This morning the drivers heated seat stopped working in my 850. I did some research and of course found this video which gave me an idea of what I was possibly dealing with. Upon inspection I found that the wires which would normally lead to the thermostat were tied together under the seat to bypass the thermostat altogether, clearly a poor fix for loose wires by either a previous owner or the garage I bought the car from. I managed to pull the thermostat out, I clipped and stripped the wires to remove the burnt out ends and used a couple electrical crimps from work to connect the wires back to the thermostat, as one of the plastic connectors was missing and the other looked worn. A bit fiddly, but it's worked a charm and the heating works on the seat again! Thanks very much for the video guide, Robert. I never thought I'd need to do a small job like this but here we are and you had me covered again.
Robert, what to do without you. Thanks for all the videos. I must’ve used the information in at least 15 of your videos already for some diy stuff on my 850.
Thank you Robert - After watching the video I am able to repair my volvo 940 leather heated seat. The issue is a broken red wire end connecting to the relay. The relay is attached on the back of the seat hooked by two wire stings. I cut a "H" shape thin cooper sheet, wrap around the contact point/the red wire end then solder them together. The seat heats again this morning put a smile on my face. I will have my lower back and butt warm this coming winter. :)
I found the broken wire to the thermostat, repaired it and it works now !!! Thank you for the detailed video because I was completely lost before I found your video.
Thanks for this vid - very helpful in taking the seat cushion apart. Just for info, there was a recall regarding the the driver's side heated seat wiring. People might find they have a black box mounted at the front underside of the driver's seat. This replaces the thermostat in the centre of the cushion. Apparently it is has a timer and an ambient temperature sensor in it. The heating pads are still fitted in exactly the same way. Cheers!
Thanks again for posting all these guides. When I saw the broken thermostat wire on mine I thought it was an easy fix, but no. The heating element was broken too. All back together now and only two bleeding knuckles.
Robert DIY I fixed my heated seat the other day, it was a burnt wire towards the back of the pad to what I personally believe was beyond the point of soldering back together. So after trying unsuccessfully to find a used part at a junk yard, I ended up buying a new pad from a Honda parts website for $138. Wasn't happy about the price but the good news is that I now have a working heated seat again.
Woo Hoo! Glad you know how to work things out. Great Job! I have actually spliced a wire between the broken piece. Also, sometimes you can pull some slack out of the old pad wire since they are usually snaked.
Yeah I know! I talked to a mechanic about it prior to replacing the pad and he recommended I just replace it because the solders on seats often tend to dull and break overtime
Yeah that's true. Honestly it was a real pain getting the upholstery off with those hog clips. In the end I just replaced them with twist ties. Many people will just do that because the hog clips are so difficult to deal with
Hi Robert. I received my 96 850 used, and noticed that the wires going to the thermostat were cut. I was wondering where they were cut FROM. I was also wondering how I can see if it's a power issue (fuse, if it's getting power at all) or a thermostat issue - or both! I see a bunch of wires, and can't make heads or tails of what I'm looking at. If it helps, the light indicator of the seat heater DOES illuminate when switched on.
Is there something I can do to help? If the switch lights up, power is going into the switch. You need to check the wires under the seat and figure out what goes to where.
Hi robert this is daniel . Just 1 question my ac sometimes stop working but the air compressor Still working i turn off the unit from the panel and then turned on work please tell me what is the problem i will be very happy thanks
is this the same procedure for any car? I'm trying to figure out the problem in my '06 honda pilot. for some reason the heated pad only heats up on the back side but not on the cushion.
Thank you for a good video Robert. Last summer i replaced the seat cushion on my volvo 850 because it was sagging down and the metal where starting to separate from the foam. After I reinstalled the seat I notice a slight misalignment on the the two rails. When I slide the seat I have to jerk to lock the seats in position. Is there a certain order of tightening the bolts that hold the seat to the car. Or do you have any tips for aligning, when reinstalling the seats. Also I have a problem with cracks in the body where the arm that's help hold, open and close the door is spot-welded to the body (a-pillar). Do you have a simple fix or do I have to remove interior and wiring harness to weld and corrosion protect from the inside. ( if possible)
nilsutt The seat should be easy to align. Take the seat out and reinstall it with the lever pulled and it should mount properly. As for the door thing, the door can be removed in minutes. Not sure if that will help. - Door removal, installation, replacement, Volvo 850, S70, V70, etc.
Robert, I want to replace the seat in my '05 V70 with a good one from my local junkyard (I think this will be easier than swapping the skins) Since the battery will be out of the junkyard car, is there any reason to worry about blowing an air bag in the seat? Thanks for all of your videos which have kept me going for years.
Any chance you can show us where the thermostat is supposed to connect to? The wires to my thermostat are not connected on either side and I can't find any connectors that are missing wires to reconnect it to.
The two wires that run to the thermostat, one of them ripped out, but there's still the ripped wire inside the plastic piece, how can I reconnect the wire
Hi Robert, thanks for your videos. I have a question regarding smoke coming out from underneath the seat with my 95 volvo 850 turbo. Light smoke started coming out from underneath the driver seat after the car started and the seat warmer for the driver's seat was activated. My question is, if I disconnect all the electrical connections underneath the seat, chances are I'll still be able to drive this thing safely right? Thanks for your time.
Hey Robert, my Mk1 V70 has a very annoying crooked drivers seat. It is leaning to the right. Is there a part i can change or am i going to have to get a new seat? Thanks
It is not a drop in fit, you would have to have something manufactured for the seat to work. You can replace the skins or have some place do it for you. Cost is about $275 per seat.
Hello Robert, i have front and back heated seats in my '97 S70, although none of the seats works. Bulbs in the switches glow if You click them, however. Tonight looked underneath the front seats and spotted, that there were no thermostats at all, no wires coming there too (although there is a space for thermostat). Was there heated seats with no thermostats or is it 'smart' previous owner that pulled them out? Should there be thermostats in the back seat too? Thanks in advance.
Robert DIY Power is present on all of the harnesses. However, there is a short i guess in 3 of 4 seats, only 1 side of the back seat is ok, although it won't get warm either.
Hi Robert According to my wife, at first the passenger seat started heating up excessively for awhile and then eventually quit working. A couple years later the same exact thing happened to the drivers side seat. I checked the wires on the connector and they are good and I have voltage at the connector. I plan on replacing the thermostat first and if that fails then a new seat heater. Given the failure symptom, in your opinion what does it point to? Thanks
Has anyone put factory heated seats into a car that didn't come with them? I saw that the heated seat wires were already there in the S70 center console but I'm wondering if all I need is the console, seats and necessary relays. Can't find anything helpful in Google, thanks.
I've been dealing with a company, let's call them STEAL for example. They charged me $109 to tell me the element was "Gone" and had to be replaced, that was a month ago. but since they didn't have my caravan repaired at a predetermined time promised to me, I had to leave with out getting it repaired. But yesterday, it was a colder than usual day when I was driving. Should I have been surprised that I felt the seat heating up as I was driving along? Do they owe me a refund on misdiagnosis?
@@RobertDIY That's my unqualified analysis. It hadn't come on at all but now that the temperature has dropped significantly, it comes on for a while. I assumed it is not what they told me (element gone) but rather the thermostat doesn't recognize the preset bottom for coming on and as for the high, I don't know if it will shut off. I haven't driven any length of time. I just discovered this on Friday and this is Monday at 1:27 am. I'll know more soon. Thanks your judgment on this. Eric
This morning the drivers heated seat stopped working in my 850. I did some research and of course found this video which gave me an idea of what I was possibly dealing with.
Upon inspection I found that the wires which would normally lead to the thermostat were tied together under the seat to bypass the thermostat altogether, clearly a poor fix for loose wires by either a previous owner or the garage I bought the car from.
I managed to pull the thermostat out, I clipped and stripped the wires to remove the burnt out ends and used a couple electrical crimps from work to connect the wires back to the thermostat, as one of the plastic connectors was missing and the other looked worn. A bit fiddly, but it's worked a charm and the heating works on the seat again! Thanks very much for the video guide, Robert. I never thought I'd need to do a small job like this but here we are and you had me covered again.
Awesome 👍🏾
Robert, what to do without you. Thanks for all the videos. I must’ve used the information in at least 15 of your videos already for some diy stuff on my 850.
thanks for watching. th-cam.com/video/gt9w-ZSxs9I/w-d-xo.html
th-cam.com/video/-2oIeIhpV44/w-d-xo.html
Fixed mine this morning, just in time for the summer.
Thanks for posting these guides, they are a huge help.
+bobtoo lol, hot, hot, hot!
Thank you Robert - After watching the video I am able to repair my volvo 940 leather heated seat.
The issue is a broken red wire end connecting to the relay. The relay is attached on the back of the seat hooked by two wire stings. I cut a "H" shape thin cooper sheet, wrap around the contact point/the red wire end then solder them together.
The seat heats again this morning put a smile on my face. I will have my lower back and butt warm this coming winter. :)
Very nice. Thanks for watching and sharing.
I found the broken wire to the thermostat, repaired it and it works now !!! Thank you for the detailed video because I was completely lost before I found your video.
MICHAEL SANDERSON Hi Michael, glad you found it.
Robert. Thank you for all these videos
You are very welcome
thank you, fixed my seat heater today at no cost, thanks man!
We love you Robert!
+Niklas Dolph LOL, Thanks.
Thanks for this vid - very helpful in taking the seat cushion apart. Just for info, there was a recall regarding the the driver's side heated seat wiring. People might find they have a black box mounted at the front underside of the driver's seat. This replaces the thermostat in the centre of the cushion. Apparently it is has a timer and an ambient temperature sensor in it. The heating pads are still fitted in exactly the same way. Cheers!
Thanks for the info. I did not know that.
Thanks again for posting all these guides. When I saw the broken thermostat wire on mine I thought it was an easy fix, but no. The heating element was broken too. All back together now and only two bleeding knuckles.
I understand. I loose a lot of skin.
EXCELLENT video! Clear explanation, good video shot, just great!
Vespanation Thanks and thanks for watching.
Awesome video and detailed as always! Thanks Robert
LOL, there should be a lot more warm buns this winter.
Thank you for these videos man
Glad you found them helpful.
I have looking for this answer, since summer, and never could finde a video or anything, i will try this!! :-D
Robert DIY I fixed my heated seat the other day, it was a burnt wire towards the back of the pad to what I personally believe was beyond the point of soldering back together. So after trying unsuccessfully to find a used part at a junk yard, I ended up buying a new pad from a Honda parts website for $138. Wasn't happy about the price but the good news is that I now have a working heated seat again.
Woo Hoo! Glad you know how to work things out. Great Job!
I have actually spliced a wire between the broken piece. Also, sometimes you can pull some slack out of the old pad wire since they are usually snaked.
Yeah I know! I talked to a mechanic about it prior to replacing the pad and he recommended I just replace it because the solders on seats often tend to dull and break overtime
Huh? Well, they usually break because people crawl over the seats and put their knee in the cushion.
Yeah that's true. Honestly it was a real pain getting the upholstery off with those hog clips. In the end I just replaced them with twist ties. Many people will just do that because the hog clips are so difficult to deal with
I think most people use ZIP ties.
Thanks for watching.
Nice tutorial! Thanks!
Hope it works out for you. Thanks for watching.
Chances are, the pad come loose. Check the wires under the seat and make sure everything is plugged in.
You are the best !! Thanks !
great help! thank you very much!!!!
+Adam Bowen good deal, thanks for watching.
Hi Robert. I received my 96 850 used, and noticed that the wires going to the thermostat were cut. I was wondering where they were cut FROM. I was also wondering how I can see if it's a power issue (fuse, if it's getting power at all) or a thermostat issue - or both! I see a bunch of wires, and can't make heads or tails of what I'm looking at. If it helps, the light indicator of the seat heater DOES illuminate when switched on.
Is there something I can do to help? If the switch lights up, power is going into the switch. You need to check the wires under the seat and figure out what goes to where.
Robert; apologies for calling you Richard earlier. Now I need your advice in removing the white retainer clip that holds the headrest to the backrest.
Not sure if I follow you, maybe this video will help: Headrest Removal, Volvo 850, S70, V70, 960, etc. - Auto Information Series
Great videos
thanks for watching.
Hi robert this is daniel . Just 1 question my ac sometimes stop working but the air compressor Still working i turn off the unit from the panel and then turned on work please tell me what is the problem i will be very happy thanks
is this the same procedure for any car? I'm trying to figure out the problem in my '06 honda pilot. for some reason the heated pad only heats up on the back side but not on the cushion.
Great video! I have a 940 with faulty seat heaters. Is it the same setup for the 940 and can it be fixed the same way? Cheers
I'm not sure. I'd check, trouble shoot it.
Thank you for a good video Robert. Last summer i replaced the seat cushion on my volvo 850 because it was sagging down and the metal where starting to separate from the foam. After I reinstalled the seat I notice a slight misalignment on the the two rails. When I slide the seat I have to jerk to lock the seats in position. Is there a certain order of tightening the bolts that hold the seat to the car. Or do you have any tips for aligning, when reinstalling the seats. Also I have a problem with cracks in the body where the arm that's help hold, open and close the door is spot-welded to the body (a-pillar). Do you have a simple fix or do I have to remove interior and wiring harness to weld and corrosion protect from the inside. ( if possible)
nilsutt The seat should be easy to align. Take the seat out and reinstall it with the lever pulled and it should mount properly. As for the door thing, the door can be removed in minutes. Not sure if that will help. - Door removal, installation, replacement, Volvo 850, S70, V70, etc.
Robert, I want to replace the seat in my '05 V70 with a good one from my local junkyard (I think this will be easier than swapping the skins) Since the battery will be out of the junkyard car, is there any reason to worry about blowing an air bag in the seat? Thanks for all of your videos which have kept me going for years.
I don't think so
Any chance you can show us where the thermostat is supposed to connect to? The wires to my thermostat are not connected on either side and I can't find any connectors that are missing wires to reconnect it to.
+Calvin Cox Maybe those seats did not have any. What kind of car do you have?
+Robert DIY no the thermostat is there, just one of the wires from it dosent connect to anything. it's a 96 850 turbo.
+Calvin Cox Does the car have the switches? Do you think that the seats may have been replaced?
Good morning, Robert.
Is the seat heating activated automatically?
Is there a key to trigger the seat heating?
I don't even know what kind of car you have.
The two wires that run to the thermostat, one of them ripped out, but there's still the ripped wire inside the plastic piece, how can I reconnect the wire
Chase Ponzetti Pull the thermostat out and remove the end. Then put a new end of the wire and put it back together.
Hi Robert, thanks for your videos.
I have a question regarding smoke coming out from underneath the seat with my 95 volvo 850 turbo. Light smoke started coming out from underneath the driver seat after the car started and the seat warmer for the driver's seat was activated.
My question is, if I disconnect all the electrical connections underneath the seat, chances are I'll still be able to drive this thing safely right?
Thanks for your time.
Simon Ng I would agree. Even if you simply turn off the switch it should be fine.
Hey Robert, my Mk1 V70 has a very annoying crooked drivers seat. It is leaning to the right. Is there a part i can change or am i going to have to get a new seat?
Thanks
Not sure what Mk1 is but is something defective in the height adjustment?
@@RobertDIY Mk1 is P80 Volvo (850-V70). The electronic adjustments work fine, the seat is just leaning to the right.
Something is out of adjustment. Maybe you can replace the seat.
Richard, Can I replace my torn 850 T-5r seats with 960 leather seats that are in great condition? If not, can I replace just the covers?
thx Ed
It is not a drop in fit, you would have to have something manufactured for the seat to work. You can replace the skins or have some place do it for you. Cost is about $275 per seat.
Hello Robert, i have front and back heated seats in my '97 S70, although none of the seats works. Bulbs in the switches glow if You click them, however. Tonight looked underneath the front seats and spotted, that there were no thermostats at all, no wires coming there too (although there is a space for thermostat). Was there heated seats with no thermostats or is it 'smart' previous owner that pulled them out? Should there be thermostats in the back seat too? Thanks in advance.
UtkaReper I would check for power to the pads. You can also unplug the pad wires and check for a short.
Robert DIY Power is present on all of the harnesses. However, there is a short i guess in 3 of 4 seats, only 1 side of the back seat is ok, although it won't get warm either.
The pads have wires running through then which can break when people crawl over the seats with their knees.
Hi Robert
According to my wife, at first the passenger seat started heating up excessively for awhile and then eventually quit working. A couple years later the same exact thing happened to the drivers side seat. I checked the wires on the connector and they are good and I have voltage at the connector. I plan on replacing the thermostat first and if that fails then a new seat heater. Given the failure symptom, in your opinion what does it point to? Thanks
+Kevin Eitland I would check the elements to make sure they are not broken. Ohms.
Gotcha, thanks Robert!
I'm about to post that video in a day or two. I'll send you a private message now.
"if you can stick your fingers up there. which you can normally stick two fingers up there". sounds like my girlfriend LOL
Joseph Opanel Wooooooooooow!
Has anyone put factory heated seats into a car that didn't come with them? I saw that the heated seat wires were already there in the S70 center console but I'm wondering if all I need is the console, seats and necessary relays. Can't find anything helpful in Google, thanks.
+Clay Octane I just put a pair in my daughter's car.
Very cool, lets get those buns warm. LOL
How do I re connect the wire?
Chase Ponzetti What wire?
I've been dealing with a company, let's call them STEAL for example. They charged me $109 to tell me the element was "Gone" and had to be replaced, that was a month ago. but since they didn't have my caravan repaired at a predetermined time promised to me, I had to leave with out getting it repaired. But yesterday, it was a colder than usual day when I was driving. Should I have been surprised that I felt the seat heating up as I was driving along? Do they owe me a refund on misdiagnosis?
Sounds like the thermostat is going bad.
They'll never do that. 🙄
@@RobertDIY That's my unqualified analysis. It hadn't come on at all but now that the temperature has dropped significantly, it comes on for a while. I assumed it is not what they told me (element gone) but rather the thermostat doesn't recognize the preset bottom for coming on and as for the high, I don't know if it will shut off. I haven't driven any length of time. I just discovered this on Friday and this is Monday at 1:27 am.
I'll know more soon. Thanks your judgment on this.
Eric
@@RobertDIY I'm sure you are correct, but then I get to some advertising for them, the problem with that too is THEY DON'T CARE.
Thank you for watching.