Hi new to this forum i am based in Kent and have had a P38 for 5+ years without many problems until i did the heater o ring and i ran the car up without re connecting the instrument cluster, As i turned the key i knew i had F***ed up. So i instantly got the SRS light up on the dash. I know have HawkEye and when it is connected up i just get the message Data Link Error each time i try to connect to the airbags, i have the correct lead and adaptor for the airbags. I have used the HawkEye to conect to the ABS and clear a fault so i know that the unit is working, Today i stripped out the passenger side footwell trim and took the larger connector apart and stripped and soldered and heatshrunk the wires as there was some corrosion (not a lot) within the block, after all of this i am still getting the data link error for the airbags, My next step is to spray some DeOxit into the OBD socket incase some of the pins inside it are corroded other than that i am at a loss has anyone else had this problem i really need to get it sorted as i want to get the car MOT'd

What year P38 is it?

The SRS system uses different pin(s) in the OBD socket than the other modules in the vehicle (probably why the Hawkeye needs a separate lead to connect)

The OBD pin for the SRS is pin 14 in the socket in the footwell, and it goes straight to the SRS ECU - there are no other connectors in the chain to it - just a direct wire.

Is it worth checking the fuse for the SRS system? RAVE has it being listed as F7 on the BECM fuse box.. but I'm not 100% sure if this is the same for all model years.

Hope this helps,
Marty

Hi marty my car is a 1995, i have checked the two srs fuses one in the main fuse box and the other one in the base of the drivers seat, also checked the 5 amp fuse for the OBD socket although i thought it would be ok as it had worked when i looked and cleared the ABS code. I will have another check just to make sure, i can do most jobs but electric drive me around the bend i know that through owning a few Alfas over the years lol! They have a few quirky OBD things too!

So were you able to sort this out? I have the same problem with a 96 Disco ... checked fuses, verified the Hawkeye was working by checking the SRS ECU on my 97 Disco, verified fuses were all good, etc. But I still get that "data link error" when I connect to the OBD socket on the 96.

The fact you've got corrosion in the passenger footwell wiring, you can guarantee the drivers side will be the same, I had it on a dse, touched the wires and they came off the connector ( that was fun) , I don't know if both sides are connected ( Marty will know) but, once I'd done both sides I had no electrical gremlins till I sold it on,, it read the obd socket which it had never done before,,