KaMLuNg

iTrader: (5)

i went to home depot and they have some 4 strand copper wire... picked up 2 ft for $3.17... i will try to solder it tonight and heat shrink it... will have status update later HOPEFULLY!!!

01tl4tl

yes- make sure the splice is solid and shrink wrapped
check all the wires for damage

That funky space over the radio in some models- or the center console top section- is designed to fit a wallet.
When its just even pressure across the wires, they seem to last longer, as in- female driven cars seem to report fewer broken wire leads in seat bottem

01tl4tl

kam- dont try - just commit to fixing it! You have the power!!
If you got the seat out and apart, went to the despot and found matching wire,
the worst part is already over!!

be safe first, shield surrounding area from heat and solder dripping. Use fine wire solder.
be careful and it will be fine
the op of this thread was able to do it- surely you can~

Practice with the extra wire, cut small pieces and join together- a few tries to get the technique and time to temp will make for a perfect connection on the real thing

KaMLuNg

iTrader: (5)

lolz... im not sure if it is matching wire... but it is copper wire... the wire in my 1st gen was very VERY small strands of wire encased in what look like a melted form of rubber that can generate heat from the electrical resistance... i think the heat is generated from the resistance in the current so i am just trying to spike the current with too large a wire...very weird... but i have the solder and the heat shrink...

my goal is to just get the current flowing back again safely, i can care less if the heat doesn't work on that 1cm section where it burned out and i replaced... just get the rest of the butt working...

totaledTL

4 strand wire? Each strand of that wire must be relatively large- you want equal gauge wire w/ many fine strands. It will last longer and take more stress as each strand bends in a slightly different place each time it's flexed. Clean the wire first and consider using flux (rosin core) to promote solder flow for a good strong joint. You want a high quality splice in there.

KaMLuNg

iTrader: (5)

but the wire coming off the heated seat looks like it is 30 gauge with many fine strands of 45 gauge... i don't know where i can find that...

01tl4tl

back to the speaker wire?

It has to be a match or you wont get the system working

totaledTL

30 ga. is very small- how are you measuring it? Get a wire stripper w/ individual holes that are marked w/ the gauge. It should be ok to use a larger gauge wire, but not smaller.

totaledTL

Well I finally tackled this job- I knew there was a reason I put it off- it's a real pain in the a**. Both elements in driver's seat had burnt open in a place that looks to receive a lot of stress- rather poor design. Cut out burnt sections and replaced- heater working now-
I think somebody already posted this- damn seat is heavy, get help moving it. I still scratched the door threshold area.

vtec260

Damn, my front bottom seat warmer died while the back one works fine. Why doesn't this happen in warmer weather. Now I have to fix this thing in 20 degree weather. I hope I can fix it with DIY as mentioned by OP. If this doesn't work, then time to go to the professional upholster. Can someone confirm what type of wires to buy at HD?

totaledTL

Wire is small, around 24 ga., check it with a quality wire stripper first. After repair check resistance, good element measured approx. 5 ohms in my case. If all else fails you can get aftermarket replacement elements of a better design for less @ www.heatedseats.com w/ free shipping.

vtec260

I noticed that today, in low setting, butt warmer does work, but at high setting, it doesn't. I thought if the wires were fried, then nothing worked. Any clue since low setting butt warmer works, whether I still need to fix the wires or issue to other electrical? Experts, please help me out. It's going to be freakin' cold in Canada soon.

totaledTL

Maybe the overtemp switch (in the butt element) is bad.

vtec260

Could you tell me if I have to take the seat off to replace or where else is it located?

Russell The Love Muscle

Mine didn't work when I bought my TL last month and I think that I am going to fix mine on this Sunday.

This may be obvious but I just thought I'd say to make sure you buy flux core solder! When I put a dvd player in my mr2 I didn't realize that the solder I was using wasn't flux core and after 10minutes of foul words because the solder wouldn't stick to the wires I figured it out.

Russell The Love Muscle

on my car neither the back or the butt work, when I replace the burnt wire does it fix both, or do I have to do something similar to the back?

totaledTL

You'll have to remove the seat. It's not bad, 4 bolts & 2 connectors. The elements are completely separate (butt & back). You'll need to inspect each one separately for opens if you're getting power but no heat. There's a short DIY on here somewhere w/ a few pics.

vtec260

Driver's side: low-both back and butt section heats up. High-only back heats up.

I phoned the dealer and they think it's the on/off switch since it's not working on high setting. Anyone with my problem confirm it's the switch? How hard would it be to change the switch? They quoted $100 for part only without labor. I would probably tackle labor myself if it is the switch.

substanger

Another tip for SOME of you who may be tipping the scales at 200 pounds or more, about repairing your heated seat elements...lose some weight. The majority of the heated seat repairs that I made when working for the dealership were for people who were overweight and caused one or more of the wires in the element to separate which is what causes the burned wire. Not the case for all, but most repairs.

Shocker0316

i need to do this to both seats!! is there another DIY with more pictures?!

totaledTL

vtec260: Somewhere on here is a link to all the schematics. Find that & use it to identify the wires and check your switch first.

acuraspeed604

i never knew the backrest heated up 2 my driver side is out my passenger works cus my g/f has a jelly butt but i dont think the backrest heats up on that either if the backrest was burnt on the passenger side wouldnt the butt warmer not work either cant you get an aftermarket warmer and install that

Russell The Love Muscle

The passenger seat doesn't have a warmer for the back; only the butt

vtec260

I don't know what happened, but my seat heater is working again on high. Cross my fingers and it stays that way. I dread taking the seat out and going through the hassle.

Russell The Love Muscle

Does anyone know which plug I test for power on the driver seat?

totaledTL

Trace the wires from the elements to the underseat plugs, easy to find.

kzak

I did this seat heater fix this weekend and took some photos. I also posted more details at my blog. Overall, I didn't think this fix was too difficult, but it was time consuming for me (about 3 hours). I am not an automotive expert (mechanically speaking), but I also think $300 is a reasonable price to pay to have it repaired by a professional.

Hope this is helpful to others.

totaledTL

Same place where one of my elements was burnt. Prob. a lot of stress in that crease where the metal rod is. Good pics.

Tennozan

Excellent pics. It looks like the 2 wires that go from the butt to the back portions are the places that take the most stress. Every time we sit down, those 2 are taking the impact of the weight - and probably could've been better designed with a longer wire & more "uncoil" distance to deal with the weight factor
Gonna add this to my list of TTD (things to do ) for the drivers seat; passenger side is fine.

tlzib

F..k this, I scratched the hell out my door even being as careful as possible. Finally got the leather off but how the hell do you get the middle of the leather off that has a steel rod going threw the how clips? If the answer is take hog clips out its nearly impossible to get in there. I tried unfolding the end of the rod to slide off but is that metal hard ass crap i cant even bend it.

totaledTL

Just cut the HOG rings with some good side cutters, then replace them when you're finished. Watch out for the pieces that can fly out when you cut them. Get new ones at an upholstery shop, or try a craft or fabric store.

tlzib

What switch would that be? Cause now im having the same problem except everything works but the forward and backward. I know 3 connectors are in the right place maybe under the seat. This whole thing has been nothing a disaster for me the heated seat doesnt even work along with scratching the plastic piece by the door, now the forward and rear of the seat wont work. I figured whats the point of the copper so i just stripped the ends soldered them together and wrapped with electrical tape. Any help would be much appreciated.

totaledTL

The switch on the side of the seat, used to move it fore/aft, up/dn. Had same issue- it's possible to plug 2 of the connectors in the wrong spots (the one at the rear of the switch & the one to the seat back recline motor). Just swap them. Not sure what you mean by 'whats the point of the copper'- ? My elements measured approx. 5 ohms ea. when repaired. Check them with a meter before you close it up.

tlzib

Dam i already got everything back in the car. I didn't ohm check nothing just soldered both burnt ends back together. The 3 cables that go to the switch can only be put in one way cause the length of one of the cables is to short to be swapped. The back of the seat goes forward and back and the bar only moves the seat up and down not forward and back. I tried switching them with no luck, should i look under the seat?

totaledTL

There are only 2 cables to the switch. As I mentioned, the 2 that can be reversed are: 1) the one that plugs into the rear of the switch, and 2) the one that plugs into the seat back motor. Those 2 are close together. Unsure what you mean by 'bar-- ?
Probably just need to dbl. check your connections. Do the heaters work?

tlzib

I was talking about the bar or switch that moves the seat forward and backward. That function does not work, but everything else does. In the pic below the 3 wires that go to the switch cant be swapped cause 2 wires are on one side of the harness which in turn makes impossible to switch those around.


Now in this pic with the plug that's circled i cant find any extra wires that would go there. I was so mad at this hole thing i didn't mark all the wires. Is there even a wire that goes there to begin with? When I disconnected the battery I had the seat pushed all the way up so I cant even really drive till i get this worked out. My apologizes if im making this hard but iv never been so frustrated working on a car. Iv checked and checked all the connections and everything seems fine but that one empty plug. Also the seat does heat up i drove it around last night, but did not feel the back heating up and also it does get has hot as before or maybe im tripping because its been a while since that thing worked.

totaledTL

Only 2 of those connectors in that 1st pic go to the side switch (one of them circled).
As far as I recall every connector had something plugged into it- maybe when you had the seat cushion up one of them got trapped somehow & you just don't see it. I must've had more than one open in my seat back element bec. it still didn't work after I repaired the burnt area I found so I just replaced that one. There is a thread on here somewhere w/ the wiring diagram. If you can't find it PM me and I'll email it to you if you want it. Good luck.

tlzib

Anyone have the wiring diagram?

Russell The Love Muscle

I did mine today, it took about 2.5 hrs and I had everything that I needed so it dind't cost me a dime! Although my back isn't heating, but the but gets warm in about a minute. I will pull it out once spring comes around since it was 8degrees when I did mine...

vtec260

I took the courage to fix it today. It took about 4 hours to start to finish, including some trial and error. I would like to thank everyone for pics and opinions in fixing this common problem.

1) Disconnected battery and waited about 10 minutes. Didn't want to trigger any warning light for the side air bag as suggested in the thread.
2) Took 4 bolts holding the seat rail to the frame of the car.
3) Removed the seat and took it inside the house as -15C isn't terribly warm to work inside the garage. The seat is heavy, but I put some old blanket by the door sill to prevent marring.
4) Disconnected some motors, connectors, etc. under the seat and took about a dozen hog rings holding the seat in place. I took pix of the connectors and made note with a sharpie to make sure I didn't miss anything when re-connecting. Better to be safe.
5) After peeling the bottom leather, one wire connecting from thigh to butt portion of heating element was fried where there are a lot of bending and stress from getting in and out of the car. Went to Home Depot and picked up some flexible stranded wires for $0.97/meter (18 gauge, lamp wire) and went on to solder the fried part. I did the other wire as well since it looked like it didn't have a lot of life. Used electric tape to tidy up.
6) Put the seat back in place and hooked everything back in reverse and it heated up nice and quick as before.

I have been lazy/hesitant to do this job, but when it got cold out and your butt feels like sitting on frozen ice block, this job became a necessity.

Taking off all those hog rings without proper tools made it a bit of challenge but it wasn't too bad. Unfortunately, I had the power seat connectors reversed (anxious to finish up and didn't take my time) so I had to take the seat apart to re-do it. All in all, it was worth 4 hours of my time and spent 97 cents. Woot!