i love heated seats and finally got around to ordering a set for the MC, i got the switches installed but thats it so far,

anyone know where a good acc/switched power location is? would like to tie into the fatcory seat warmer supply but need to find it, is it going to be in the dash or under the seats? i have installed one of these sets in my dakota but ran it off a relay switched with the cigrette lighter, and will do the same if i have to but just trying to save a little work on the wiring, and after looking it up, they will only pull a max of 10 amps


here is the switches

 

There isn't any wire inside the cab that will give you steady power without blowing a fuse... your best bet is to do it off of a relay...

 

i dissagree....

but just spent some time studing the diagrams, and looks like there is a switched and fused 20a output for the lower console power outlet, witch i dont use, so i will will tie in there, unless i find another suitable place,

i checked on the factory seat warmer wiring, but its main power feed is unswitched, and the factory switch acts like a relay and is switched by the insturment cluster of all things, so without the factory switch, the wiring is useless for this applcation

 

this may be completely old news, but there is some really good info here, including complete wiring diagrams -----> http://www.rambodybuilder.com/yearold.pdf

 

Just check that the seat warmer wont exceed the 20A draw... usually they are between 5-10A per seat depending on the size of the heating coils.

Switches generally do not act the same way a relay does, and are not usually rated for as high an Amperage as a relay, so just make sure all of the components you intend to use are rated correctly.

 

Awesome link btw.

 

thanks for watching out, and you are correct, but i am by no means a noob either when it comes to electrical of any kind

the manf. isn't verry clear on total power draw, they claim to have a max of 30 watt draw per pad, but technically there are 2 pads per seat, so if it is 4 pads @ 30 watts each, gives me a total maximum draw of 10 amps total for both seats, so it should be in the clear on the power outlet circuit

and the factory seat heater circuit is way more complicated than it needs to be, and yes, does act like a relay, but needs 2 inputs to turn it on, 1 it needs you to push the switch, and 2 it will only turn the warmers on if its told to do so buy the insturment cluster, witch is why they will not turn on unless the engine is running and why they reset to off every time you turn the key off/on

 

That is correct if your truck outputs EXACTLY 12VDC... but in reality your power will fluctuate between 12VDC and 16VDC... which is good because then you will see a lower draw.

Also, I have no idea what your skill level is with automotive electronics, so as an MECP certified technician and more than enough installs under my belt I'm just making sure.

Either way you should be okay as long as you've done your homework.

My last word of wisdom is that the 12+V accessory plugs do share some circuitry with the radio and you might see decreased AM/FM reception, it might not be important to you but that is a side effect of using those as a draw source instead of a switch source. (meaning using them to power the heating elements instead of using them to switch a relay.)

Take pictures, as I've been thinking about doing mine with a spare kit I have laying around.

 

I've been a master certified field tech for john deere for quite a while now, automotive electronics dont have nothing on deere lol.

The power outlet circuit is its own dedicated circuit, but Even though the diagrams didn't show it, I started poking around with my multi meter, and discovered that the feed for the factory warmers were indeed switched, the plugs for the factory warmers are behind the bezel and just under the radio,

The warmers I ordered are a two wire hook up, i ran a dedicated ground for each side (but there is a ground on the factory harness) and pulled power from the factory plug, went for a test drive, and couldn't be happier!!!

The pad install was simple too, just undo the seat fabric, at the back/bottom of the cushions, and pull up just far enough to slide the pads in, was gona take pics bit did it last night and couldn't get them turn out

Except this

 

Sweet. I want, I want!!! Did you get OEM warmer coils from the Dealer or aftermarkets? Link?
Yeah, I used the cigar oulet wire which is a 10ga Pink w/yw trace or maybe it was a white trace??? I used that wire for all my Accessories. I have 5 relays running off that line which is les than 1.5A of draw.
I do know my truck has the OEM warmer igtails but I never probed them for power output. Good to know!!!