1997 c1500 weird issues

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Terpenedreams

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Just joined this group not too long ago and can't seem to find any answers to my issues. I bought my truck and it had been very well maintained. After having the truck for about a month I got in it to leave and upon turning the key the drivers air bag exploded in my face. Can't recall if the truck had actually started all the way or not. Pretty traumatizing experience lol. Was like a bomb exploded in my face and hurt the arms as well as being dazed from the loud explosion. I went with a billet steering wheel without an airbag to avoid that ever happening again. Really no issues at this point but ammm curious if anyone else has experienced anything of the nature? Can't find anything online about it.



Now here is an issue I've been having with the fuel gauge. It never had the jittery motions thats common for them. One day as I'm driving up a decent hill and was accelerating the fuel gauge did a comeplete 360 revolution. Since then when I fill the tank the position of the needle is way past full and I always fill up right before the half tank mark which I narrowed down to be about empty. I have replaced the sending unit since then as well as the tank because if a small pinhole in one of the corners. Replaced the fuel filter aswell. Made a bone head move and ordered the 34 gallon tank instead of a 25gal but managed to secure it with some cusswprds involved but can not figure out why my fuel gauge is now sitting way off. I've even replaced the entire cluster and it's the same way. Hopefully someone can shine some light on either of these things.
 

Schurkey

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Whatever committee of morons decided that loading explosive devices in the passenger compartment was a good idea, should be beaten briskly about the head and shoulders, and tossed into a tar pit.

I'd be talking to a lawyer. Downside is that you'll have fun proving that you weren't moving and didn't get hit unless there's surveillance video.




I should know this...but I don't. Does your '97 have balanced-coil gauges, or stepper-motor gauges?

I'm thinking balanced-coil; and there's a wiring fault between gauge and sending unit. But that's just a wild guess.
 

Erik the Awful

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A non-Takata airbag going off while the vehicle's sitting sounds like somone's had their hands on the airbag wiring. Bad juju. There's nothing a lawyer would be able to achieve except spending your money.
 

someotherguy

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I should know this...but I don't. Does your '97 have balanced-coil gauges, or stepper-motor gauges?

I'm thinking balanced-coil; and there's a wiring fault between gauge and sending unit. But that's just a wild guess.
I don't believe steppers hit the GM fullsize truck gauge scene until GMT800.

A non-Takata airbag going off while the vehicle's sitting sounds like somone's had their hands on the airbag wiring. Bad juju. There's nothing a lawyer would be able to achieve except spending your money.
I haven't heard of the Takatas going off spontaneously. The stated issue with them (IIRC) is that they produce shrapnel that can cause injury/death when they go off when triggered from a crash event. They were replaced in my 300 under recall, driver and passenger side. Kept waiting to see if our GMT800's would fall under that recall but they never did..

At any rate I agree that someone's been in there messing with wiring that they shouldn't. Airbag wiring stands out pretty clearly; you'll see bright yellow connectors that set those circuits apart from the others. If someone unwisely tapped in, ugh.. or, maybe previous crash damage, not fully repaired, has affected some of the impact sensors around the truck?

Richard
 
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Erik the Awful

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Takata's big "innovation" was using ammonium nitrate as the propellant. Ammonium nitrate is hygroscopic, and becomes more powerful and unstable as it absorbs moisture. They first discovered the problems with Takata airbags in Japan, where every vehicle gets dismantled for recycling. Several recyclers were killed or injured trying to unbolt the airbags.

The first thing I'd check is how the stereo is wired in. Then I'd check every yellow harness.
 
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