The shop manual's first step for removing the interior door panel is to disconnect the battery. Don't know how many door panels I have R&R and never disconnected the battery. Does the GEN II have some sort of a side impact sensor that would require disconnecting the battery to avoid setting off the airbags? Seems like an unnecessary step to me and requires reprogramming all the electronics.
There's a 9 volt adapter that can go in your cigarette lighter plug that holds all your memories No you don't have to undo the battery there are impact sensors all over the car No need to worry with them if you're removing a door then you're taking the whole door and unplugging the plug on the door so you can remove the door without taking wiring harnesses and all through the door unless you just want to do that. But you won't set any airbags off taking the door panel off and unplugging the mirrors and the master control switch or any of the control switches on any of the doors and all of that stuff not a problem Toyota is just making sure that they are covered in the event that you do something and set off the SRS system that's all that's with most of these cars today a lot of any of their stuff is going to be first disconnect the battery nowadays this a master disconnect right under the hood you just undo a nut or a bolt or something in the whole cars out of commission not all of them are in the trunk like the Prius.
Tombukt2, thanks for taking the time to reply to my request. I am an old school mechanic, and all my hands on experience was prior to airbags. I have read and heard horror stories about accidentally setting off the airbags. I did not want to add to that list. All I am doing is tinting the windows and removing the door panel makes that process much easier. You made mention of a 9 Volt adapter that allows for disconnecting the battery without having to reprogram everything. Does a Gen. 2 even have a cigarette lighter? I think there is an auxiliary power plug in the center console, but I have never used it. Is this what you're talking about? Stretch your memory, you wouldn't happen to have a name for this product, would you? Once again thanks for your response and have a happy new year.
People in general are endlessly creative in figuring out ways to mess things up and get hurt in the process. Disconnecting the 12V battery is kind of a "blanket CYA" statement that most manufacturers put in to minimize that creativity. I have seen "disconnect 12V" when I looked up the removal procedure for the Engine Coolant Temperature sensor for some cars. Which is silly. I (usually) don't pull the 12V for a door panel, but that's me. YMMV. I haven't had an airbag incident in 35 years. Most systems are only powered by an "ignition on" circuit. I would imagine that many problems are caused by people doing things with or near the airbag components while the ignition is powered up. (or hacking the wiring harness, jumping circuits during testing, etc) There are "memory savers" that keep some power to ecu's while doing work (like swapping the 12V battery). BUT they are limited, and if the goal is to render the SRS completely "inert" then it's counterproductive. Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
I suspected it was a CYA type thing. I can see your point in that using a memory saver for anything other than perhaps replacing the battery would be counterproductive. And unless I was replacing batteries on a regular basis it wouldn't warrant the expense. I have plenty of tools that I have used only once. Some were absolutely necessary for completing the job and others, well I can be a bit of a tool freak sometimes.
Luckily I have a sign up here that does not cover reprogramming radios and other gear in folks cars I don't even like to touch the TV remote at the house personally I don't really watch TV either but that's another whole story My radio and my daily drivers are not even programmed I just have no interest rarely is the radio on much or anything like that either because unfortunately I'm inundated with silly phone calls and nonsense all day for the rest of my life now since well cell phones came out but even that I'm kind of letting go of a lot lately I just leave it parked on the dresser sitting on the seat only to use it I have an emergency I guess
But I do think you're clear in the door panel I've got two off here '09 and an '05 car I think your void of the yellow funny plugs in the door panel I do believe. I do see two impact sensors under hood they're black square boxes with the yellow funny plug plug to them right up on the front frame rails I wonder how hard you would have to hit one of those to set off the airbags like you know a 5 lb hammer swung pretty heftily or would a 2 lb hammer do it etc I wouldn't think doing any kind of work on the car would be able to do it short of dropping the motor off of an engine hoist right onto one of those sensors and then I think the car would have to be on too I would hope anyway I don't think airbags can just go off without the car thinking it's being driven like sitting idling in the driveway kind of thinking.
