Heated Seats

[Mr. Flibble]

Then it was time to break out the Zap Straps/Zip Ties. Note in this photo my aftermarket ties vs the crappy ones that come with the kit. Don't even bother using the ones that come with the seat kits. Get a set from Canadian tire and use those.

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Next, make certain those holes from the hog rings are large enough to accept some decent zap straps. Pictured here is the screwdriver I was trying to use, but a combination of a knife and a turkey fork worked better. (I really recommend you use an awl for this).

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Then start adding the zap straps:

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Get them all in place and tighten them down.

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Then fold down the little piece of covering on the seat and they will be hidden from view!

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Then, move forward with the wiring. I have not had the chance to actually finish this off yet. However, if you are upgrading/replacing your old seats, you can probably wire your current seat elements into the heated seat wiring under your existing seats:

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If you did not already have heated seats, then wire the kit into an existing 12 volt power supply. When I did the jeep, I wired both seats into the same power supply as the cigarette lighter. To place the switches, I used a stepped drill bit to drill the holes in the plastic to ensure that the holes were even, in the right place and the plastic did not crack when drilling.

This completes the installation of the seat elements, and as you can see, you don't actually have to remove the seats from the L400 to install heated seat elements if you don't want to given how easy it is to slide elements in under the current seat covers.

When I get time to update the wiring I will do so, but this should be more than enough information for those on the forum to figure out how to get it done!

[jessef]

Great write up!

Can you measure the amp draw from cold-start-heated-max?

[Mr. Flibble]

Great write up!

Can you measure the amp draw from cold-start-heated-max?

Yes, I will find my meter (where ever I put it) and test this and upload the results.


My seat kit for my Mom's car arrived. I will be installing this in her Corolla over Christmas.

This is the "Generic" set, the same one I installed in the Jeep, so $50 for the entire kit (per seat).

These are photos from what you get in one $50 kit:

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Notice that I have the element on the right "upside down". Those shiny patches are the sticky tape already attached to the bottom of the seat. So, unlike the red waterproof ones I installed in my Delica, these ones come with the sticky tape already.

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You can see the wiring harness, "silver tape" and zap straps that come with the kit.

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Here you can see the relay, the switch and the wires you need to hook up. Notice you only need to hook up two! So, it is a really simple job. Of course, it is a good idea to hook up the fuse that comes with the kit, but depending on what you are hooking into, you might not need the fuse if there is one already set up in your source. (Like an original set of heated seats).

[jessef]

looks great. waiting on the amp draw

Have a white Safari coming in that may/may not have heated seats. If not, then I'll go this route.

[CREGAN]

looks great. waiting on the amp draw

Have a white Safari coming in that may/may not have heated seats. If not, then I'll go this route.

I totally appreciate the pictures and write up! I am definately going to be doing this...in the summer. Way to cold to be fiddle farting with the van right now! Anyway - just to hi-jack a little, Jesse is that the one in your signature? We need more pictures! It looks pretty posh.

Craig

[Mr. Flibble]

looks great. waiting on the amp draw

Have a white Safari coming in that may/may not have heated seats. If not, then I'll go this route.

Are there places where I could rent an inductive meter? I don't want to let all the factory installed smoke out of my multimeter, I believe that these elements operate at 5-6 Amps when on high. My meter can only handle 2 amps...

[Mr. Flibble]

Ok, so over Christmas I installed a heated seat for my Mom in her Toyota Corolla. Since I don't have photos of the wiring setup in the Delica; As I have not actually wired in the heat elements in my van This is because keeping my girlfriend and my Mom warm is more important than me being warm!

I got some photos of the install in my Mom's car, as extra info is always good, and I included the wiring job for the cigarette lighter and switch.

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here you can see the hole I made in the seat and how I pulled the zap straps through. There is a "rail" in the foam of the seat, and a "rail" in the fabric of the seat. In the Toyota, there are 3 of these so you have to be clever about how you attach the seat. You replace each hog ring you cut with a zip tie. Take extra care to fully snug down the zip ties. This is quite important. Failure to do so will leave lumps in the seat, or have the person in the seat feel the rails in their butt!

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You should pay mind to the order in which you tighten them down so you don't have to make more work for yourself, then snip off the free ends. It also helps to pay attention to which direction the tie is facing and which direction you will be able to pull from! Where this direction is depends on your seat! But in general, try to keep the "tails" of the straps pointing inwards to the seat.

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Some seats have more hog rings than others! I am glad I only needed to cut 4 when doing the Delica!

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Next, figure out where you want the switch to go. Make certain it will work there before you drill! I used a stepped drill bit as you can see from the photo. This gave the best fit and the most exact location of the hole I was drilling. I did not show much of the routing of the wire along the center console as this will vary for every vehicle, suffice to say, I stuffed the wiring harness under the area where the ebrake and shifter knob resides, ensuring that the wiring got to the dashboard area.

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Next, I test fit the switch. Fortunately, this switch has a modular connector in it so that you can detach it from the harness, then route it through the hole properly.

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Make certain to leave the relay and the seat connectors near the seat itself when you get the wires in place!

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I pulled off the dashboard bits in the Toyota to expose the lighter, I pulled the wires through to where I needed them with a bit of string. Not the best job tying the wires, but then the routing was really simple, so no need to get extravagant in ensuring that the string did not fall off the wires.

[Mr. Flibble]

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The wires next to the lighter...

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For this next step, DISCONNECT THE BATTERY!
This is where we actually do some electrical wiring, so disconnect yer battery!

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I totally forget what these crimp connectors are called, but this is what I used. I did take care to ensure I knew which part of the lighter was positive, and which was negative. (TIP, the center of the lighter is positive, the outside shroud is negative).

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Double check your wiring work here. Make certain the crimper is in the right place, and the supporting wire is going to be crimped properly here as well...

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When you are absolutely certain it is where you want it, crimp it, fold over the plastic bit after crimping to hold everything in place. (Black is negative naturally.)

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Repeat for the other lead. (Positive in this case).

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Now, connect the wires under the seat.

[Mr. Flibble]

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Attach the relay in a good location under the seat. Pro-tip! Take into consideration what the seat will be doing as it moves forward and back for different sized people in the seat! Ensure that moving the seat forwards or backwards does not cause wires to become unplugged or ripped out by the movement of the seat!

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With that in mind, secure the wires as seems best to your seat type.

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Reconnect your battery, then start your vehicle and test the switch and heated elements... Hopefully it works!

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Test both modes, Hot and Warm...

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Then put glue beneath the collar of the switch so you can mount it in place. Here I used black shoe-goo. Not what I would prefer, but as it was all that I had on hand when doing this switch, it is what got used. (I would normally use epoxy or krazy glue).

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Press the switch into place, clean up any extra glue that has come out of the sides now, as you don't want that to set looking like this!

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Once the glue dries, you are done! The only evidence of your work should be a working heated seat switch. Enjoy the hot seat!

[jessef]

awesome detailed write up

do you leave the blue dual crimpers unshielded or wrap them?

[Mr. Flibble]

awesome detailed write up

do you leave the blue dual crimpers unshielded or wrap them?

I used to tape over those kind of crimpers, but not anymore. I have found that they cover the wires quite well, and there is a greater risk of the additional wire pulling out of the crimp than there is shorting the wire.

I might be able to figure out the draw for you with a resistance measurement of the seats, but it will take me a bit to get everything setup; unless I can find an inductive meter in the meantime.

[Pokey]

I put heated seats in my van and my wifes car over the winter. She kept leaving them on, and killed the battery twice. So I wired the seat heat switch relay to get signal power from the car stereo amp remote out... So the seats only work if the radio is on. Ha ha, at least they don't get left on. I believe the Delica cigarette lighter is always powered, so it will kill your battery if seats are left on. Low tech solution.

[Mr. Flibble]

I put heated seats in my van and my wifes car over the winter. She kept leaving them on, and killed the battery twice. So I wired the seat heat switch relay to get signal power from the car stereo amp remote out... So the seats only work if the radio is on. Ha ha, at least they don't get left on. I believe the Delica cigarette lighter is always powered, so it will kill your battery if seats are left on. Low tech solution.

Is it always powered in the L300's? I am fairly certain it comes on only with the ignition in my L400.

One of my longer term plans is to add a blue sea fuse block and wire all my extra electronics into it.