly remove center console, but also side panels with rear speakers and trim panel behind the seats. Then still had to remove the trunk floor stuff and the foam piece under strut bar to get access to the rear screws for the module. Now I am stuck with dismantled car until I get the module back.

 

[up4speed]

I finally got around to removing the air bag module and sent it off to be reset. What a pain in the ass to get to. It is buried under all the trim behind the seats under strut tower bar. I had to not only mostly remove center console, but also side panels with rear speakers and trim panel behind the seats. Then still had to remove the trunk floor stuff and the foam piece under strut bar to get access to the rear screws for the module. Now I am stuck with dismantled car until I get the module back.

That's great that you were able to do it yourself!
How much did they charge for the air bag module reset? How long until they return it?
It would be really cool if you did a tutorial on it! Maybe take step by step photos of you putting it back together? This way if someone has to do the same repair, they can take it apart by looking at your photos in reverse. I don't know how common it will be for people to have to do it on their own, but I'm one that likes to do as much as possible by myself.