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Factory heated seat switch

Agreen

NAXJA Forum User
Location
Charleston
I snagged this switch a couple years ago and finally got around to installing it in my 98. I can't remember what year it came from though, but it's at least a 97-01. It seems like the switch doesn't quite fit right. I pulled the ashtray out and tried to pop it in, then noticed 2 little tabs underneath that don't seem to line up with anything on my console. I even tried carving out a spot for them to fit but it didn't seem to help. I'm not even sure it's compatible at this point. The latches at the very bottom don't grab like I figured they would.

I can't seem to find much info on the factory heated seat option. I guess most people aren't too concerned with luxuries.

I'll post some pics later.
 




These are the tabs that I was referring to (the ones by my dirty thumb nail). I had to notch the console a little to get them to fit.





Dang this thing is dirtyyyy

 
Man I really hate photo hosting sites these days.

I hope this works

2jBr9Sh


2jBnEYE


2jBrWSV
 
I put heated seats in my '00 that did not come with them.
Getting the ashtray out was a bear.
Putting the switches in was a piece of cake.
I am looking at my pictures of the install.
And my console appears to look different then yours.
I don't have any really good pictures showing it though.
But I have a theory.
So '99 was the first year of the heated seats in an XJ.
Thinking the console is slightly different in this area so they can put in the switch bezel in when the Jeep is optioned with heated seats.
I don't have a third parts picture posting thing, refuse to get one, but if you go here:

https://www.cherokeeforum.com/f59/what-did-you-do-your-cherokee-today-145940/index6085/#post3563481

And look at Post# 91265 you can see the shot I do have.
I can't tell if the big slot is wider or longer then yours but don't think it is.
What I do see is that little notch at the 6 O'Clock position.
Where you modded your console.
So I think you are on the right track just need a little more work done there.
 
Oh I have a question too.
What exactly are you doing?
Are you putting in factory heated seats from a '99 and up in?
Or are you trying to use the switches with aftermarket seat heaters?
Cause if the latter I am curious about that.
The crappy thing about heated seats in an XJ is that it is not a heating pad.
It is a wire actually sewn into the seat cover.
So sometimes the wire can be repaired when they stop working.
Sometimes not.
My guess is that when the heated seat covers were still available from Jeep that
instead of fixing the wire they replaced the whole seat cover.
So I have been wondering about using an aftermarket set up with factory switches.
See with factory heated seats it is more then wiring and switches.
On the passenger side power seat base there is something called a SHIM.
Seat Heater Interface Module. Also a relay.
On top of that incorporated in the wiring of the seat cover is what I believe they call a thermistor.
Best I can tell temperature sending unit of sorts.
Also so you know heated seat switches are always lit up.
The illumination for the symbols.
Even when the headlights are not on.
 
I'll have to keep massaging things until it works. I really don't want to have to resort to screws underneath, but it's just not snapping in like I thought it would. And man, I really need to clean that thing up some before getting pictures. I didn't realize how gross it was.

So it's still summer in SC, so I haven't put a whole lot of thought into how I'm going to make the heaters work, bit my general plan was to use heated pads from Amazon and toss them under the seat skins. I don't want leather, but I've had heated seats before and they're really nice. Especially for soothing that aching back after a shit day of work.

I think I'm just going to use the switches to control a relay. Hopefully the heating pads come with a separate temperature control circuit. Like I said, I really haven't looked into it too hard yet, but I can't see it being that difficult to make it drive a relay.
 
I kinda thought it was something like that.
Will be very interested in your progress.
Specifics too.
What heated pads you bought. Etc.
Please. LOL.
I had two ideas.
First one was what you want to do.
One was to use the whole aftermarket set up. Harness and all but just replace the switch with the factory one.
Second idea was to just use the heating pad itself with the factory wiring, switches, etc.
My seats work fine at the moment so I have not gotten around to playing with either of these ideas.
 
Hey Saudade, quote the post just above the one you quoted. You'll see that I did that and they don't work! I've been using forums for almost 20 years. Phot hosting sites have just gone terrible. I'll give Imgur a shot.
 
Anyway

Ralph77, I looked into wiring diagrams and found something really neat. I was wondering how to go about making hi/low work on this thing. It's pretty simple. In high, wire them (back and seat heaters) to come on in parallel. That way you get full voltage in each branch circuit. Since their resistances are both equal, you get the same (higher) current for each pad. However, to get LO you would wire them in series. Since they are getting half voltage each, they also get half of the current. That also means that each heater pad (in series) is only getting 25% of the power (watts) they would in parallel.

IMG_4457.PNG.70802c19705b227862a5c935a1fa8275.PNG


I'll get it all figured out and make it simple. And probably before it starts getting cold. I hate a cold butt.
 
OK.
Thinking I should have told you one more thing.
Of all the things I am bad at electrical tops the list.
So all of what you wrote above went right over my head. LOL.
But I have a friend who is really good with the stuff so I will show him what you figured out.
He will most likely understand it and explain it to me. MLOL.
If this could get figured out it would be awesome.

I am big on the factory look. But underneath where you can't see don't really care.
Example would be my "factory fog lights".
My Jeep did not come with them. I bought aftermarket factory fogs. Used a factory switch. But wired them up like aftermarket. Even grabbed connectors for the fogs off a headlight harness. So it looks factory up front, in the passenger compartment, and is more plug and play. Which I am OK with.

Like I said the factory heated seats are a bad design IMO.
I have scoffed extra parts just to try ways to figure something out.
I have an extra wiring harness for the heated seats.
I also have pig tails for the switches.
I even have extra heated seats that are in really crappy condition.

Oh I forgot to tell you my other 2 bad ideas.
I want to try and find a heating pad from a WJ. I know the connector to my existing wiring harness is probably not the same but would like to confirm this for sure.
Also I think ZJ could have heated seats. Curious as to how those are set up.

And last make my own heating pad. Take the wiring out of one of the crappy heated seats and use the thermistor and connectors. Would like to replace the wiring but can't seem to get a handle on what kind of wire is used in heated seats. Figure it is not just some thin gauge wire but......

zluster here is also putting heated seats in his MJ. But he replaced the interior in that with a newer Jeep interior so I am also curious as to how he plans to do his install.

https://www.naxja.org/forum/showthread.php?p=246702636#post246702636
 
Hey Saudade, quote the post just above the one you quoted. You'll see that I did that and they don't work! I've been using forums for almost 20 years. Phot hosting sites have just gone terrible. I'll give Imgur a shot.

No worries. Unless you pay for PB, they tightly restrict what you can do. Oddly, clicking the blank photo takes you to the page with the pic. I abandoned PB a while back

Flickr has a similar feature.
 
I just carved the notches out more on the sides. It doesn't seem like it locked in place though. It's not coming out easily either, so I'm ok with it.

Something I noticed in the electrical diagram for the 2000 xj last night is that the switch isn't just a simple open/closed switch. It sends different voltages to the Seat Heater Interface Module (SHIM) which is located inside (from what I gather) the passenger seat. It says on the diagram "mux", which stands for "multiplexer". That just means things can get complicated with the factory switch.

Again, I'll get it figured out and make it simple.

Also, I'm using harbor freight fog lights and the factory switch as well.
 
I just carved the notches out more on the sides. It doesn't seem like it locked in place though. It's not coming out easily either, so I'm ok with it.

Something I noticed in the electrical diagram for the 2000 xj last night is that the switch isn't just a simple open/closed switch. It sends different voltages to the Seat Heater Interface Module (SHIM) which is located inside (from what I gather) the passenger seat. It says on the diagram "mux", which stands for "multiplexer". That just means things can get complicated with the factory switch.

Again, I'll get it figured out and make it simple.

Also, I'm using harbor freight fog lights and the factory switch as well.

That was kinda of the thing when I buddy looked at the schematic. He is pretty good with this stuff but even he was a little confused. Said he thinks there are diodes in the switch but was not sure.

The SHIM is a white box that is attached to the passenger power seat base.

At that link I posted earlier scroll down to Post # 91275.
You can see the SHIM and the relay I was talking about on the seat base.
 
Well I'll keep an eye out for another one with heated seats. It's been a long time since I found that one in the JY, and I didn't know about this switch and how it wasn't just regular contacts in there. Maybe I can crack it open and do some sort of modification? I'll see what I can come up with.
 
Also, I haven't seen one since. That was at least 2 years ago! I just ran across one today with an overhead console, so I got the stuff for that to go into mine. I also found an '88 with a factory skid plate set, so I grabbed the front one. The rear wouldn't match my 98, but the front one seems to be in good enough shape!

Slowly, I'm making this the most highly optioned XJ ever haha
 
I put all 3 skids on my '00 that did not come with them.
My understanding is that the '96 and down gas skid will fit with some modification.
Or so I have read.

What year is the overhead from? I have a little experience with this. Put one from a '99 into my '00. The year determines how plug and play it is.
Did you get the wiring harness and bracket?
The connectors on the harness that plug into the Junction Box area vary a little from year to year,
Also the lighted visors that run off that same harness.
Some are on one wire with an internal ground. Up to and including '99 I believe.
'00 and '01 are 2 wire with an external ground.
So to keep it more plug and play I used the visors from the '99.
Which fortunately I did grab too.
The wiring for the ambient temp sensor appears to be up front in all '97 and up XJ's.
But there is a weird little harness attached to it that the ambient temp sensor plugs into.
Did you get that too?

You are going to have a tough time beating me on the "most highly optioned XJ ever". LOL.

Little back story. '00 bought about 7 years ago kinda running and not really driveable.
Nothing crazy. Neglected not beat on. Was just going to be a simple little refresh.
Fairly basic Sport. PW, door locks, heated mirrors, etc.

Then I got it in my head to turn it into a Limited/Up Country/Police Version/European Orvis Clone.

Put in the front fogs, cruise control, all 3 skids, front and rear tow hooks, heated/power leather seats. Limited fake wood grain trim (door panels and radio bezel), 4 slot switch bezel with an Ext Idle switch, factory running boards, Mopar mud flaps, overhead, cheesy tarp like cargo cover that those years came with, etc. Probably forgetting a couple things.

Things in the works or things I want to do.
Factory spare tire sub, Infinity Sound System (have the tweeters in though), rear seat head rests like European Versions, factory towing package, Up Country Suspension, 8.25 rear with the factory LSD, etc. Probably forgetting a couple things here too.

Also my Jeep came with the 6 CD changer and the enclosure in the back. My understanding is that is a dealer installed accessory. Guess the original owner, I am the third owner I believe, had it installed.

So if you want the "most highly optioned XJ ever" you have your work cut out for you.
I have set the bar pretty high. MLOL.

But my XJ is strictly a DD. I am older and my days of thrashing around out there are long over.
So a bunch of the stuff I am running does not matter. Mud Flaps and factory running boards for instance.
Wheeling a Jeep with that stuff would just result in you ripping it off at some point. EMLOL.
 
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