2004 Lexus ES330 Heated seat not getting hot (Switch possibly)
11-16-23, 03:32 PM
#1
10th Gear
Thread Starter
2004 Lexus ES330 Heated seat not getting hot (Switch possibly)
Hi all,
Recently purchased a 2004 Lexus ES330 with 87k miles, interior is very clean. The heated seats on the passenger side seem to be working either intermittently or they are not that strong to begin with.
The switch on the climate control does light up orange or green when I push it but the heat on the seat seems to only get hot sometimes, otherwise it just feels warm.
Does anyone know if this is a common issues on the 330s? Does anyone know how I can verify if the heating element is failing vs the switch?
Recently purchased a 2004 Lexus ES330 with 87k miles, interior is very clean. The heated seats on the passenger side seem to be working either intermittently or they are not that strong to begin with.
The switch on the climate control does light up orange or green when I push it but the heat on the seat seems to only get hot sometimes, otherwise it just feels warm.
Does anyone know if this is a common issues on the 330s? Does anyone know how I can verify if the heating element is failing vs the switch?
11-16-23, 07:53 PM
#2
Pole Position
Hello,
Unlike in the Previous Generation ES, those heaters are not powered directly through the switch, which required it to withstand quite a bit of current and caused them to fail. The newer ones like in your car only control the Signal to the A/C ECU, which then powers your Heater.
There are a couple of ways to test them that I can think of - one, more proper, would be to get a Techstream cable and connect straight to the A/C System to see if there are any faults, or if the Seat Heater is among the Active Tests that can be done through the software. The other method would be to hook up a Current Meter to the heater, preferably the Clamp style one, and push on different ares of the seat to see if the Current will drop, which will signal a bad Heater Element.
Hope this helps and best of luck!
Unlike in the Previous Generation ES, those heaters are not powered directly through the switch, which required it to withstand quite a bit of current and caused them to fail. The newer ones like in your car only control the Signal to the A/C ECU, which then powers your Heater.
There are a couple of ways to test them that I can think of - one, more proper, would be to get a Techstream cable and connect straight to the A/C System to see if there are any faults, or if the Seat Heater is among the Active Tests that can be done through the software. The other method would be to hook up a Current Meter to the heater, preferably the Clamp style one, and push on different ares of the seat to see if the Current will drop, which will signal a bad Heater Element.
Hope this helps and best of luck!
11-16-23, 07:57 PM
#3
10th Gear
Thread Starter
Hello,
Unlike in the Previous Generation ES, those heaters are not powered directly through the switch, which required it to withstand quite a bit of current and caused them to fail. The newer ones like in your car only control the Signal to the A/C ECU, which then powers your Heater.
There are a couple of ways to test them that I can think of - one, more proper, would be to get a Techstream cable and connect straight to the A/C System to see if there are any faults, or if the Seat Heater is among the Active Tests that can be done through the software. The other method would be to hook up a Current Meter to the heater, preferably the Clamp style one, and push on different ares of the seat to see if the Current will drop, which will signal a bad Heater Element.
Hope this helps and best of luck!
Unlike in the Previous Generation ES, those heaters are not powered directly through the switch, which required it to withstand quite a bit of current and caused them to fail. The newer ones like in your car only control the Signal to the A/C ECU, which then powers your Heater.
There are a couple of ways to test them that I can think of - one, more proper, would be to get a Techstream cable and connect straight to the A/C System to see if there are any faults, or if the Seat Heater is among the Active Tests that can be done through the software. The other method would be to hook up a Current Meter to the heater, preferably the Clamp style one, and push on different ares of the seat to see if the Current will drop, which will signal a bad Heater Element.
Hope this helps and best of luck!
Thank you! Luckily I do have and know how to us techstream! I will give it a shot!
11-19-23, 01:48 AM
#5
Pole Position
If it works at all times, just being weaker than it should be, you can try accessing the Wiring for the Heater and measuring its Resistance. There is a chance that a heater has more than one circuit wired in Parallel, in case if one said circuit fails, the heater as a whole remains functional, even if a little handicapped, which could be what happens in your case. With that, I am not sure what value it is supposed to be, so you will have to either get a Service Manual, or compare it to the Driver's side.
Hope this helps and best of luck!
Hope this helps and best of luck!
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