Help Needed Manual adjustment of electric seats?

[EmptyDub]

I'm in the process of swapping my rear bench seat for two buckets & console. I purchased two used buckets and they're fully electric 6-way adjustable w/ heat. The electric motors are still in place, but I removed all wiring because the remaining harness was a rat's nest and most of the connector ends have been snipped off.

I wasn't planning on going through the headache of re-wiring them anyway, I just want stationary buckets in the back. I would, however, like to have them in the same position when they're side-by-side.

My question is how do I adjust them manually? The passenger-side seat has a lever-operated back-rest, but the driver-side back-rest is electric. Is there a trick to doing this? Can I use a wrench or socket/rachet to move the seats forward/backward?

 

[RoyBoy]

Just take a jumper wire to the motor of the adjustment you want and power it up

 

[EmptyDub]

Thanks Roy- I'd thought about trying that, but the only problem is those motors have a female harness connection with 4-6 wires in each one (not to mention they're buried underneath the seat!). The factory connectors are gone, and I wouldn't know where to start as far as poking hot wires in there. I would really rather not burn my new seats to the ground before I get 'em in the truck. I never realized the amount of wiring that went into a power seat- probably over 100 feet of wire per seat- easy!

I was hoping that I could use a cordless drill and crank 'em up/down (or something like that), but I haven't found a good way to do that yet.

 

[powerboatr]

you might pull out your front seat and use the front harness adapter as a guide to build you a new one for the rear set....

 

[EmptyDub]

I actually got 'em to work after going against my better judgement, and poking some hot wires at 'em like Roy suggested. I hadn't thought about that PB- that woulda been a good idea too!

I had an old 12v power supply that plugs into a 110 outlet, so I dusted it off and rigged up some wires to the motors. After a few sparks, I found the +/- wires and the motors sprang to life! Really simple- hook it up and the motor spins, reverse the wires and it goes the opposite way.

These seats were loaded! They're eight-way electrically-adjustable, with perforated center sections for heating AND cooling! They have four motors- two for front/back vertical, one for horizonal, and one for reclining. I think I'm going to be more happy with the buckets than the bench, but I'm going to hang onto the old seat for a while to make sure! I'll post some before/after pics when I get 'em installed. Thanks for the help!

 

[BIG JOE]

Now that you know what does what. You might wana hook'm up so they just go Back & Forth, Up & Down.... Might be a Neat feature for "Custom Rear Buckets"

 

[Ironmerganser]

Soudns like those are nicer than the ones you have! You should have put those in the front and your originals in the back!!

 

[EmptyDub]

Yeah, these are/were actually nicer than my stock ones- especially before they had their wiring harness neutered. Mine are heated but not cooled, and don't have the perforated center sections.

I think they came from a wreck, 'cause one of the mounting brackets has been torqued pretty good. The fan motors under the seats were also cracked and broken (not sure if this was from the wreck or the person that removed 'em). I just don't understand why you would demolish a wiring harness like that- makes no sense.

I had considered trying to decypher the pins & connectors to wire them up again, but it's just not worth the trouble to me. Not saying it can't be done, but half the features wouldn't work any more anyway (heating & cooling). I'm just going to bolt 'em in, get 'em adjusted so they're comfortable, and let 'em ride! I'm hoping that the ability to move them around will also give me more options for subwoofer boxes & amps in the future!

I'm going to buy a center console soon (I've already got the leather KR armrest cover). I think I am going to hook up the power outlets in the cosole- that'll make it nice for passengers to be able to watch movies or plug in other accessories.

 

[DaveBen]

Have you seen the people who "dismantle" trucks and autos?? Not the sharpest knife in the drawer. True hackers.

Dave

 

[EmptyDub]

Good point Dave.