I'm sitting here at Jennings Anderson Ford in Boerne, TX, where they tell me it's all in my head that the cooled seats aren't cooling like they used to. They could get a temp probe to show that the peltier cooler is cooling to a nice and chilly 48F (in the shaded shop on a relatively cool 80 degree day), but there was no info on their little diagnostics computer that gave fan RPM and so forth. They're probably fine and it's just the string of 100+ degree days we've had around here, but I'd swear they worked better last summer.

Maybe they're right, that it doesn't get any better than that. Still, the cooled seats aren't doing as good a job as I'd prefer. They're a very significant part of the reason I chose to spend so much money on a truck. I think if I could increase airflow across the cooling element it would at the very least provide more ventilation.

Does anyone have any experience with these seat coolers at all? Would it be possible to upgrade the fans to something with a higher CFM, probably a computer case or CPU cooler fan of some sort? It would be great all around, but especially for the back rest, which has always been anemic.

 

I dont have a solution for you but thought id share something, my buddy just bought a brand new GMC Denalli pickup this summer which has those cooled seats & while i too would love to have cooled seat's i didnt think they worked all that well (compared to the great output of heated seats)...IDK

 

Isn't there a filter that needs to be changed every so often for the seats? I wonder if that plugs up.

Lately, I think mine aren't doing such a good job either.

 

I dont have a solution either but wouldnt there be to many variable for you to say they work better/worse? The vehicles i have driven with it seemed to work well but it really depended on what clothes i wore etc....

2ndStroke may be on to something....see if there is anything in the owners manual about the filter.

 

I am abit unimpressed with the cooling in ours seats as well.

 

Allegedly there's nothing that would restrict airflow. I mean, if they don't even have a filter for the air brought into the cab from the outside (AC/vent) then why would they bother putting a filter on air from inside the cabin, slowly and anemically suggesting to the air around it that maybe it should head toward the seat surface if it gets around to it?

Because they claim that the cooling element is running at 48F, which should be cool enough, the only other thing I can think is to use higher CFM fans, whether that means larger or faster or more aggressive vanes. I don't know whether the three-level controller is simply sending different levels of current down the line to dummy fans or if there's some sort of smart controller at the fan itself, which may effect what kind of fan to run.

I may just have to wait until I can find one of these trucks totaled at a junk yard with half destroyed seats and tear it open to figure it out unless someone knows how to get into the seat interior so I can check it out myself.

It would be nice if there were someone at Ford who came across this and could fill us in on the details.

 

There is a filter under the seat in the f150s. I never changed mine in3 years and I have dogs that shed. Just got a Platinum f350 but I never looked at it. Check under the seat from the back seat and u should see it

 

Interesting read on the cooled seats filter, haven't read my manual myself to confirm yet, but someone in this thread says the cooled seat filter needs to be changed every 15k miles...

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...anged-yet.html

 

Very interesting. My search fu must be weak (or I didn't think to search the 6.7L forum).

What's even more interesting is that the dealer who did the whole testing never mentioned anything about filters and said there's nothing that could cause any blockage. I bet the filter is just clogged from a couple years worth of dust and such (lots of dust in south Texas these days especially off road).

 

I'm gonna try and find my filters later, give er vacuum, see if I can get my heiny a little cooler.

Lol at your dealer. Good service is hard to find nowadays.

 

I can't remember if it's the same in the F250's but in the VW/Audi vehicles I work on they are "ventilated" seats. There's no actual air conditioning element in the seats. It simply just blows a fan on your *** through the seat fabric. lol

 

The air must be cooled before to gets blown though? No? I'm just curious.

 

IIRC, it's not necessarily an ac outlet, just perforated seats and a fan...

Mine don't get cold, just that they help me stay less hot ? I can certainly tell when they are not on...

I wish they would come on like the ac does when I remote start though !

the first thing we do (if the wife is with me) is hit those little screen icons right after we hit the max ac icon.

 

I sat in a 2013 Platinum F-250 for 15 minutes with the cool seat function on and did not feel anything. I have read that the air moves through channels in the seat foam and if you compress the seat enough (e.g., big butt) it can significantly decrease the air flow. I also have read that the seats can be cold in one section and not so much in other sections.

 

The dealer where I bought my truck told me its simply a fan that blows cabin temperature air, thru your seats! It does help. I still notice it.....most days. Wish it was actual ac.