Piston Slap: Is Your Squib Still a Tower of Power?

Sajeev Mehta
by Sajeev Mehta
Mark writes:Sajeev,I recently acquired a 1990 Porsche 944 cabriolet. It’s in really good shape and has been well taken care of, but I started thinking about the airbags. The 27-year-old airbags.How long are they good for? If they fail will they go off unexpectedly or not at all? Should I replace with new airbags, disconnect or remove completely?Sajeev answers:I had a similar conversation with my mother in my fully-restored Lincoln Mark VIII: her concern being its newfound looks might not save my life in a head-on collision. I understood Ford’s airbag module’s fail safe measures (i.e. that horrific buzzer when a circuit isn’t complete) but I don’t know if the inflators still work after 20-plus years.Too bad I didn’t reference the original 1973 Chevrolet Impala’s ACRS (Air Cushion Restraint System), as it was quite robust.Its squibs were far from the funkadelic ride of Tower of Power’s Squib Cakes, but…
…they did the job even after 20 years! In case you’re keeping track, the Americans definitely got this right in the 1970s. The Vega didn’t send Toyota packing, but the “Tower of Power” reference is appropriate!To your Porsche, the only concern is the type of seal around the squib. The good ones are a glass-to-metal squib which, if a 20-year-old Impala crash test is believable across another 20 years, should last as long as your body does on this earth. And that whole “glass being a liquid” thing is a farce, so perhaps these shall last thousands of years?All bets are off if the airbags were tampered or flood damaged. And if your Porsche uses a plastic-to-metal seal, I’d recommend getting the seat belts rebuilt, wear a helmet, etc or simply purchase a mid 70s masterpiece with that stunning ACRS emblem.[Images: Shutterstock user Attapon Thana, IIHS.org]Send your queries to sajeev@thetruthaboutcars.com. Spare no details and ask for a speedy resolution if you’re in a hurry…but be realistic, and use your make/model specific forums instead of TTAC for more timely advice.
Sajeev Mehta
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  • Lorenzo Lorenzo on Oct 07, 2017

    Considering the age of cars on the road, and the Takata mess, the airbag issue could use another article. There are issues of age and inability to find replacements, whether they (Takata) should be disconnected, the crash protection built into the vehicle, and 3-point seatbelt maintenance. For a 20 year old car without the latest crash protection, is just the seat belt enough? Can modern airbags be retrofitted?, Can you get away with disconnecting Takata bags and relying only on seat belts if it's a late model car? I'm kind of surprised at how few comments this topic generated. Are we afraid to talk about it?

    • Rpn453 Rpn453 on Oct 08, 2017

      I'd be far more comfortable with the idea of crashing in a modern vehicle with disabled airbags than in an older vehicle with functional airbags but a weaker passenger compartment. I'd also be more comfortable in a modern vehicle with side airbags and no front airbags than the same one with front airbags and no side airbags. I would not be comfortable in a vehicle that had a modified airbag system. I didn't care about the lack of an airbag in my high speed head-on collision. I just don't want to have any body parts crushed again.

  • Rpn453 Rpn453 on Oct 08, 2017

    The airbags will probably be functional for a while yet. Regardless, I wouldn't put much value in them. At that time, the airbags existed primarily to save people who didn't want to wear a seatbelt. The big risk in driving this car is that if you get smoked hard enough by something big, that flimsy old passenger compartment is going to fold. At least you'll have a bit of crush space with that nice, long hood in a head-on. A side impact from a taller vehicle will go right through or over the upper part of the door. Wear your seatbelt, and you should be fine in any situation where you aren't crushed by passenger compartment intrusion.

  • Dave Holzman A design award for the Prius?!!! Yes, the Prius is a great looking car, but the visibility is terrible from what I've read, notably Consumer Reports. Bad visibility is a dangerous, and very annoying design flaw.
  • Wjtinfwb I've owned multiple Mustang's, none perfect, all an absolute riot. My '85 GT with a big Holley 4 barrel and factory tube header manifolds was a screaming deal in its day and loved to rev. I replaced it with an '88 5.0 Convertible and added a Supercharger. Speed for days, handling... present. Brakes, ummm. But I couldn't kill it and it embarrassed a lot of much more expensive machinery. A '13 Boss 302 in Gotta Have It Green was a subtle as a sledgehammer, open up the exhaust cut outs and every day was Days of Thunder. I miss them all. They've gotten too expensive and too plush, I think, wish they'd go back to a LX version, ditch all the digital crap, cloth interior and just the Handling package as an add on. Keep it under 40k and give todays kids an alternative to a Civic or WRX.
  • Jpolicke In a communist dictatorship, there isn't much export activity that the government isn't aware of. That being the case, if the PRC wanted to, they could cut the flow of fentanyl down to a trickle. Since that isn't happening, I therefore assume Xi Jinping doesn't want it cut. China needs to feel the consequences for knowingly poisoning other countries' citizens.
  • El scotto Oh, ye nattering nabobs of negativism! Think of countries like restaurants. Our neighbors to the north and south are almost as good and the service is fantastic. They're awfully close to being as good as the US. Oh the Europeans are interesting and quaint but you really only go there a few times a year. Gents, the US is simply the hottest restaurant in town. Have to stand in line to get in? Of course. Can you hand out bribes to get in quicker? Of course. Suppliers and employees? Only the best on a constant basis.Did I mention there is a dress code? We strictly enforce it. Don't like it? Suck it.
  • 1995 SC At least you can still get one. There isn't much for Ford folks to be happy about nowadays, but the existence of the Mustang and the fact that the lessons from back in the 90s when Ford tried to kill it and replace it with the then flavor of the day seem to have been learned (the only lessons they seem to remember) are a win not only for Ford folks but for car people in general. One day my Super Coupe will pop its headgaskets (I know it will...I read it on the Internet). I hope I will still be physically up to dropping the supercharged Terminator Cobra motor into it. in all seriousness, The Mustang is a.win for car guys.
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