racorcey
01-08-2014, 11:38 AM
Now that the NE has experienced some real cold, I figured I'd finally use my driver-side seat heater. It was not meant to be. Thank you Murphy.
Naturally, I Googled as much as I could to find information on it here (much better than the "Search" function on this site). It was helpful in getting me started, that's for sure.
What I'm really writing about is to find out what the most likely replaced item is for the majority of those who have suffered this malady.
For my car, I found the following:
- passenger side works fine
- driver side switches seem to work ok, indicating some seat heater controller functionality.
- no heat from either the seat cushion or the seat back, unlike the passenger side.
- fuses seem to be ok.
- original door switches were replaced under warranty (flickering LEDs), so I'm guessing they're not likely at fault.
Obviously, I will have to pull the seat out to do an ohm meter check per the service manual. Apparently, there are two separate heater connections - one for the cushion and one for the back. However the connector for the back heater is listed nowhere in the service manuals. It doesn't even show up on the pictorials, even though it shows up in the diagnostic write-up. No connector part number whatsoever.
At 6'3" and 250 pounds, I'm guessing that I probably pounded the hell out of the heating elements. But why both elements? However, I guess the controller could also be at fault.
From all I can read here, it seems the elements are the most common problem. How bad are they to replace? I've never torn one of these seats apart.
Thanks for any help....
Naturally, I Googled as much as I could to find information on it here (much better than the "Search" function on this site). It was helpful in getting me started, that's for sure.
What I'm really writing about is to find out what the most likely replaced item is for the majority of those who have suffered this malady.
For my car, I found the following:
- passenger side works fine
- driver side switches seem to work ok, indicating some seat heater controller functionality.
- no heat from either the seat cushion or the seat back, unlike the passenger side.
- fuses seem to be ok.
- original door switches were replaced under warranty (flickering LEDs), so I'm guessing they're not likely at fault.
Obviously, I will have to pull the seat out to do an ohm meter check per the service manual. Apparently, there are two separate heater connections - one for the cushion and one for the back. However the connector for the back heater is listed nowhere in the service manuals. It doesn't even show up on the pictorials, even though it shows up in the diagnostic write-up. No connector part number whatsoever.
At 6'3" and 250 pounds, I'm guessing that I probably pounded the hell out of the heating elements. But why both elements? However, I guess the controller could also be at fault.
From all I can read here, it seems the elements are the most common problem. How bad are they to replace? I've never torn one of these seats apart.
Thanks for any help....