Seat belt shorting?

[KayCee]

I have a 02 D/A. When I connect or disconnect my seat belt I get a little buzz noise and my dash lights dim for a split second. Seems as if I have an electrical short in the belt connector. This doesn't happen every time but ealier today it did and when I shifted into gear I got the buzz and the dimming as well. I'm afraid this problem is escalating and starting to effect other areas. I guess the place to start is the belt connector. Has anyone else had this specific problem and how was it resolved?


Thanks for any advice.

[DmaxMaverick]

IIRC, that circuit (the one in the belt latch) is completed to ground, so it shouldn't be "grounding". Check your individual battery voltage. If it's low, it can cause such problems, among others. Other than that, you could have a BCM issue.

[KayCee]

Thanks for the advice. I had the batteries checked and they are good. How do I go about seeing if the BCM (body control module) is the issue? Will codes come up to determine the problems?

Thanks again.

[DmaxMaverick]

Just had a good look at the diagram. The circuit is completed to ground. The connectors have 2 wires, one black (ground), the other black/white (switched to ground, routed to the BCM). I haven't read through the entire diagnostic procedure, but an early indication is a poor ground, poor connector contact, poor switch (in the buckle) contact, or broken wire within insulation. I'll read more when I have more time.

If the IP seat belt lamp is consistent with the tone, then it's likely a BCM (likely a poor connection, not a BCM failure) or IGN power issue. The lamp and tone operate together or independently, under different conditions. The BCM will enable the MIL (SES lamp) if hard codes are set, or stored. You'll need to read the code(s) with a scanner. There may also be "soft" codes stored, which will not trigger the SES. You need a Tech II or compatible scanner to read the BCM directly. If you have such a scanner, you can monitor the switch contact as the belt is buckled/unbuckled.

More later if you need it. Or, you can get a subscription to www.alldatadiy.com and read it yourself, which I recommend for this and other reasons.