I do not have the owners amual for this car. Can anybody tell me what Infl Rst means? It is showing up on my middle console screen I think everybody calls it the "Atari Screen". It is a red light.

 

It is for the Inflatable Restraint. Air bag issues were common on 1990 model year cars. I believe there are previous posts about this. Do a search and you may find help to resolve the issue.

My 1990 had the same problem. All I had to do was to remove the "DERM" modules, clean under them, and remount them. Then I had to reset the light. Mid America sells a little tool to do this. I did it without the tool and it was quite the pain.

Best of luck

 

Could the infl rest light have anything to do with my CTYS fuse always blowing out?

 

No seperate system.

 

Pardon my ignorance but what is a DERM module and where is it located? I have a 1990 that is experiencing exactly the same problem.

Thanks in advance.

 

I did some more research on Mid America's web site and found the answer.

 

The modules are located on the frame rails very close to the firewall. They look like small black boxes about 2 inches square with metal tabs holding them down (10mm bolt) They get rust and corrosion under them. DISCONNECT THE BATTERY WHEN WORKING ON THEM! Take a dremel tool or something and clean the frame rail where the module sits Also clean the bottom of the module. Then apply a coating of Dielectric Grease to the bottom of the module. When reinstalling use star or toothed washers on the bolts to help make a better ground. You will need to reset the light to get it to go off. Like the one guy said Mid America sells the small button tool to do it about 20 bucks. It just jumps 2 of the pins on the computer link under your dash on the drivers side the (ALDL assembley line diagnostic link) It tells you to do it in a sequence. You could make a small jumper wire yourself and save the money. If that don't solve the problem then most likely one of the frame sensors is bad. They are about 60 bucks from GM Hope this helps ya out. If not post it back up here and i'll help ya the rest of the way. I"ve done 4 90 Vette's with this problem GOOD LUCK AND LET ME KNOW HOW YA MAKE OUT Pipe

 

When you disconnect the battery, WAIT 10 MINUTES before disconnecting the leads to the DERM or removing them. There will be some residual voltage in the DERMS and a short can cause the airbag to deploy.

Chances are it's the module on the passenger side that is causing the problem. This module is under the A/C housing and usually the water from the evaporater will drip down onto the module and causing rust on the frame rail. The bracket for the odule also serves as a ground so the rust kills the contact.

Remove the rear portion of the lower fenderwell (may have to remove the small center piece first) and that will expose the module (it's about 2" square). There are a couple of 10mm bolts that hold it in place and they are on the back side and sort of a PITA to remove. Once the module is out, use coarse sandpaper or a grinder to clean up any rust on the frame rail and the bottom of the attaching bracket on the module. Wipe on a good coat of dielectric grease and reinstall. I wrap that module with a flat piece of rubber and a wire tie to build an "umbrella" over it to keep the condensation off.

Do the same thing to the driver's side. It's located under the battery tray so the best way to get to it is to remove the battery and the tray (good chance to clean up any gunk from the battery!).

Resetting the Infl Res light can be tricky as the sequence to do the reset involved grounding pins in the ALDL and timing the cycles in seconds. The M-A tool works but a shop with a GM Tech-1 scan tool should be able to reset the light for you.

Here's a link to the fix from the Tech Tips section:
https://www.corvetteforum.com/techti...D=46&TopicID=2

 

I have had that module replaced 4 times from new, always on the drivers side. Three times the dealership did it. The fourth time I had Tony's Corvette in Gaithersburg MD do it right as described above, and the light on the Atari display never came back on three years counting. I kept the old Air Bag sensors because I truly believe they were never the problem. But each time they insisted on starting with a new sensor.

 

Invest in a Helms service manual & you can diagnose the SIR (suppl. inflation restraint) system quite easily. About once a year I have to test & re-seat the connectors for the sensors. The passenger side is right at the top of the footwell up under the dash. A tall person can streatch out & step on it causing it to loosen & set a code. Driver side is on the left side kick panel. I've also had to clean & replug it in the past too. Never had to replace anything, just reset the codes. Then I don't have any rust corrosion on my frame rails either...

 

The frame sensors have a certain ohm resistance between the pins on the connector. Most of the time it's the frame sensor thats bad. Better hope it's not the main DERM thats located behind yor stereo system. Thats a pain in the AZZ to get to. Most of the time it's the frame sensor. Code 14 15 and 16 are the left hand sensor and code 24 25 and 26 are the right hand sensor. They can be accessed by jumping terminals A and B the top 2 terminals on the upper right hand side of the ALDL Connector located under the dash by your right shin if you were sitting in the car.