Seat heater stopped working

kushaballz · Post by **kushaballz** » 19 Jan 2005, 12:48

My seat heater doesn't work and also blew out the light bulb for the switch. None of the fuses are blown. Can you help??

Car-
1985 Volvo 240 DL
Station Wagon
Auto. Transmission
B230F Engine
Fuel Injected

Thanks in advance

LaRy · Post by **LaRy** » 19 Jan 2005, 13:37

Very often the resistance cable is broken. It has been bended so may times while sitting so after some years it is burned off. Maybe it even has got some connection to ground. In almost all cases it is the heat element you are sitting on, not in the back. Try to find the electrical connector to the chair. Check the resistance between the wires going to the chair. It should be something like 50 ohm. Probably it is an open circuit. Take out the chair. Disconnect the wires so you can check the resistance in the seat and back. It is probably broken in the seat. Take off the apolstry, it is not really difficult, just a lot of metallic clamps to open. Then you will see that the wire is burned off somewhere, it use to be some burnmarks in the foam. Just solder it together again. maybe you have to add a short wire over the damaged area. Insulate, and it is working as new. Put the apolstry back again, sometimes plastic strips can be more simple to use than using the origin metallic clamps.

kushaballz · Post by **kushaballz** » 19 Jan 2005, 14:48

First off, Thanks for your detailed response. That sounds a bit overwhelming from my point of view, but I guess thats what you have to do. I think that i'll end up leaving the heated seat unheated for now due to the extent of the work needed to be done and the 6 degree weather. Is there a way which you could keep the chair in the car and only take off enough upolstry to get access to the heating element and repair it from there? Thanks again for your quick response. I really do appreciate it.

LaRy · Post by **LaRy** » 20 Jan 2005, 09:58

You must take the seat out, it is only four bolts holding the seatrails to the floor and 2 electrical connectors, one for seat heat and one for the safety belt indication lamp switch. Before doing anything else, check that you really have 12 volt all the way to this heat circuit connector.
The seat is out within 20 minutes. To repair a car in 6 degrees Celcius, that is almost summer for a Swede and no mosquitos. Perfect conditions!
Maybe it sounds difficult to take off the upholstery and get it back, but it is actually much easier than you expect and it is no problem to make it look good again. I use to put the seat upside down and start open it in the rear and bend the upholtery forward. The heat is healthy for your back, it should be working! That is why this was more ore less a standard in our cold climate already in the middle of the -70'

kushaballz · Post by **kushaballz** » 20 Jan 2005, 12:53

Oh I meant that it is 6

Gilles from Richmond Hill · Post by **Gilles from Richmond Hill** » 02 Feb 2005, 14:12

I have a 1997 V90 and just removed the passenger seat (it was 1