Hello all,

I know there are a lot of threads on the the infamous Heated Seat Debacle but I thought I would start a new thread so this would get out to the masses. This is my story and solution to what I ran in to. I have a 2003 Screw and had the same problem that a lot of other Ford owners were/are having with the burnt wires in the heating element. Mine went one step further with a bad thermo switch also (which I think happens to more people than we know) So with the bad thermo it lets the heating wires burn at an uncontrollable temp and they burn out. While fixing the burn wire would get you heat again it will also burn out again. Now at this point you have to replace the heating element for a substantial cost to you (Unless you have a warranty) Well after searching the web, junk yards, ebay, and even Ford dealers I can't find a replacement element for my 03. Now I am sure I could have purchased a different year/ model pad or an aftermarket pad but being the cheapo that I am I came up with another solution and not being someone who likes to be beat I finally found a place to get Bimetal thermal cutout switches. They are around $7 with $2 shipping to me. They are a little bit bigger (actually a lot bigger than what is is in our Ford heating pads) but still only a little over a 1/2 inch round. This was easily wired in to the heating pad and fitted in to the foam in the seat. So by purchasing a new thermal switch and repairing the burned wire in the pad we are flying high. Just remember that if you want to take this route like me (because I don't have the money and can't even find a replacement pad for my 03) you will need a Normally Closed Switch that will open when it reaches the operating temp of the switch. If anyone wants any info on where I got the thermo let me know.

Jim

PS: Sorry this was so long I just had to explain it.

 

Throw the info up here! My super cab has the same problem. I've repaired the element, but I know the switch that controls the temperature is bad. The seat gets really warm when compared to my passenger seat, which works just fine.

 

How do you control how hot the seat gets? If it is warming up and shutting off on it's own then I don't think it is the thermo. But if you are letting it warm up and then you are turning it off when it gets to hot then you are a much braver and more disciplined man than me because I would never remember to turn it off and I would burn it up or my truck

 

Yea, I've been too afraid to leave the seat on to see if my switch is bad. But compared to my passenger seat, it is considerably warmer, and I shut off the switch manually when my *** gets comfortable.

Last time I left the seat on, and the temperature controls didn't work, my solder joint was the first to fail, so at least the truck won't catch on fire, haha... That's why I don't want to try it again... Removing the leather on the seat bottom is a pain.

I've been considering purchasing a replacement element for a while now.

 

Hey Subjim where did you get the larger element? I am also fairly cheap and have been through burning out the same element twice. Looking for a "permanent" fix. Thanks

 

Well long story short that first part I bought was the wrong on so after more research and some trial and error I found the right part. Here is a link to another forum where I found some great help. If you still need a part number for the correct one after reading this let me know. Just start from page 13 unless you want to read all of it. lol

http://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/53...-seats-13.html