whats this wire for?
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Junior User
Joined: Feb 2008
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whats this wire for?
2010 f350 reg cab xlt captain chairs. there is a wire under the passenger seat (4) of them. 2are hot w/key on. I am putting in leather w/carbon fiber heaters would this be a good power supply? and looks like same wires on drivers side. does anyone know witch wire is for the heat? thanks
FTE Leadership Emeritus
Joined: Sep 2000
Posts: 23,174
Likes: 1,678
From: Stephensville WI
They are probably for your seat sensor, part of the airbag system. The airbags will not fire if there is no pressure on the seat (meaning no one is sitting in the seat),
Will they work for your heaters? I doubt it. They probably are not heavy enough to supply the needed amperage to the seat heaters.
Will they work for your heaters? I doubt it. They probably are not heavy enough to supply the needed amperage to the seat heaters.
Elder User
Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 745
Likes: 4
From: North Carolina
Don't mess with the wires under the seat... like redford said they are most likely for the airbag system.
What is the power draw of the new seat heaters? It would probably be best to run a new wire from the battery with the appropriate fuse in-line. Then use a relay with a "key on" trigger so you don't drain you battery if you forget to turn them off. The expected power draw will dictate the size fuse you need and the gauge wire you should run.
What is the power draw of the new seat heaters? It would probably be best to run a new wire from the battery with the appropriate fuse in-line. Then use a relay with a "key on" trigger so you don't drain you battery if you forget to turn them off. The expected power draw will dictate the size fuse you need and the gauge wire you should run.
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Junior User
Joined: Feb 2008
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well they are not hooked to anything.just 4 wires with a plug on the end.I did find a dummy cap attached to the seat frame just a cap with no wires comming out of it. same plug and wires on drivers side are plugged into the seat motors.
FTE Legend
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 65,938
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From: Millersville, MD
If you are saying their are electrical PLUGS sitting idle under there, they may well be for the seat heat. I would look at the color code on the wires and check the elect schematic for your vehicle (google it) and see what that color code tells you......
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Junior User
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well they are not for the air bags because that is what the key hole on the dash is for (turn passenger air bag off) so I did it the lazy mans way. just touch the hot wires to ground and seen witch fuse blew. the hot w/key off is fuse 18 (20 amp heated seat relay feed) and the hot w/key on is fuse 42 (10 amp heated seat relay coil) and the 3rd wire is ground and the 4th wire idk ? no need to run wires to battery they are already there. the carbon fiber heaters come with a switch and relay. thanks.
Fleet Mechanic
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 1,433
Likes: 7
From: NH
So i guess you answered your own question.
To me the lazy mans way is not acceptable. Go buy a 12v tester light. they cost about the same price of the fuses you blew. Touching a hot wire to ground "can" cause other issues not just blowing the fuse. You probably could have run to the hardware store in the same amount of time it took you to find the blown fuse.
To me the lazy mans way is not acceptable. Go buy a 12v tester light. they cost about the same price of the fuses you blew. Touching a hot wire to ground "can" cause other issues not just blowing the fuse. You probably could have run to the hardware store in the same amount of time it took you to find the blown fuse.
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Elder User
Joined: May 2002
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From: Robbinsville NJ
While grounding a live wire can cause possibly problems. A test light would not have identified what circuit the wires are connected to.
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Hotshot
Joined: Aug 2006
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From: Whittier, CA
Sure it will. Connect it, pull fuse, see if it goes out.
More Turbo
Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 713
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From: Minneapolis, MN
Has nobody here over heard of ohm'ing the circuit? A cheapo multi-meter is $10 at fleet farm. I'd never intentionally ground a hot wire to see which fuse it is, sounds like an accident waiting to happen.
Cargo Master
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 2,502
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From: Bend Oregon
well they are not for the air bags because that is what the key hole on the dash is for (turn passenger air bag off) so I did it the lazy mans way. just touch the hot wires to ground and seen witch fuse blew. the hot w/key off is fuse 18 (20 amp heated seat relay feed) and the hot w/key on is fuse 42 (10 amp heated seat relay coil) and the 3rd wire is ground and the 4th wire idk ? no need to run wires to battery they are already there. the carbon fiber heaters come with a switch and relay. thanks.
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