Flashing seat warmer light

[JeTexas]

I was detailing my 99 C2 Cabriolet this afternoon, and after washing it, I pulled it into the garage and noticed the light on the driver-side seat warmer switch was flashing yellow. It continued to flash yellow until I turned the car off. When I restarted the car, it stopped, but the switch doesn't seem to be working now.

I'm guessing a flashing switch light means it's broken?

[1schoir]

I was detailing my 99 C2 Cabriolet this afternoon, and after washing it, I pulled it into the garage and noticed the light on the driver-side seat warmer switch was flashing yellow. It continued to flash yellow until I turned the car off. When I restarted the car, it stopped, but the switch doesn't seem to be working now.

I'm guessing a flashing switch light means it's broken?

Try swapping the switches (good passenger side one with the one that is now not working on the driver's side).

If that doesn't cure the problem, and your seat does not heat up, then your problem is most likely in the seat heater relay. That relay is located under the seat, about halfway back along one side of the seat cushion.

If that is your problem, I can post photos of its exact location and part numbers (I don't have them in this computer).

Regards, Maurice.

[JeTexas]

Try swapping the switches (good passenger side one with the one that is now not working on the driver's side).

If that doesn't cure the problem, and your seat does not heat up, then your problem is most likely in the seat heater relay. That relay is located under the seat, about halfway back along one side of the seat cushion.

If that is your problem, I can post photos of its exact location and part numbers (I don't have them in this computer).

Regards, Maurice.

The switch tested functional.

Could you post the photo? I was digging between the seat cushions a bit when I was wiping down the leather, and I wonder if I could have bumped/broken something.

[1schoir]

Try swapping the switches (good passenger side one with the one that is now not working on the driver's side).

If that doesn't cure the problem, and your seat does not heat up, then your problem is most likely in the seat heater relay. That relay is located under the seat, about halfway back along one side of the seat cushion.

If that is your problem, I can post photos of its exact location and part numbers (I don't have them in this computer).

Regards, Maurice.

The switch tested functional.

Could you post the photo? I was digging between the seat cushions a bit when I was wiping down the leather, and I wonder if I could have bumped/broken something.

JeTexas:

Here is a photo of the actual seat heater relay. The blue arrow is pointing to the metal bracket, the yellow arrow is pointing to the electrical connector that must be pulled off the body of the relay:

Since your passenger's side seat heater is working fine, the first (also costs no $$) place to start is by swapping the passenger's side relay into where the driver's side relay is now connected and see if that resolves the problem.

The relays themselves are identical, and this will give you a definitive diagnosis before you go out and buy a new one. (Part # below and will be printed on the side of your relay).

The relays are located near the outboard sides of the seat bottoms, about halfway between the front and the rear of the seat bottoms. The relays are black, about 2 inches tall by 1 inch by 1 inch and have the part # 996 618 521 00 stamped in white lettering on them.

You can start by removing the driver's and passenger side relays from their mounting point, where they are attached to the seat frame by a black plastic rivet.

Start with the passenger's seat. The seats can be unbolted from the car's floor by unscrewing the four bolts that hold it in place. Two bolts in front (one on each rail) and two bolts at the back. They are torx bolts, but you can use a fine 10mm (1/4" drive) socket to remove the bolts. There is no need to take the seats out completely. (Although it is possible to take the seats out and put them down right next to the door sills while they are still connected, it's unwieldy, you need a lot of room to have the two doors wide open and you run the risk of scratching your door sills, etc.)

Just undo the four bolts and lean each seat back. Stick a small block of wood under the inboard side (closest to the center console) of the seat bottom at the front and you will be able to easily access the black plastic rivet that holds the metal bracket that is pressed into the side of the relay onto the seat frame. Now push the plastic pin in the middle of the plastic rivet towards the seat cushion and it (the pin) will fall into the foam rubber. You can then retrieve it and re-use it.

The advantage of not taking the seats completely out is that you don't have to disconnect the main connector under the seats and thus eliminate the possibility of setting off your airbag light. If you want to take the seats out, make sure that the ignition is off and the key is out of the ignition and don't turn it back on until you have completely re-assembled everything.

Once you remove the relay from under the passenger's seat, go to the driver's side and merely unplug the connector that is plugged into that relay and just swap the relays (i.e., at this point there will be no relay under the passenger's seat and two relays under the driver's seat, with the original passenger's seat relay connected there and dangling, and the original driver's seat relay disconnected but still mounted on the seat rail.

One last point, the relays themselves are identical between the passenger's side and the driver's side. The small metal bracket that is pressed into the side of the relay housing is the only slight difference. That bracket is mounted as a mirror image to itself (on the two housings) between the passenger's and the driver's side.

Good luck!

Regards, Maurice.

[JeTexas]

Thanks so much Maurice. I'll test this and report back.