Intermittent electrical fault - windows & seat

[D350z]

Ok this is a funny one but irritating too. I have an 08 roadster GT pack and the windows and seat motors don't operate when I'm sat in the car. If I'm out of the car the seats operate and with the ignition on, the windows operate too. Does the supply to the windows go via the seats? Could it be a loom fault? I've wiggled the fuses and the battery terminals etc. Any ideas are gratefully appreciated.

[Husky]

yes could be a loom fault, i assume when your outside the car the door is open? could be a fault in the wiring or connector going to the door and when you have it open it works?

 

try sitting in the car awith the door open to get it working or the opposite, close the door and lean in through the window and try it.

this will tell you if its in the door harness possibly.

 

the other possibility is a wire is trapped possibly under the seat? so when you sit down it crushes it shorting it?

have a look under there and check

 

other possible faults are water ingress which can cause all sorts of funky problems as it shorts out connectors.

 

 

i wouldnt have thought the windows and seats are on the same part of the loom tbh, they even come up from different harness runs into the BCM.

[D350z]

Thanks Husky. One other factor is I can get a buzzing sound like the window motor is trying hard but not getting enough current and I get relay clicking from the seat motor switches. So there are 3 states: not working at all, nearly working and working but from outside the car. From a state of not working the ignition needs to be switched off and on again before it starts working again.

 

 

I'm going to get under the seat with a torch and wiggle the cables as per your recommendation Thanks.

[Husky]

oh thats an odd one

 

hmm well the windows are known to have problems but it seems to much of a coincidence to be the seat at the same time. what about the battery? does it all work when the engines running but not when its switched off?

 

 

i bet its obvious

[D350z]

Okay, further testing has confirmed that when I'm sat in the drivers seat, the windows and the seat motors do not operate on either side. If I stand outside the car with all other factors equal, the seat motors and window motors do work.

 

There are loads of cables and connectors under the seat and I've wiggled them all but the fault remains. It must go back to the main dealer I suppose. Any other ideas?

[Husky]

so its just sitting in the seat that makes it work

 

how bizzare but does sound like a harness fault. you could take the seat out, etc but depends on how much ball ache you want.

[chrisjones6699]

[D350z]

It's okay when my wife sits in the car but not when i sit in the car. As I'm several stone heavier than her this must be the root cause. I need to diet!

[Husky]

the cars rebelling!

[M13KYF]

may be worth reseating the connectors under the seat, may be slightly loose

[D350z]

may be worth reseating the connectors under the seat, may be slightly loose

 

Thanks Mike.

 

Do you know if there is a release catch or something like that to enable me to lift the seat of the rails or is there a straight forward way of getting to the cables? I need all the help I can get here as I can get one hand under the seat but not both as needed to reseat the connectors.

 

Cheers, Damien.

[dyla350z]

More likley to be an earth prob or a dry joint in a relay,pretty sure there is no window wiring under seat,only way to get to the 4 plugs under the seat is remove seat via 4 14mm bolts,you must undo bolts slide seat into middle position,tilt seat foward then disconect your bat as if you dont you may scew up the seat air bags,then tilt seat,unplug plugs the you can remove seat from car.

[P15UL T]

might be a long shot, but in the newer cars there is an weight sensor in the seats maybe that is faulty somehow ???

 

Paul

[evest]

I'm having a similar problem - but only the passenger window. Works sometimes, sometimes doesn't - fortunately it's only getting stuck in the up position. I'll investigate further tomorrow to see if can shed any more light on the issue.

 

Only started doing it since I had my clutch changed...weird

[M13KYF]

may be worth reseating the connectors under the seat, may be slightly loose

 

Thanks Mike.

 

Do you know if there is a release catch or something like that to enable me to lift the seat of the rails or is there a straight forward way of getting to the cables? I need all the help I can get here as I can get one hand under the seat but not both as needed to reseat the connectors.

 

Cheers, Damien.

 

 

[evest]

Hi,

 

Just got my car back from a service - they had a look at my passenger window problem. Couldn't see anything wrong with it mechanically, however they did recommend regular cleaning of the channel and some lube (WD40 is fine) to hel the window operate. Of course you will then need to clean the glass!

 

Seemed okay on the drive home. Might not be the answer, but see if it helps in your case.

[Husky]

if its just the window thats your problem, have you used search? its a common problem

[evest]

Sorry - hope I haven't inadvertently hijacked this thread - just that part of the OP's problem seemed similar to mine so thought I'd chip in

[Husky]

makes sense