Electric Recaro seats install ground point (1 Viewer)

[stvrn6]

I purchased a semi new Recaro Ergomed ES seat locally for DIRT cheap but since its electric it came with a harness that requires a Power and ground. I used a test light to find the hot cable from the original seat connector but I don't know which one is the ground and all the searches just pop up for heated seats and or other retrofits but this Recaro has everything built in thankfully. I connected the red wire from the Recaro to the thick BLU/BLK cable connector and just grounded the brown cable from the Recaro to where the seat mounts to, to test it and it functioned properly but I would like to properly ground it. I plan to just splice in to the original seat connector. Does anyone know which one is the ground? Would I be okay to connect the hot cable from the connector or should I just mount to the fuse box?
EDIT: found instructions online and grounding to the body is the correct way. Now I just want to be sure that splicing into the Power cable (thick blu/blk cable) is safe to do so. Thinking of just adding a 20A fuse inbetween.

 

[CharlieS]

The entire body is grounded.

 

[stvrn6]

The entire body is grounded.

would using the mounting screw be fine than?

 

[NeverFinis]

I would use the console ground . It is located in between the front seats, and underneath the center console. It is what the factory seats use. Edited to add, factory GND color for the seats is W-B

 

[Malleus]

FWIW, every wire coded W/B is a ground, but not every ground is W/B.

You really should download the EWD from the Resources section, along with the Wire Harness Repair Manual. The EWD will show you (in the POWER SOURCE section) where you can tap into teh harness for the seat's power needs. The Wire Harness Repair Manual will show you how to properly connect to the harness.

HINT: it's not using vampire taps or soldering wires together.

 

[Marvelicious]

or soldering wires together.

Not to quibble, but there are solder joints in the factory harness.

 

[Malleus]

Yes, there are. And they are in there to join large gauge sections. The 18 and 20 gauge joins are all in connector housings, or they are in very large crimps.

 

[Marvelicious]

Yes, there are. And they are in there to join large gauge sections. The 18 and 20 gauge joins are all in connector housings, or they are in very large crimps.

I don't have the parts anymore, but I'm almost positive there was some smaller gauge stuff spliced in the factory seat harness - and I say this because it's the one part of my 80 harness I've had apart to the point where I could physically SEE the splices (and at least one 2-1 joint).

Mostly I object to the assertion that a solder joint is basically never the right way to do a thing. There are often better ways, but there's nothing wrong with a well executed solder splice. Personally, I think it's often a better choice than an "adapter harness" on the basis that a soldered joint is a more durable and corrosion-proof connection than most connectors. There's a world of difference between a good solder splice and a high-school kid stereo install splice.

JMHO

 

[stvrn6]

Hey guys so that cable on the seat harness is always powered and id really prefer to connect it to a accessory power point, scared of leaving the seat heater on and killing the battery. Does anyone know where the accessory tap is? Besides the engine bay. I want the seat to only work when the key is turned. Downloaded EWD and located the ground point mentioned but having a hard time reading it.

 

[Malleus]

The section after the circuit diagrams in the EWD describes what voltage each wire gets and when. Find one that you like that isn't always on and use that. If the circuits under the console don't suit you, there are plenty behind the driver's kickpanel. Use the routing diagrams at the front of the EWD to identify them.

FWIW, every seat heater I've seen is switch operated. None are always on.