BluPhant
Full Access Member
As some of you know, I've recently acuquired a set of leather seats for my Liberty Sport
Back Seat
30-Aug-2004
Was able to get the back seat in over the weekend, though I made it more difficult than it needed to be. The middle seatbelt has a cable in it that is linked to the latch. That way the seatbelt can only pull out if the seat back is in the proper position. Had I realized this before pulling the seat apart, the job would have gone a lot quicker. I was under the assumption that the seatbelt was busted up, or something. Turns out, it's perfect.
Anyway, I had to invest in a deep 19mm socket to get the seat off, but other than that it was a pretty plug-and-play operation - everything matched up without issue. It looks great... now all I gotta do is get on the front ones... those will be more fun, due to the power aspect.
Front Seats
27-Sep-2004
There are two connectors underneath the power seat, while my sport has but one. The smaller of the two connectors, I've identified as C313 (see 8Wa 80-44 in the service manual). This has connecor has 4 wires, searchign thru the wiring diagrams, I've ascertained that they are, 12v+, seat belt sensor and seat belt sensor ground, and another ground. The 12v+and ground go to the power seats (see 8W-63 in the service manual)
On the bench, I hooked up a 30 amp regulated power supply (being a ham radio operator and having this available is a godsend) to the two wires above, allowed me to verify the function of the seats. They move appropriately, etc.
So the good news, is that this connector DOES exist on my sport. I tested this out, and found that it does not have power going to it. So I backtracked a little bit, and found out that this wire is controlled by a non-existant circuit breaker. I figured this out on Sunday, and unfortunately there arent any Jeep parts departments open on Sunday. Autozone was no help either. So I had to wait until this AM. So close, but yet so far. So I got the circuit breaker (a self-resetting 25amp deally, pn 56021543). In the service manual it is labeled "Circuit Breaker #1". It is installed in a junction box way up in the drivers side. If all goes well, once I install this circuit breaker, there will be voltage to that wire. I have every confidence that this will work, but wont know until I try it tonight.
The other good news, after a conversation with the parts guy @ Jeep, it looks like there is only one harness for the seats - with or without heating. So the connectors for the heated seats (which will become necessary as the new england winter approacheth) is likely under the carpet somewhere. Wont know until I get the old seats out and do some looking, but the chances of them being there are well in my favor now, just a matter of finding them. Damn fortunate thing too, because if I wanted to buy the harness, it would be on the order of $1.7k (big harness)
So it looks like this might actually be a pretty straightforward install - I'll likely have to get a fuse and pop it in somewhere for the heated seat part, but I think I'm getting close.
I'll keep y'all posted if anyone is interested (and probably even if not )
The other good news, after a conversation with the parts guy @ Jeep, it looks like there is only one harness for the seats - with or without heating. So the connectors for the heated seats (which will become necessary as the new england winter approacheth) is likely under the carpet somewhere. Wont know until I get the old seats out and do some looking, but the chances of them being there are well in my favor now, just a matter of finding them. Damn fortunate thing too, because if I wanted to buy the harness, it would be on the order of $1.7k (big harness)
So it looks like this might actually be a pretty straightforward install - I'll likely have to get a fuse and pop it in somewhere for the heated seat part, but I think I'm getting close.
-----------
02-Oct-2004
Wellp, its done! I pulled apart the jeep last night. Took out the center console, and then did driver seat first. It installed cleanly, no problems. the power worked nicely. Unfortunately, the wires for the heated seats are not there, as far as I can tell. Removing the seats was actually very simple - 3 bolts to the chassis, one bolt for the seatbelt, and one nut on the chassis. Re-used the deep socket I bought for doing the back seats.
I ran into another SNAFU. When installing the pasenger seat, I went to test the power function in the vehicle, and nothing. Nadda. zip. I quickly realized that, since I had tested the seat on the bench, that the problem had to be with getting power to the seat. Upon inspection, I found that the passenger side connector for the power seats + seat belt thing only had 2 wires, (the seat belt connected indicator). Apparently mine was setup for drivers side power seat only.
So, at 9:40pm last night, a buddy of mine and I raced to Home Depot to get a soldering iron (they close at 10) since I cant find any of the 400 soldering irons I already own (seems like every time I need one, I end up buying a new one). The seats I got came with one pigtail, so I clipped the existing connector, connected it up to the new one, and ran power under the carpet, under the center console, to the drivers side connector. (oh, and had to remove the drivers side seat to accomplish this). Half a roll of black electrical tape later, you'd hardly know I did anything. Electrical tape hides things well
Put everything back together, and the center console fought me tooth and nail, but it's back in. I had no leftover screws.
Spent about half an hour cleaning up the seats after install, and at around 1:30am I was finished. Murphys law still applies. As many of you, who have followed my progress on this know, I did a fair amount of research before beginning this, but apparently had one miss.
The comfort level is amazing... these seats dont compare to the standard seats at all. The seats I removed (I think the color is called Dark Slate) are available for sale if anyone is interested, if not, I'll throw them on ebay.
----
I'm going to get the heated part working, largely because I dont think Mrs Blu will be truly happy with the install unless and until it's perfect. I spent a good chunk of time on Sunday (along with my brother and father) detailing the seats. Clorox wipes and Macguires leather cleaner, along with some Oxy somethin or other cleaner -- read on.
The cheap part of the seats is that the inside panel sides (the parts next to the center console) are fabric, not leather... thus "Leather Seating Surfaces". So this part, from the scrapyard most likely, was still pretty dirty. The oxy stuff worked pretty well, and Macguires, is of course, kickbutt for the leather parts. The clorox wipes got off a lot of the dirt that was embedded in the seats prior to using the leather cleaner. So net result, they look pretty good now, it's pretty clear that they're not factory new, but I think they're damn close to as good as they're going to be.
The one thing I do need help on is how to get off the scrapyard writing on the rails - like a yellow pen or something. I'm thinkin turpentine, but I'm not sure. Someone must have some insight for that.... pls let me know what has worked for you.
The heated part is another story. The way I figure it, I need but one wire - will be 12v +, switched by a relay (ignition switched) and fused (probably inline). If I'm reading the wiring diagrams right, the connector has 12+ and 12-, and then a bunch of connectors to go over to the passengers side. Ground wont be a probelem either, as theres a big honkin ground right near where I'd have to work (under the carpet). I do have one pigtail, for the drivers side, that came with the seats. This will let me get power to the drivers seat to test it out. I then need to run somethign on the order of 10 wires (not sure the actual number, but it's a 10-wire connector) over to the passengers side.
The brain for the heated seats (controls power, checks temperature, etc), as I've said, is under the drivers seat, so all the connections are to control that. What I'll need on the passenger side is either a stock 10-wire connector, or I'll have to hack something together. I'd prefer, obviously, to do it right, the less hacking the better. If I do have to hack it, it would mean cutting the connector on the bottom of the passenger seat (yuck) and putting on a different connector so that I can have a male and a female that match.
So, what I need now to proceed properly, is a 10-wire pigtail from the passengers side. Hopefully one of the scrapyards around here can hook me up... if anyone has any other suggestions, I'm open.
-----
08-Oct-2004
Sorry for the delay in getting the pix posted, been swamped here at work. Here are some detailed pictures from the installation. I'll turn this into a how-to at some point (once I get all the details for the heated seat bit down) but here are the basics for now.
Here is the circuit breaker that I had to get from Jeep. As I said, it's a 25 amp self resetting deally.
And heres where it goes. The location is indicated in red. Its a tight fit to get your hand in there, given that big bundle of wires, but it's not too big of a deal. This junction box is located on the drivers side, way up there. Basically I had to remove the panel under the drivers side (3 screws in front) and install the breaker.
Next, I moved on to getting the center console loose. There were a couple of steps missing from the factory service manual - regarding unplugging the connectors for the power windows. They are attached to the console with metal clips, so the whole assembly pops out. I had to pop the back-seat deal out entirely before I had enough room to disconnect the connector.
Next, I moved on to the drivers seat. Removing the old seat was a matter of 3 bolts, one nut, removing the plastic cover on the side to remove the seat belt bolt, and disconnecting the wiring from underneath the seat.
At this point in the install, I installed the Leather seat on the drivers side (basically just reversing the removal) and tested the power aspects. Everything worked great, so I thought I was home free. I then moved on to the passengers seat, same idea.
I then put the passenger seat in, and connected up the power. Got the front two bolts in, and then tried to use the power option to move the seat forward so I could gain access to the back bolts. This is about the point I realized that there was no power to the passenger seat. So out it came
Soldered up a connector to go from the drivers side to the passengers side, clipped the existing connector and replaced it with one with 4 wires. Then re-installed the drivers seat, and the passengers seat, and all is well.
I took these pictures late at night; I hadn't yet gotten a chance to clean them up in earnest; they look a lot better now that I've spent some time detailing them, but you'll get the general idea.
And one last one
Having used the seats for a few weeks now, I'm really very happy with the install. There is a small squeak in the drivers seat which I'm planning on looking into this weekend as time permits, but I think it will just be a matter of some WD40 or graphite powder depending on where it's actually coming from. The comfort level is astounding. I've yet to do a long (2+hr) trip with them, but I'm astounded really at how nice they are. At some point, if I can find some cheap enough, I might look into getting matching door panels... but frankly, I dont think it looks bad.
Comments appreciated!
-Blu
Back Seat
30-Aug-2004
Was able to get the back seat in over the weekend, though I made it more difficult than it needed to be. The middle seatbelt has a cable in it that is linked to the latch. That way the seatbelt can only pull out if the seat back is in the proper position. Had I realized this before pulling the seat apart, the job would have gone a lot quicker. I was under the assumption that the seatbelt was busted up, or something. Turns out, it's perfect.
Anyway, I had to invest in a deep 19mm socket to get the seat off, but other than that it was a pretty plug-and-play operation - everything matched up without issue. It looks great... now all I gotta do is get on the front ones... those will be more fun, due to the power aspect.
Front Seats
27-Sep-2004
There are two connectors underneath the power seat, while my sport has but one. The smaller of the two connectors, I've identified as C313 (see 8Wa 80-44 in the service manual). This has connecor has 4 wires, searchign thru the wiring diagrams, I've ascertained that they are, 12v+, seat belt sensor and seat belt sensor ground, and another ground. The 12v+and ground go to the power seats (see 8W-63 in the service manual)
On the bench, I hooked up a 30 amp regulated power supply (being a ham radio operator and having this available is a godsend) to the two wires above, allowed me to verify the function of the seats. They move appropriately, etc.
So the good news, is that this connector DOES exist on my sport. I tested this out, and found that it does not have power going to it. So I backtracked a little bit, and found out that this wire is controlled by a non-existant circuit breaker. I figured this out on Sunday, and unfortunately there arent any Jeep parts departments open on Sunday. Autozone was no help either. So I had to wait until this AM. So close, but yet so far. So I got the circuit breaker (a self-resetting 25amp deally, pn 56021543). In the service manual it is labeled "Circuit Breaker #1". It is installed in a junction box way up in the drivers side. If all goes well, once I install this circuit breaker, there will be voltage to that wire. I have every confidence that this will work, but wont know until I try it tonight.
The other good news, after a conversation with the parts guy @ Jeep, it looks like there is only one harness for the seats - with or without heating. So the connectors for the heated seats (which will become necessary as the new england winter approacheth) is likely under the carpet somewhere. Wont know until I get the old seats out and do some looking, but the chances of them being there are well in my favor now, just a matter of finding them. Damn fortunate thing too, because if I wanted to buy the harness, it would be on the order of $1.7k (big harness)
So it looks like this might actually be a pretty straightforward install - I'll likely have to get a fuse and pop it in somewhere for the heated seat part, but I think I'm getting close.
I'll keep y'all posted if anyone is interested (and probably even if not )
The other good news, after a conversation with the parts guy @ Jeep, it looks like there is only one harness for the seats - with or without heating. So the connectors for the heated seats (which will become necessary as the new england winter approacheth) is likely under the carpet somewhere. Wont know until I get the old seats out and do some looking, but the chances of them being there are well in my favor now, just a matter of finding them. Damn fortunate thing too, because if I wanted to buy the harness, it would be on the order of $1.7k (big harness)
So it looks like this might actually be a pretty straightforward install - I'll likely have to get a fuse and pop it in somewhere for the heated seat part, but I think I'm getting close.
-----------
02-Oct-2004
Wellp, its done! I pulled apart the jeep last night. Took out the center console, and then did driver seat first. It installed cleanly, no problems. the power worked nicely. Unfortunately, the wires for the heated seats are not there, as far as I can tell. Removing the seats was actually very simple - 3 bolts to the chassis, one bolt for the seatbelt, and one nut on the chassis. Re-used the deep socket I bought for doing the back seats.
I ran into another SNAFU. When installing the pasenger seat, I went to test the power function in the vehicle, and nothing. Nadda. zip. I quickly realized that, since I had tested the seat on the bench, that the problem had to be with getting power to the seat. Upon inspection, I found that the passenger side connector for the power seats + seat belt thing only had 2 wires, (the seat belt connected indicator). Apparently mine was setup for drivers side power seat only.
So, at 9:40pm last night, a buddy of mine and I raced to Home Depot to get a soldering iron (they close at 10) since I cant find any of the 400 soldering irons I already own (seems like every time I need one, I end up buying a new one). The seats I got came with one pigtail, so I clipped the existing connector, connected it up to the new one, and ran power under the carpet, under the center console, to the drivers side connector. (oh, and had to remove the drivers side seat to accomplish this). Half a roll of black electrical tape later, you'd hardly know I did anything. Electrical tape hides things well
Put everything back together, and the center console fought me tooth and nail, but it's back in. I had no leftover screws.
Spent about half an hour cleaning up the seats after install, and at around 1:30am I was finished. Murphys law still applies. As many of you, who have followed my progress on this know, I did a fair amount of research before beginning this, but apparently had one miss.
The comfort level is amazing... these seats dont compare to the standard seats at all. The seats I removed (I think the color is called Dark Slate) are available for sale if anyone is interested, if not, I'll throw them on ebay.
----
I'm going to get the heated part working, largely because I dont think Mrs Blu will be truly happy with the install unless and until it's perfect. I spent a good chunk of time on Sunday (along with my brother and father) detailing the seats. Clorox wipes and Macguires leather cleaner, along with some Oxy somethin or other cleaner -- read on.
The cheap part of the seats is that the inside panel sides (the parts next to the center console) are fabric, not leather... thus "Leather Seating Surfaces". So this part, from the scrapyard most likely, was still pretty dirty. The oxy stuff worked pretty well, and Macguires, is of course, kickbutt for the leather parts. The clorox wipes got off a lot of the dirt that was embedded in the seats prior to using the leather cleaner. So net result, they look pretty good now, it's pretty clear that they're not factory new, but I think they're damn close to as good as they're going to be.
The one thing I do need help on is how to get off the scrapyard writing on the rails - like a yellow pen or something. I'm thinkin turpentine, but I'm not sure. Someone must have some insight for that.... pls let me know what has worked for you.
The heated part is another story. The way I figure it, I need but one wire - will be 12v +, switched by a relay (ignition switched) and fused (probably inline). If I'm reading the wiring diagrams right, the connector has 12+ and 12-, and then a bunch of connectors to go over to the passengers side. Ground wont be a probelem either, as theres a big honkin ground right near where I'd have to work (under the carpet). I do have one pigtail, for the drivers side, that came with the seats. This will let me get power to the drivers seat to test it out. I then need to run somethign on the order of 10 wires (not sure the actual number, but it's a 10-wire connector) over to the passengers side.
The brain for the heated seats (controls power, checks temperature, etc), as I've said, is under the drivers seat, so all the connections are to control that. What I'll need on the passenger side is either a stock 10-wire connector, or I'll have to hack something together. I'd prefer, obviously, to do it right, the less hacking the better. If I do have to hack it, it would mean cutting the connector on the bottom of the passenger seat (yuck) and putting on a different connector so that I can have a male and a female that match.
So, what I need now to proceed properly, is a 10-wire pigtail from the passengers side. Hopefully one of the scrapyards around here can hook me up... if anyone has any other suggestions, I'm open.
-----
08-Oct-2004
Sorry for the delay in getting the pix posted, been swamped here at work. Here are some detailed pictures from the installation. I'll turn this into a how-to at some point (once I get all the details for the heated seat bit down) but here are the basics for now.
Here is the circuit breaker that I had to get from Jeep. As I said, it's a 25 amp self resetting deally.
And heres where it goes. The location is indicated in red. Its a tight fit to get your hand in there, given that big bundle of wires, but it's not too big of a deal. This junction box is located on the drivers side, way up there. Basically I had to remove the panel under the drivers side (3 screws in front) and install the breaker.
Next, I moved on to getting the center console loose. There were a couple of steps missing from the factory service manual - regarding unplugging the connectors for the power windows. They are attached to the console with metal clips, so the whole assembly pops out. I had to pop the back-seat deal out entirely before I had enough room to disconnect the connector.
Next, I moved on to the drivers seat. Removing the old seat was a matter of 3 bolts, one nut, removing the plastic cover on the side to remove the seat belt bolt, and disconnecting the wiring from underneath the seat.
At this point in the install, I installed the Leather seat on the drivers side (basically just reversing the removal) and tested the power aspects. Everything worked great, so I thought I was home free. I then moved on to the passengers seat, same idea.
I then put the passenger seat in, and connected up the power. Got the front two bolts in, and then tried to use the power option to move the seat forward so I could gain access to the back bolts. This is about the point I realized that there was no power to the passenger seat. So out it came
Soldered up a connector to go from the drivers side to the passengers side, clipped the existing connector and replaced it with one with 4 wires. Then re-installed the drivers seat, and the passengers seat, and all is well.
I took these pictures late at night; I hadn't yet gotten a chance to clean them up in earnest; they look a lot better now that I've spent some time detailing them, but you'll get the general idea.
And one last one
Having used the seats for a few weeks now, I'm really very happy with the install. There is a small squeak in the drivers seat which I'm planning on looking into this weekend as time permits, but I think it will just be a matter of some WD40 or graphite powder depending on where it's actually coming from. The comfort level is astounding. I've yet to do a long (2+hr) trip with them, but I'm astounded really at how nice they are. At some point, if I can find some cheap enough, I might look into getting matching door panels... but frankly, I dont think it looks bad.
Comments appreciated!
-Blu
