Heated Seat Works Momentarily

[typhon]

there is nothing quite like a cool, crisp night, cruising with the windows down and the sunroof open. the moon is shining bright in the dark sky and the sound of my (still stock, but not for long) porsche engine is intoxicating. the chill in the air is invigorating for a short time. i press the switch for my heated seat and it activates for about 30 seconds and shuts off. i try it again...same result. i try the low heat setting and it stays on a little longer, but eventually shuts off after about 3 minutes.

i think the problem might be the relay, but if so would the heating element activate at all?

is there a thermostat that could be overheating? passenger side is working fine.

thanks for any suggestions!

[1schoir]

there is nothing quite like a cool, crisp night, cruising with the windows down and the sunroof open. the moon is shining bright in the dark sky and the sound of my (still stock, but not for long) porsche engine is intoxicating. the chill in the air is invigorating for a short time. i press the switch for my heated seat and it activates for about 30 seconds and shuts off. i try it again...same result. i try the low heat setting and it stays on a little longer, but eventually shuts off after about 3 minutes.

i think the problem might be the relay, but if so would the heating element activate at all?

is there a thermostat that could be overheating? passenger side is working fine.

thanks for any suggestions!

Typhon:

The best way to narrow this down without spending any $$$ unecessarily would be to first try to swap the driver's side switch with the passenger's side switch.

If you get no change, try the same with the relay under the seat. Note that the only difference between the driver's side relay and the passenger's side relay is the way the metal mounting bracket is mounted to the side of the plastic housing on the relay (one is a mirror image of the other).

If I had to guess which one of these two steps might yield a culprit, I would say it's the relay.

If it is one of the relays, the part number is printed on the side of the black plastic housing. Here is what it looks like:

(This is from my Boxster, but I believe it's the same for 996/997)

Regards, Maurice.

[Hunnicuttz]

Where is the relay located under the seat? I looked under my drivers seat and it didnt stand out to me. Do you have to take the seat out of the car? My car is a 03 996 C2.

[Loren]

"Do you have to take the seat out of the car?" Yes.

[Dharn55]

This site might help.

http://dennisvogel.com/heatedseats/index.html

Shows all the wiring and relays, locations, etc. The only difference between the Boxster and the 996 is the location of the switches. I used this to put heated seats in my cab. Good luck!

[1schoir]

Where is the relay located under the seat? I looked under my drivers seat and it didnt stand out to me. Do you have to take the seat out of the car? My car is a 03 996 C2.

I have replaced a relay with both methods. Once taking the seat completely out of the car, and another by just unbolting the four bolts that hold the seat rails down and then leaning the seat bottom back, supporting it at the front with a block of wood.

If you do take the seat out, be careful not to scratch the door sill with the bottoms of the seat rail brackets.

Regards, Maurice.

[Hunnicuttz]

Where is the relay located under the seat? I looked under my drivers seat and it didnt stand out to me. Do you have to take the seat out of the car? My car is a 03 996 C2.

I have replaced a relay with both methods. Once taking the seat completely out of the car, and another by just unbolting the four bolts that hold the seat rails down and then leaning the seat bottom back, supporting it at the front with a block of wood.

If you do take the seat out, be careful not to scratch the door sill with the bottoms of the seat rail brackets.

Regards, Maurice.

Thanks guys! I will give this a try on my day off this week. My passenger heated seat works but the driver side went out so hopefully its just the relay. I check the switch and its working fine.

[Dharn55]

Disconnect the battery before you take the seat out or you will end up with the dreaded Airbag light and need the Porsche tool or a Durametric to turn it off.