Power seat problem
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 198
Likes: 0
From: Birmingham Al
Power seat problem
I have a 1998 vert (purchased 4 days ago) with the power sports seats. The passenger is working fine but the drivers seat will only adjust forward and back. I.E. the lumbar support and bolsters make no movement or noise when touching the levers. Again, the "front to rear" part of the seat works excellent.
Any ideas?
Any ideas?
Advanced
Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 64
Likes: 0
I have the same problem. For me it's a short, and when i lift the box under the seat up while pushing the buttons at the same time, then it works. I think the short comes from, the seat moving in and out everytime you put the key in. After so many times, the wires probably short out. I didn't bother fixing mine yet, but i set it for me because im the only 1 that drives the car. I will eventually have to take the seat out and do it.
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 198
Likes: 0
From: Birmingham Al
Heel & Toe
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 22
Likes: 0
From: Apopka FL
Does the seat go up or down when you "lift or press down" on the large control switch?
Or are the small switches that run the air pump for the lumbar support and side bolsters not working? On a '98 I would expect the seats to need new air bladders to get the side bolsters and lumbar support to work. You should also hear the air pump under the drivers seat running when you operate the switches.
Or are the small switches that run the air pump for the lumbar support and side bolsters not working? On a '98 I would expect the seats to need new air bladders to get the side bolsters and lumbar support to work. You should also hear the air pump under the drivers seat running when you operate the switches.
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 198
Likes: 0
From: Birmingham Al
As an aside, I took the seat out and when I was picking it up (still fully connected by wiring harness) the lumbar bladders moved inward.
I am trying to clean all the connectors, but I do not know the best way to do it. Alcohol? Q-tips? any suggestions would help.
By the way, what is the best way to check the seat codes?
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Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 198
Likes: 0
From: Birmingham Al
Does the seat go up or down when you "lift or press down" on the large control switch?
Or are the small switches that run the air pump for the lumbar support and side bolsters not working? On a '98 I would expect the seats to need new air bladders to get the side bolsters and lumbar support to work. You should also hear the air pump under the drivers seat running when you operate the switches.
Or are the small switches that run the air pump for the lumbar support and side bolsters not working? On a '98 I would expect the seats to need new air bladders to get the side bolsters and lumbar support to work. You should also hear the air pump under the drivers seat running when you operate the switches.
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 198
Likes: 0
From: Birmingham Al
Does the seat go up or down when you "lift or press down" on the large control switch?
Or are the small switches that run the air pump for the lumbar support and side bolsters not working? On a '98 I would expect the seats to need new air bladders to get the side bolsters and lumbar support to work. You should also hear the air pump under the drivers seat running when you operate the switches.
Or are the small switches that run the air pump for the lumbar support and side bolsters not working? On a '98 I would expect the seats to need new air bladders to get the side bolsters and lumbar support to work. You should also hear the air pump under the drivers seat running when you operate the switches.
When I operate the small levers, I get NO movement and NO sounds of any pump trying to inflate the bladders. It is like the pump is not getting the "signal" that the switch is being depressed. That is why I think it is an electrical connection issue.
Racer
Joined: Dec 2001
Posts: 452
Likes: 2
From: Lynnfield MA
Thanks. I never thought to check for codes.
As an aside, I took the seat out and when I was picking it up (still fully connected by wiring harness) the lumbar bladders moved inward.
I am trying to clean all the connectors, but I do not know the best way to do it. Alcohol? Q-tips? any suggestions would help.
By the way, what is the best way to check the seat codes?
As an aside, I took the seat out and when I was picking it up (still fully connected by wiring harness) the lumbar bladders moved inward.
I am trying to clean all the connectors, but I do not know the best way to do it. Alcohol? Q-tips? any suggestions would help.
By the way, what is the best way to check the seat codes?
Check out this article on how to scan for codes.
You might find a bunch of them in there, so pay attention
particularly for those that are "C" current, and any seat codes at all:
https://www.corvetteforum.com/techti...D=26&TopicID=1
Then here's one of many lists of codes:
http://www.stengel.net/diccodes.htm
Scroll down and you'll see a list under
A6-SCM - Seat Control Module
Safety Car
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 3,675
Likes: 58
From: Hayward (Bay Area) CA
I have the same problem. For me it's a short, and when i lift the box under the seat up while pushing the buttons at the same time, then it works. I think the short comes from, the seat moving in and out everytime you put the key in. After so many times, the wires probably short out. I didn't bother fixing mine yet, but i set it for me because im the only 1 that drives the car. I will eventually have to take the seat out and do it.
I have a DIFFERENT problem, but similar. Wow...seems like these ARE problematic seats
. Mine works fine going forward & back, going up & down (using the big button). BUT, the lumbar & bolsters don't work. HOWEVER, they do make noise when I push on the buttons...
.....but they don't do anything..
.. WHAT the heck is this? A newly invented problem?
Racer
Joined: Dec 2001
Posts: 452
Likes: 2
From: Lynnfield MA
I have a DIFFERENT problem, but similar. Wow...seems like these ARE problematic seats . Mine works fine going forward & back, going up & down (using the big button). BUT, the lumbar & bolsters don't work. HOWEVER, they do make noise when I push on the buttons... .....but they don't do anything.. .. WHAT the heck is this? A newly invented problem? The lumbar is basically a set of inflatable bladders.
They can rupture, or the valves can get hung open, in which
case the inflators will run, but they won't pump up.
Sounds like what you're seeing.
Tech Contributor
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 10,962
Likes: 29
From: Van Buren Arkansas
Wounded Warrior Escort '11
Cleaning the contacts isn't a simple task but more delicate than anything. Disconnect the battery first. From there, you can use alcohol and q-tips of course for the male pins. The female pins, about the only thing I was able to do was use a flat blade micro screwdriver to carefully scrape the surfaces clean. The only way to properly get to the connectors is to remove the seat itself. I took mine out and set it on a large towel on the ground so I could work on it.
Now, one item of interest with this, approximately the same time I think, my telescoping steering wheel motor started having problems. I don't know if it is related to the seat connector work or not. It might be that some of the telescoping steering wheel power or commands, might be going through the seat connectors on their way to and from the LDCM. The motor drives it up but its not going down without pushing the switch several times.
Now, one item of interest with this, approximately the same time I think, my telescoping steering wheel motor started having problems. I don't know if it is related to the seat connector work or not. It might be that some of the telescoping steering wheel power or commands, might be going through the seat connectors on their way to and from the LDCM. The motor drives it up but its not going down without pushing the switch several times.
Instructor
Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 157
Likes: 2
From: Santa Ana California
I had this same problem, dealer wanted $400 to fix it. I took out the seat and under it is a small blue vinyl bag that contains the pump. The bag is closed with two staples and the dealer will only replace the whole assembly. Pry open the staples carefully and check inside. My problem was a connector that came loose in the bag. I pushed the connector back on and everything works! You might even be able to do this without removing the seat but its only 4 bolts so not really a big job.
One tip when removing the seats, take off the top or put down the vert, it makes it much easier.
One tip when removing the seats, take off the top or put down the vert, it makes it much easier.
