question about powering heated seats for 2009 TRD Sport

My wife has a 2009 TRD sport double cab. I got her some heated seat kits to install for Christmas. They don't have instructions.

I have been reading and searching online to figure out the BEST way to bring power (switched, ideally) to these units.

I am thinking now of coming off the battery to a breaker, then a fused distribution panel in the engine bay, then to a relay that is powered by the ignition circuit.

If anyone has any really good recommendation and can help I would greatly appreciate it.

I think they need 10A apiece - and I was not really that interested in just double tapping an accessory fuse (cheating?) though if that is 100% OK with everyone here - I will consider it.

Is there a place in teh harness where the heated seats would have been connected had the truck been delivered with that option? Was that even an option?

Again, any advice greatly appreciated. I am going to start tonight by taking out the passenger seat and figuring out how to install the actual heater elements.

JIM in NH

 

I would come off the battery with a fuse with 12" of the battery give or take. Then run that to a relay. Switch in the cab would activate the relay and run the seat heater. I would do 2 relays with 2 switches. For the "tap" I would only use the tap to go to the switch and then to the relay. The only thing the tap would run is the relay.

 

OK - thanks. the seats came with a multi position switch for each heater that will mount just under the heater controls above the cup holders. I think the only flaw in your plan might be that the switches are intended for full power to run through them? I'll see if I can find a schematic somewhere online from someone who has used the same type.

 

Still wire it the same Just leave the relay out then. I use relay and switches that are low power. Low power switches are easier to place and make look right. Plus you run smaller wires to the switch as it only triggers the relay.

 

OK - today is the day. Freezing rain and crappy out, so planning to go out to the garage, disconnect the negative battery terminal, and then remove the passenger seat to start tearing it apart. Should be fun! Don't think I'll get to the driver's seat today - or to figuring out the power. I just hope to get one seat rebuilt and reinstalled.

 

I took my 2013 back to Toyota to have heated seats installed, my switches are on the outside of each seat. I will check the wiring out and see if I can tell how it is wired(it is all very well protected)

 

I got the seat heater installed in the passenger seat. Worked out very well, I think - though I havent' tried powering it up to be sure that it works. Guess I should do that before installing it. Planning on taking out the drivers' seat tomorrow, and the fun part will be pulling apart the console and dash to do the power wiring and install the switches!

 

got the passenger seat heater installed and the upholstery back on - took some time, but worked out well, I think. Haven't tested it yet.

Wife using the truck today so put the passenger seat back in temporarily. I am on vacation starting tonight, so tomorrow she can have my car and I'll do the driver's seat in the truck, then start pulling apart the dash.

I installed a circuit breaker and a fuse block near the battery with two relays (pics later). I plan to bring 12VDC to the heaters and switch them with the relays tied to the ignition circuit. I got a Bussmann add-a-circuit fuse tap to use for that, so I don't have to cut and splice anything under the dash. i plan to run the power from the accessories or cig. lighter circuit to power the relays (one hot lead jumpered to both relays) so the heaters go on with the ignition. I also have room to add future accessories from the same fuse block in the future - should the need arise.

 

tore the truck apart today! looked very messy - but mostly back together now. The only way you can get to the switch locations under the heater controls is to take most of the interior apart! Ran wires from the engine bay from relays to underneath the dash for the 12V power to the heaters. The best directions I have found say that the RED wire is 7.5A power to heater(s), the RED/YELLOW wire is 5A to the ?? (best guess is power to the control box), and YELLOW is 5A power to the switch lighting.

I have two hot wires from the engine bay, so I plan to wire the red and red/yellow wires together to the power lead. I might either cap the yellow wire or wire it up to the hot leads as well - I don't know under the dash where I should connect the yellow wire so that it comes on with the panel lights. Anyone know?

 

ok - all done - sort of...and the truck is all back together with no parts left over. I took the opportunity to do a better job of installing the seat covers we had in the truck since we bought it (with 130K on it when we purchased it the driver's seat was getting a bit worn and tatty...)

I hooked up the red and red/yellow wires to the same switched power lead, one hot lead from a fuse for each seat. I found an open fuse slot that actually had switched power under the dash (left side of the steering wheel), which was damn handy. I used it to as the coil power to switch the relays I put under the hood. This is the kit I got (with no instructions):

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01015AG2A/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I left the yellow wire unconnected. I *think* this is to light the switches...which seems to be borne out by a bit of research on the web (and elsewhere even on this site).

I went for a test drive, and the driver's seat heats up - though not so hot that I would want to turn it down. It's hard to tell, but the passenger seat did not seem to get warm. I then parked and sat in the passenger seat, and it does seem to warm up if you are sitting on it. There is not a "seat switch" but there is a thermostat on each pad - so not sure if for some reason you have to be occupying the seat to get it actually warm up...?

So I think I am done for now - I need to find a place to tie in the yellow wire so that it will be powered only when the headlights are on. If anyone can tell me the easiest place to do that I would be grateful. I'll post some pics soon.

* Edit - took a test drive with the wife - both seats work fine! Bonus - she was very happy that the truck essentially go detailed since I cleaned it up and vacuumed it since it was all apart.

 

here are some project pics.

when I finally got the switch plate off, I noticed that the middle hole did not have the slots on the sides, which were needed for the style of switches that came with the kit. I filed new ones to match the others.

 

first time I have posted a pic I think - did it work for anyone else...looks funny to me the way it got formatted.

 

I may have missed it, so this may be a repeat... Use the relay to switch power to the seat switches. Switch the relay on with the key, so they'll turn off when you shut the truck off. I installed some in my better half's car back in November. The relay clicked when the,"key" wire was hooked up.

 

thank you - that is what I did. the relays are powered from a spare circuit in the fuse box under the dash that is only hot with the ignition. the battery is then connected directly through the 10A fuses in the pic to the seat heaters.