I need help with my E34 please!

[e34it]

I need help with my E34 please!

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i bought a set of operating seats out of a european spec e34 m5 that are electrical. I tried to replace my manual ones in my european spec 520i, there are harnesses underneath the carpet i hooked them up to the seat and i get nothing. What am i doing wrong? is there a specific relay or fuse that i need and dont have, because obviously the car is wired to accept electrical seats but they just wont work, can anyone help me out please

[Javier]

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[Blitzkrieg Bob]

You are on the right track.

There is some electrical stuff under the back seat that powers the seats.

Look for an empty fuse bay and test it out.

Good luck

[shogun]

Post the year/month of production or better the last 7 digits of the VIN.

Otherwise it is just general info you get. If you indicate that, Javier for example (he knows much better electrical stuff than I do) or others can give you the details.

[Javier]

power seats. May be you are lucky enough and find they are missing. If so, just put a couple 30A fuses.

http://www.bimmernut.com/~billr/images/rear%20fuses.jpg

Javier

[e34it]

No i am not that lucky i checked the fuses,and there are no places for them to go in the metal contacts arent there but the hole is. mine is an 1989, i went to the BMW dealer in Catania Sicily yesterday, they said i have the harnesses, but i dont have the fuse assembly or related wiring if that is possible, they said something like charging me 500 euro (prob cause i am american) to fix it. I dont know what to do, if i cant get them put in im gonna have a whole m5 interior that i cant use and prob have to sell

[Javier]

that is more important.

The circuit to the seats is as follows:

Driver's seat:

From the Fuse link (At the battery output, there is plenty of post in the forum with pictures to identify) it goes to the rear fuse box with a thick red wire, from there it splices at X448 to multiple red wires feeding the different fuses, one of them go to fuse F42, form F42 a Red/Yellow 2.5 square mm wire go towards connection X275 under Driver's seat, and connects to a 2.5 square mm red/brown wire that feds the Power Seat switch. This last wire should have come with your seat.

Passenger's seat:

From the Fuse link it goes to the rear fuse box with a thick red wire, from there it splices at X448 to multiple red wires feeding the different fuses, one of them go to fuse F43, form F43 a Red/Black 2.5 square mm wire go towards connection X279 under Driver's seat, and connects to a 2.5 square mm red/violet wire that feds the Power Seat switch. This last wire should have come with your seat.

What to do?

Get two of those after market fuse holders, the type that go in line in the wire, two 30A fuses for them, and some 105 degrees red insulation 2.5 square mm wire. Remove battery ground connection (Radio code on hand). Find the best place to tap two wires to the Fuse link Output (Guess the best place would be the existing splice X448). Connect two 2.5 square mm wires to the tap point (splice?) and connect the fuse holders to the end of these two wires (one will be your new F42 and the other the F43). Locate under the rear fuse box (or nearby), the Red/Yellow wire and the Red/Black wire going from the harnesses connectors under the front seats, to the rear fuse box and connect them, one each, to the free end of your newly installed fuses. The length of the two new red wires should be enough to go from the selected splicing point, to the location of the end of the red/yellow and red/black wires, under the rear fuse box. Check for proper insulation at all connections, replace the battery ground, test seats, and reset radio and clock. This should do it.

As a previous suggestion, check the hole for fuses F42 and F43. May be one of the metal terminals is there helping identify either a red wire to feed the fuse, or the red/yellow and red/black wire connecting the fuses to the seats. If you can’t get the fuse holders or its 30A fuses, just get some (4) female spade wire terminals the size to fit the standard fuses metal spades. Get two 30A standard fuses and connect them using the wire terminals. This way you can even place the fuses in its original cradle at the fuse box.

Javier

[shogun]

Perfect instructions Javier, now I even could do it.

E34it: there are plenty of parts available in Italy. And very good mechanics. The problem is your language barrier.
I had the same problem here in Japan when I moved over to here many years ago.. Try to learn Italian and there is a new Italy for you.