Gyrobob

All of a sudden the power seat in my base 2009 coupe works very little. Here are the clues:
-- When I sit on the seat, the toggle switch on the left side of the seat has no effect.
-- When I get off the seat, the toggle switch works sometimes.
-- When driving I can hear and feel what sounds like an electric motor underneath the seat making a slight clunk, then another clunk 2 seconds later. That repeats about every 10-15 seconds. When I get out of the car one of those motors underneath the seat is VERY warm. It doesn't do this every time I drive the car.
-- This is the first problem with the seat.
-- 36,000 miles on the car
-- Up until today, I would adjust the seat forward and back whenever I got in/out of the car.
-- All the fuses are good.
-- I can see no tools, teddy bears, Big Macs, condoms, guns, combs, etc., underneath the seat.

Before I take the seat out to check the wiring, plugs, etc., I wanted to check here first to see if this is a common problem, and, hopefully, with sy fix.

Thanks for any help.

Bob

Vette_DD

Loose connections under the seat are a common problem, although I've not had the problem during the 60,000+ miles of driving C6s.

Gyrobob

That's my suspicion too. Tomorrow I'll probably be taking out the seat and examining the plugs and wiring under it. Does the seat come out by undoing the bolts at each corner?

Vette_DD

From my previous post, obviously I've never had to do that, so I don't know the answer to your question. I'm sure others here know.

CO Lightfoot

At the risk of stating the obvious, this sounds like it might a problem with the toggle switch. Or the wiring to that switch.

Anyway, before removing the seat, take a look at the switch. Might help to have an assistant observe the switch for signs of distress when you sit down.

CO Lightfoot

That's part of it.

1LT has no side airbags, but for peace-of-mind you'll want to de-power the seatbelt pretensioners.

If you first disconnect the battery to de-power the pretensioners, then it's difficult to access the bolts because you can't move the seat.

See steps 1-3 here (nice photos & instructions for similar C5 seat): http://www.vetteessentials.com/instr...er_change.html

C6-specific instructions (fewer photos): http://forums.corvetteforum.com/1565593403-post7.html

I think the most difficult part is disconnecting the electrical connectors... the clasps are a bit tricky... do NOT yank on 'em.

Also, be sure to inspect the underside of your seat. If you're a heavyweight, after 36k miles you may have damaged foam and/or support wires. This might be part of the problem, especially if you frequently move the seat back & forth.

Healthy support wires & foam on my 09 1LT:



Also, to improve support and protect the seat bottom foam, I installed this $50 upgrade/rebuild kit: http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c6-c...-kits-jwm.html
BIG improvement in my lower-back comfort.

And if your seat bottom foam is badly damaged, here's a better-than-stock $69 replacement: http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c6-c...9-shipped.html

Gyrobob

CO Lightfoot, thanks large. Your post is exactly what I am looking for. In a few hours I'll be undoing the seat enough to tilt it back to get to the wiring and connectors, hopefully finding the loose plug or broken wire.

I weigh 210 lbs, and am 6'3" tall. You mentioned something about "heavyweight." Is 210 enough to be a problem? Now that I think about it, for headroom requirements, I do have the seat down far enough so that I can feel the cushion touching the floor. Maybe that squeezes the wires and/or wiggles the plugs, eh? Moving the seat forward and back, with the butt cushion touching the floor puts a strain on the wiring. If so, that is a pretty crappy design "feature."

Gyrobob

Any hints as to which plugs and/or wires might be causing the problems listed in the "clues" of my opening post?

Jimmy W1

The first thing I would do is unplug the switch and then plug it back in a few times. It sounds like you might have a bad connection and the contacts need to be scuffed up a little bit to make a better contact. If that doesn't work I'd try to scuff/shine them up with a small screwdriver.......... And the motor might be going out. If the motor continues to get hot, I would set the seat where you want it and then unplug it pemanantly until you get it fixed. It could start a fire when you are not around.

Jimmy W1

I would first check the plugs under the seat that go to the motor.

Gyrobob

I found the problem.




The pic shows where the slots are broken off at the top of the switch housing.




The next pic shows what is keeping me from proceeding further.





How do I get the seat disassembled enough to get the switch off of it so I can repair it or replace it?

I'm sure there is something simple to do to pop the seatback recliner lever off, and then that side panel probably snaps off as well. I just don't know the tricks.

Maybe I don't have to disassemble the seat any further to get the switch off. Any hints?

Thanks much.

Bob

Gyrobob

Yay!! I found a thread that explained the disassembly. I have the switch out, and I'm off to the dealer. Thanks for the help.

RicK T

Care to share that thread? I'm just curious if it's one I don't know about. TIA

b4i4getit

I would think you are still under warranty. Why are you not going to the dealer ?

Xedes

Happened to my '09 also. Loose connection was the cause. I took mine into the dealership to get fixed under warranty since it was making e nervous because the box underneath the seat was getting piping hot. I was afraid my car was going to burn up and left it out of the garage for the night.

Gyrobob

My bumper to bumper warranty expired in July.

Gyrobob

Here's that thread.

http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c6-z...ussion/2344588

Gyrobob

I went to the dealer. They list the part, but don't keep it in stock. That $7 worth of thin plastic costs $114.

Thank you,... no.

I'll repair it.

Jimbeaux

Just had the same problem fixed yesterday on my 05 (exact same symptoms). It was a broken wire on one of the plugs at the memory module

2006c6keller

I have had two intermitten seat module replaced, if under warranty, let dealer repair. I have to take mine in for same problem again, just restarted again. They found "open" in circuit before. Similar type symtoms again. If dealer replaces, be sure to have him REprogam it and you check it out when you pick it up. Get there early to check it, I was lucky the last time, the service manage knew how to do it. Also, make sure the personal options in DIC are turned on, been there after dealer replaced unit. They didn't reset it up for door functions when open the door and close with seat and steering wheel options.

Update: They did not fix it by replacing the moduels, they replaced the seat moduel motor assembly and it is now working fine. Be sure the steering column is still working, they forgot to reprogram it twice. Took seven (7) attempts to fix. GM is great, don't beleve it.