M Sport Seat Install - Need some wiring help - PHOTOS

[ANUSTART]

Here are some shots I took after removing wires from the passenger side harness and also some detailed photos of the driver's side harness including the memory wire. Hopefully this will help document the process of installing the seats.

Drivers side M Sport Seat harness. Pins 13, 14 and 15. 15 is memory function, still trying to identify 13 and 14 however my money is on 13 Red/Brown being power and 14 Brown being ground.





Here is how to remove/replace the black sliding cover. Release the attached clips on either side and slide away from the exit point of the wires. Cutting the zip tie holding it all together is advised.




Removing the wires from the plastic retainer is very easy. Just push down on the back of the silver pin connector and slide the wire out. Took no effort at all so don't think you'll need to yank on it to release. I didn't get a photo of the in-between stage but here are both pieces. It's pretty easy.

[ANUSTART]

Originally Posted by CFoote

For safety reasons I would run seperate wire. When you see the thickness (gauge) of the wiring BMW used on the power seats, you won't find anything nearby that will work, and tapping into existing wiring can cause all sorts of electrical problems (voltage drop mainly being the troublemaker)

Chris

After disassembling the plug to remove the wires, I agree. They are way too big to pull from the local harness. Running new wire from a main power source is about the only way to do it. Memory function can easily be tapped into a local power source though. It's very, very tiny. Roughly 18 gauge I'd guess.

[CFoote]

Originally Posted by hogzilla

After disassembling the plug to remove the wires, I agree. They are way too big to pull from the local harness. Running new wire from a main power source is about the only way to do it. Memory function can easily be tapped into a local power source though. It's very, very tiny. Roughly 18 gauge I'd guess.

Yup, you are on the right path

I purchased a set of heavy duty connectors from Radio Shack to use for the seats. That way if a technician (or future owner) ever has to take them out, they can easily disconnect them.

http://www.radioshack.com/product/in...ductId=2103449

(They sell a couple of different sizes, make sure you get the big ones that can handle thick wire)


Also, not sure if you already have a distribution block or are planning on going that route, but here is a great deal from Parts Express:

http://www.parts-express.com/pe/show...72&FTR=263-672

Chris

[ANUSTART]

They are in and work. Photos and more info to follow. However... Since my initial test I found that the SRS sensor that looked to be good, turns out is turning off with a passenger. So now to go down that road. Love the seats though. They feel great and my wife with back problems loves the feel.

Thanks for the info Chris!

[ANUSTART]

Here are photos from the M Sport Seat install I did this weekend. Seats work great however I do have the airbag sensor issue others have reported. That will be next to resolve. If anyone has any tips, please let me know.

First, disconnect the power from the battery. Then, remove the seats. Shipkiller did a great writeup on that in another post on another forum, Google it and you'll find it. These photos assume you've gotten the seats out and are ready to wire it up.


I ran all my wiring through the front. It was the path of least resistance and offered the best option for easy power and ground access.

I used 12 gauge wire and connected it to the front power post under the hood.




There is an opening that comes out right above the gas pedal. You will need to remove the plastic cover that has 6 screws under the steering wheel to get easy access. Cut an X in the rubber cover and wires can be easily routed through the firewall.







Once the wires are through you can route them to either side of the car. I ran the passenger side through the center console and the driver side along the side molding. It tucks in very easily. You will do this for power and ground.

Here is power connected:


And ground:


And then route the wires:




Once routed under the carpet and in place I connected an inline 30 amp fuse holder and fuse to the power side. After connecting the fuse holder I attached female side spade connects to the ground and power. Once you remove the spade connectors from the seat wire harness, they plug right in. I zip tied the wires together and tucked any excess wire so there wouldn't be too much slack under the seat.



Then for the seat prep. Once the wires are removed wrap any metal that won't be fitted into the spade connectors with tape or heat shrink tube. I didn't have the correct size so I simply used electrical tape. It works just fine. Red is your positive and Brown is your negative.


Seats plugged in:


Once the seats are FULLY plugged in including seat harnesses for passenger and driver and power then you can connect your power back on the battery. Bolt down the front, move the seat forward and bolt down the back and re-connect the seat belt.




Still to do is connecting the memory function which will come next after figuring out the occupancy sensor issue. I will post those results as they come.

Here is a link to the full photo album:
http://s237.photobucket.com/albums/f...20Seat%20Swap/

[CFoote]

Looks nice. What year did the sport seats come from? The sensor could be different from year to year.... I purchased power seats from a 2003 and in '05 they used a newer sensor. It required removing the leather covers from both seats and swapping the sensor. It's a 3-4 hour job.... :/

[ANUSTART]

Thanks! The seats are from a 2008 Z4MC. I am guessing you are correct in the pad changing. I will do the transplant and post some photos. There is a good write up on this on another board I will use as a guide. Any advice before I dig in? Not looking forward to disassembling my new seats, but don't see any other way.

[ANUSTART]

For those following this thread, here is a how to from another forum on swapping the sensor.

http://www.z4-forum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=23646

[ANUSTART]

Seat update. Before tearing into the seats, I took the passenger seat out to double check all was connected. Turns out a connector at the back, small black connector, was unplugged. Probably from the many times taking the seat out and replacing. I plugged it in, started it up and it works! Did some test with and without a passenger and it picks up on the occupant. However, now the red airbag light is still lit till I get the code cleared.

One thing I did notice and will address in another post, if the car is started without the passenger in the seat, the sensor won't pick up on the occupant once they get in. It only turns the airbag on when someone is sitting in the seat at startup. It's a minor inconvenience, but a consideration. However, I never noticed if this was the case before or not. It would be a very, very rare situation when this would be a consideration.

[ANUSTART]

And after a week of use the seats are worth ever penny and every minute of time to do the install. I love them.

[CFoote]

Nice to hear, the hog rings did not give you a hard time putting the cover back on? Those things drove me crazy...my hands ached for a few days after I was all done

[ANUSTART]

Really glad to have it all working. Didn't even have to swap pads. I did dig into the stock seat just enough to get a taste of how much a pain in the ass those rings are. Fortunatey found the disconnected connector before I dug in any further.

[CFoote]

Originally Posted by hogzilla

Really glad to have it all working. Didn't even have to swap pads. I did dig into the stock seat just enough to get a taste of how much a pain in the ass those rings are. Fortunatey found the disconnected connector before I dug in any further.

Ahhh I gotcha, I wasn't sure if the disconnected connector was something that happened due to the sensor swap. That's great you didn't have to do anything with the occupancy sensors, congrats!

[dj_b4l]

hi mate did you manage to get the memory function to work if so what did you have to do to make this work im doing the same at the moment

any body know where i need to connect the memory wire and is it wire 15 that is memory wire

[CFoote]

Originally Posted by dj_b4l

hi mate did you manage to get the memory function to work if so what did you have to do to make this work im doing the same at the moment

any body know where i need to connect the memory wire and is it wire 15 that is memory wire

You can pull a K-Bus signal off the center console switches. I am not sure what wire it is off the center console switch connector, but use the online WDS to get that info:

http://wds.spaghetticoder.org/

[dj_b4l]

hi guys wandering if you can be any help since you have managed to get the above seats to power up i have half electric seats in my car i want to fit full electric ones in


when i put power to red and brown on the seat the seat doesnt move

the car seat has its own ecu under the seat

these new seats are electric memory seats i dont mind the memory function not working at the moment just want the seats to power up

my car is a bmw e60 2004 model 530d i know its a forum for a different car but you guys are more ahead than the others in fitting power seats

i can post pictures of the plugs and wires

thanks

[EenyBear]

Thanks for posting all this. My 2007 Z4M has heated manual aftermarket seats ..... and fully powered Z4M seats are probably on the way to replace them.

In my naive state of mind, I assumed the plugs for all the power would be present so the swap would be a snap.

Unless I've read it incorrectly, we're discussing retrofitting a Z4 2.5i with M seats in the thread above.

Any chance I might have an easier time of it? Z4M to Z4M?

Or should I go shopping for wire and connectors as well?

BTW, my Imola red heated manual M-logo seats are flawless (came with the car) and apparently weigh 40lbs less than the powered version. For a track enthusiast, this might be attractive. I'll confirm the weight difference and likely list them for sale shortly.
iharper at shaw dot ca

Best regards,
Ian

[ANUSTART]

From what I've seen you should be in good shape but will probably need to run power and ground to the seats and a power line for the memory. Fortunately, for you, your SRS sensor should be fully compatible and heated function will already be wired. Running power and ground is easy. You should be done within a few hours at most.

[CFoote]

Originally Posted by EenyBear

Any chance I might have an easier time of it? Z4M to Z4M?

Or should I go shopping for wire and connectors as well?

BTW, my Imola red heated manual M-logo seats are flawless (extremely low kms) and apparently weigh 40lbs less than the powered version. For a track enthusiast, this might be attractive. I'll confirm the weight difference and likely list them for sale shortly.
iharper at shaw dot ca

Best regards,
Ian

Ian, typically the cars are built with the wiring they need -- early production cars (2003s and some early 2004) had ALL the wiring included in their harnesses, but that was changed to cut costs and save weight in mid '04.

Therefore my guess is that you will most likely need to run your own power and ground. However, given that the battery is in the rear of the car, it will be easy to run the wiring directly to the battery (just make sure you run a 30amp fuse to each seat, I believe 30a is the factory fuse size).

Chris

[dj_b4l]

Couldd any one help with the above please?

[CFoote]

Originally Posted by dj_b4l

Couldd any one help with the above please?

5 series cars are completely different, you really need to get ahold of a wiring manual to verify you have the correct wires.

[Shipkiller]

Originally Posted by dj_b4l

Couldd any one help with the above please?

You need a copy of the BMW WDS V12 CD/DVD. It has all the electrical diagrams for all models up to MY 2008.

Unless someone on the board hear has a 5-series, and has performed this already (not bloody likely) you will not get any specific information for your quest

My recommendation is to pick up a copy of the WDS from Ebay and study it yourself. That is the only way to be sure you are doing it properly.