Cooled Seats

[omar302]

tmarsh, did you get the full kit? I just ordered the exhaust parts as I didn't want to remove the factory sock so that I'd still have warranty in case of anything that might come up.

 

And thanks for the write-up.

[tmarsh]

Yes I got the full kit. I didnt have the sock. Just the exhaust should work for you since you already have the sock. Just make sure the exhaust is exited away from the sock under the seat.

[tmarsh]

Here's some pictures of the inside of the Edge seat. I found a better way to gain more access to this, simply roll up the upholstery like you would your pant legs. But be careful of the airbag on the outer side of the seat. Still may be easier for some to take the seat out of the car.

[1004ron]

Here's some pictures of the inside of the Edge seat. I found a better way to gain more access to this, simply roll up the upholstery like you would your pant legs. But be careful of the airbag on the outer side of the seat. Still may be easier for some to take the seat out of the car.

 

Thanks for all your info - I'm just finding it hard to spend $100+ to correct a problem on my vehicle that's still under warranty.

[omar302]

Thanks for all your info - I'm just finding it hard to spend $100+ to correct a problem on my vehicle that's still under warranty.

I had a 2011 MKX with the cooled seats before the Edge, and they also had the same issue, the back does not cool that much while the bottom does. But it was still better than other cars I rode in with cooled seats. And I hope with this fix ($100 for the exhaust only) will fix it.

[tmarsh]

The least you have to do is find a way to exhaust the warm air outside of the seat. Fords fix it backwards. They put a sock on the intake but nothing with the exhaust, so the inside of the seat still heats up.

It is best to do both intake and exhaust obviously especially since youre in there. You could also use plastic electrical conduit or a garden hose and some duct tape I suppose. Doesnt have to be pretty or perfect. But Tims kit is the best you could do.

Edited July 27, 2018 by tmarsh

[tmarsh]

Thanks for all your info - I'm just finding it hard to spend $100+ to correct a problem on my vehicle that's still under warranty.

I feel your pain. But, this is something that the dealer wont fix. Fords only fix is to put a sock on the intake to suck in fresh air. But they leave the exhaust wide open to the inside of the seat, doesnt really make it any better.

[1004ron]

Took a look at my seats today, and it looks like I already have the intake sock installed, so wonder what the dealership would do if I took it in for a warranty repair.

 

The picture shows the sock protruding from the bottom of the backrest.

 

I recall clearly that the seat and backs cooled very efficiently when I first bought the Sport, and now only the seats work.

 

@tmarsh were you able to restore the upholstery to look as new without baggy or loose sections?

Edited July 29, 2018 by 1004ron

[tmarsh]

@tmarsh were you able to restore the upholstery to look as new without baggy or loose sections?

Yes the upholstery looks the same as it did before. Its all one piece that clips together under the backrest. I just rolled it up to gain access to the back. Like if you were going to roll up your jeans to get to your knee.

[Ford Prefect]

Hey guys, as the 2019 facelift model is out now in the US did anyone already have the chance of a test drive and try out the cooled seats in the facelift model? I'm curious if Ford at least fixed the issue within the facelift or if the unsatisfying situation is going to last.

[omar302]

Brian

No Zippers on the Edge - Kind of like rolling a condom off. It isn't easy as the fabric and padding is stiff. You can roll it back till you get to side airbag, that gives enough room on the back to access the TED.

 

There is some heavy duty Velcro in the bolster channels where it meets the seat center back that needs to be loosened to get it to roll back. Shows as green in the photo. You can't roll it much higher without getting into the airbags. Just is high enough in the back to access the TED

 

I've attached a picture and a PDF of the notes I sent to Tim when I did mine

 

Paul

 

 

Alright so I got my kit in the mail from http://seatguru.wixsite.com/fordseatfix#! and didn't waste any time getting it in there. The parts look strong and well made to withstand a toddler kicking the back of the seat.

The only issue I had was finding a Torx T6 screwdriver bit at home to remove the screws. But, start to finish took me maybe 15-20 minutes per seat. But I do recommend pulling the seat out of the car for sure. 4 bolts and a few connectors.

 

His website does not have instructions for the Edge, only F-150. Seats are different, but seat coolers are the same. The service manual says to take the seat out of the car(which might make it easier) and then pretty much remove all of the upholstery, separate the seat back from the seat bottom...no. I didn't do any of that,

The way I did it, I just put the seat bottom up and forward, with the seat back fully forward. Underneath the seat are two connectors, small yellow connector is the airbag(I recommend depowering the airbag system, or at least unhook your battery for a half hour before starting. Although I didn't do either). Unplug these two connectors and make sure they are loose. Then, there is two bungee cords holding the seat flap to the bottom of the seat, undo these. This exposes the J-channel. The J-channel is your entry way into the seat. I cannot explain in detail how to unhook it, but definitely start on an end and I used a right angle dental pick. Once the J-channel is loose, remove the plastic from the seat pocket, then you can pull up the upholstery enough to get to the blower assembly. Have someone hold the upholstery up for you while you work.

 

This project is a PITA! But well worth it! Grab a case of beer to get you through it. The F-150 seat has zippers on the side to make this job a lot easier, the Edge unfortunately does not have these zippers.

 

Sorry I completely forgot to take pictures while in there.

If you look on the website, the inside of the seat looks the same as the F-150, the blower assembly is exactly the same, and routing of the pipes is similar.

Here is the area you will be working in. I thought I could at least show something.

IMG_8961.jpg

IMG_8960.jpg

 

 

Here's some pictures of the inside of the Edge seat. I found a better way to gain more access to this, simply roll up the upholstery like you would your pant legs. But be careful of the airbag on the outer side of the seat. Still may be easier for some to take the seat out of the car.

IMG_2297.JPG

IMG_CFFD484D6C1D-1.jpeg

IMG_1627.JPG

 

First of all, thanks to tmarsh & Paul. Their posts were very helpful and I finally did the mod to the driver's seat. I plan on doing the passenger seat on another weekend.

 

The job, after having actually done 1 seat, is not really hard. Also expect some to get some cuts as others stated when routing the hose, be very careful, the seat frame is sharp & will cause the type of cuts that see after you get them (what I mean is that you'd realize you got the cut after it actually happened because you did not feel that kind of pain). Also, flipping up and back the seat back upholstery turned out to be fairly easy, one issue I should have done better to fix the hose to the exhaust fix piece before installing. These are also a few comments on things I noticed.

 

My Edge already came from the factory with the TSB fix, so the J-Clip mentioned is actually 2 smaller clips. They were short enough that I was able to slide the two sides of each to disconnect it.

 

There is a plastic piece that seems to be a protective piece to protect the back from kicks. Paul mentioned it in his post, here is a picture of it & the pouch it goes into. The 2015 Service Manual does not make any mention of it, so it might be a 2016+ thing.

 

 

 

As I already had the sock from the factory, I decided to only use the exhaust fix. I routed the hose to right next the the seat side frame & out through the slot like what Paul did. Only difference is the kit I received had the black hose & I was able to pinch the last 1-2 inches by hand so it will go through the slot. Then at the very end of the hose, I cut about 1/4" of half the opening, my idea is that if the seat cover flap on covering the hose opening, the exhaust air will still have an exit route.

 

This photo is from tmarsh, only added the arrows to show my hose routing.

 

The slot from inside:

 

Hose coming out of the slot:

 

 

Showing the hose behind the flap cover:

 

Finished look:

Edited September 23, 2018 by omar302

[1004ron]

@omar302

 

Thanks for the additional info - what is your backrest cooling performance now, ...... same as the seat bottom?

[omar302]

@1004ron, It is better than before and it does not heat up at all, that is sure, but it is still not like the bottom. There is still a considerable difference.

[tmarsh]

Same, mine does not work as well as the bottom still, but it works. Ive also found a sweet spot for mine. To get it to work the best, turn it on high as soon as you get in. Once the cabin cools off, turn the seat to medium setting. My seat backs seem to work the best on medium setting for short trips, or low setting for long trips. The temperature of the TED does not change between high, medium, and low. Only the fan speed changes.

 

For my 15, I also updated my as built data for the TSB. This made a noticeable difference in fan speeds.

 

I also tried plumbing the intake into the HVAC system. I tapped the duct in the center console that goes to the back vents, and had the HVAC on MAX AC, so low cool and highest fan speed, with the back vents shut. Believe it or not, this did not make any noticeable difference in seatback cooling even with the air conditioning being forced into the blower. The TED temperature only dropped two degrees. So it did make a slight difference, but under normal conditions I have my AC on auto at 70-74 degrees. So plumbing the cooled seats into the HVAC system is a bust.

Edited September 24, 2018 by tmarsh

[omar302]

Did the passenger seat yesterday & got some more photos, might be useful.

 

1 & 2: Show under the seat before removing the 2 connectors.

3: Shows were the strap is after removing the connector.

4: The side airbag connector removed & disconnected.

5 & 6: The J-Clips disconnected & flap partially raised and shows how the connectors are going through the 2 holes.

8 & 9: The seat back TED & intake sock.

10: Close up of the seat back TED, these are the screws that to be removed (T6 torx).

11: The route the hose will be going through.

12 & 13: The exhaust hose pinched at the end with a part cut so when the seat flap goes over it it wouldn't block it.

14 & 15: The exhaust piece & hose installed & routed.

16: A photo of the front how the seat cover is raised.

 

The difference I saw between the driver & passenger seats is that due to the side airbag being on the right, the hose is routing is not as smooth as it was on the driver side (due driver side having the airbag on the other side)..

Edited September 29, 2018 by omar302

[1004ron]

I've got 35,400 miles on the clock and contemplating addressing the failure of the backrest cooling with Ford before the general warranty runs out at 36,000 miles, but if they don't have a real fix then I wont waste my time.

 

If I did take it in I'd have them address the rattle of the two under body covers which I temporarily fixed.

 

 

[akirby]

I have not heard of any workable fix for the seatback cooling on older models.

[omar302]

They permanently fixed it on the refreshed 2018+ F-150 (link to post with pictures), it is now ventilated only, no more cooling. So I wouldn't expect a new solution from Ford. 

Edited January 25, 2019 by omar302

[akirby]

I wondered if they actually removed the TED or just changed the name but according to that thread they removed the TEDs.

[jmr061]

The heated/ventilated seat system consists of the following components:

• Seat cushion heater mat (serviced by installing a new cushion foam)
• Seat backrest heater mat (serviced by installing a new backrest foam)
• Blower motor, located within each front seat cushion and backrest
• FCIM (includes climate controlled seat buttons)
• SCME, integral to the DSM
• Cushion and backrest vent bags (part of the cushion and backrest foam)
• Air duct (bellow)
• Cushion and backrest foam
• Cushion and backrest trim covers

[1004ron]

34 minutes ago, jmr061 said:

The heated/ventilated seat system consists of the following components:

• Seat cushion heater mat (serviced by installing a new cushion foam)
• Seat backrest heater mat (serviced by installing a new backrest foam)
• Blower motor, located within each front seat cushion and backrest
• FCIM (includes climate controlled seat buttons)
• SCME, integral to the DSM
• Cushion and backrest vent bags (part of the cushion and backrest foam)
• Air duct (bellow)
• Cushion and backrest foam
• Cushion and backrest trim covers

We're talking cooled seats here.

[jmr061]

I'm so sorry.  I was only responding about the TED being removed in the new design.  It's clear Ford has abandoned cooled seating.

[1004ron]

14 minutes ago, jmr061 said:

I'm so sorry.  I was only responding about the TED being removed in the new design.  It's clear Ford has abandoned cooled seating.

I clicked new posts and only saw yours, not the previous comments about the latest Ford approach of doing away with the cooled feature.

 

Quite odd that they can get the seat bottoms to work well but not the backrests. 

[akirby]

56 minutes ago, 1004ron said:

I clicked new posts and only saw yours, not the previous comments about the latest Ford approach of doing away with the cooled feature.

 

Quite odd that they can get the seat bottoms to work well but not the backrests. 

 

Not odd at all.  There is plenty of room to exhaust the hot air from the seat bottom but not from the upper part of the seat back.

[omar302]

Just found there is a SSM for 2015-2016 the Edge Cooled Seats:

 

Quote

 

6586 - 2015-2016 Edge - Climate Control Seat - Poor Cooling Performance - Built On Or Before 03-Oct-2016

Some 2015-2016 Edge vehicles equipped with climate control seats built on or before 3-Oct-2016 may exhibit poor cooling performance from the climate control sea t. This may be due to software in the Seat Control Module E (SCME). To correct t he condition, update the SCME as-built configuration using Integrated Diagnostic System (IDS) version 105.02 or higher. Make sure you are connected to the inter net when downloading the updated as-built data. During the update process, when prompted by IDS to use manual or automatic data retrieval, select automatic to obtain the latest configuration. For claiming, use causal part 19N550 and applica ble labor operation(s) in Section 10 of the Service Labor Time Standards (SLTS) Manual.