How do the heated/cooled seats work in Gen 2's?

[BrianDye]

Been curious since I picked this 2003 up. How do the heated and cooled functions work?

I would assume the "cooled" feature is just the fan blowing air through the seat, right? But how does the heated part work? Most heated seats are just the electronic pads that warm up, fast. Mine heat up and cool pretty slow, at least a good two minutes before you really feel anything, and the little fan on the bottom seems to be on for both heated and cooling. Is it really heating up air and blowing it through the seat?

 

[joegr]

Your assumptions are a bit off. In simplest terms, they are solid-state heat pumps. The air is cooled or heated as needed, and hot air (when cooling) or cold air (when heating) is exhausted under the seats.

They use two Peltier modules, one for the seat bottom, and the other for the seat back. When electric current is passed through the module, it gets cold on one side and hot on the other. It is moving heat from one side to the other. If you reverse the direction of the current, then you swap which side gets hot and which side gets cold. The fan in each seat blows air over both sides of each module. The air from one side goes into ducts to the seat cushion, and the other side is exhausted under the seat. The direction and amount of current to the module determines if it is heating or cooling, and by how much. This system takes about 1/3 as much power as just using electric heating pads would. (It's easier to move heat around than it is to create it.)

The control system has time/temperature protections to prevent injury to the user. If you haven't read your owner's manual, you may be surprised to know that you can press both the heat and cool buttons at the same time to put the seat into full auto heat/cool mode. It will then heat or cool as needed and will remain set this way when you turn the car off and later restart it.

 

[Deaconblue]

If you haven't read your owner's manual, you may be surprised to know that you can press both the heat and cool buttons at the same time to put the seat into full auto heat/cool mode. It will then heat or cool as needed and will remain set this way when you turn the car off and later restart it.

Really?!? Very neat - I will have to check that feature out. Thanks.

 

[LS4me]

Really?!? Very neat - I will have to check that feature out. Thanks.

I've left the seats in auto mode since we got the car almost 11 years ago!

 

[joegr]

I've left the seats in auto mode since we got the car almost 11 years ago!

Yep. Same for me. I put them in auto mode on the test drive. This upset the car salesman because he was sure that would break them, having them heat and cool at the same time. I showed him that it was in the owner's manual. Great training that these guys get...

 

[Robot]

Yep. Same for me. I put them in auto mode on the test drive. This upset the car salesman because he was sure that would break them, having them heat and cool at the same time. I showed him that it was in the owner's manual. Great training that these guys get...

They are nothing more than Ford salesman with new loafers. Just last week I was checking out the new Mkzs and I found a saleswizard with his saleswitch circling around my car about 4 times in a golf cart. They both had this Oh Wow look on their faces. He asked me where I got my cool wheels from. I said they were stock. He was surprised and saleswitch raised her eyebrows like Mr. Spok. I must say, Lincoln may be on the way back but, I might have to sell the damn thing to myself because the sales staff still sucks and not in the good way.

Sent from my E6853 using Tapatalk

 

[BrianDye]

Your assumptions are a bit off. In simplest terms, they are solid-state heat pumps. The air is cooled or heated as needed, and hot air (when cooling) or cold air (when heating) is exhausted under the seats.

They use two Peltier modules, one for the seat bottom, and the other for the seat back. When electric current is passed through the module, it gets cold on one side and hot on the other. It is moving heat from one side to the other. If you reverse the direction of the current, then you swap which side gets hot and which side gets cold. The fan in each seat blows air over both sides of each module. The air from one side goes into ducts to the seat cushion, and the other side is exhausted under the seat. The direction and amount of current to the module determines if it is heating or cooling, and by how much. This system takes about 1/3 as much power as just using electric heating pads would. (It's easier to move heat around than it is to create it.)

The control system has time/temperature protections to prevent injury to the user. If you haven't read your owner's manual, you may be surprised to know that you can press both the heat and cool buttons at the same time to put the seat into full auto heat/cool mode. It will then heat or cool as needed and will remain set this way when you turn the car off and later restart it.

Wow, thanks for the detailed response. Never heard of such a system, but hey, it works. I did skim over the "auto" feature though, so when the car is hot the seats cool, and when it's cold, they heat up? I'm one of those always-hot people, so I'll manually control them as I'll rarely use the heat. I'm stoked for the cooling feature.

As for the salesman you guys are talking about, it's sad. They don't know jack. I remember being a little kid st the dealer with my parent(s) and the salesman would be going over every single feature and option in the car spitting out info like google. Now they just tell you it's shiny and pretty.

I remember when I was last at the Ford dealer here in Monroe, getting some paint work done to the Crown Vic I had bought, and a lady was in the showroom looking at a Focus asking a few VERY basic questions that the salesman had no idea how to answer. I was embarrassed for him.

 

[Deaconblue]

Just went out at lunch time, read the manual and set the seats to auto. One question, with auto engaged what settings are the controls locked in at; High, Medium or Low? In the summer time I always leave the cool on the High setting. In the winter you set it on High after a cold start and then you have to turn it down fairly quickly or you will roast your behind. This auto function will come in handy, because sometimes in the summer I will completely forget to turn on the cooling function and after a few minutes of driving I left wonder why my fat ass is getting sweaty

I like the auto exit function for the driver's seat as well, but after a while I turned is off. Since my wife rarely drives my car, I have seat memory #1 set for me and #2 is basically the seat all the way back, wheel all the way in and up, which mimics the auto exit setting. This also makes it easier on any back seat passenger that is trying to exit the car - I can wait to send the seat all the way back, even if have forgotten and open the driver's door before they have exited the back seat.

 

[joegr]

... One question, with auto engaged what settings are the controls locked in at; High, Medium or Low? ...

That's the whole point of the auto setting. They heat or cool at low, medium, or high as needed, just like the climate control adjusts temperature and airflow (direction and amount) for the AC vents.

 

[LS4me]

Wow, thanks for the detailed response. Never heard of such a system, but hey, it works. I did skim over the "auto" feature though, so when the car is hot the seats cool, and when it's cold, they heat up? I'm one of those always-hot people, so I'll manually control them as I'll rarely use the heat. I'm stoked for the cooling feature.

As for the salesman you guys are talking about, it's sad. They don't know jack. I remember being a little kid st the dealer with my parent(s) and the salesman would be going over every single feature and option in the car spitting out info like google. Now they just tell you it's shiny and pretty.

I remember when I was last at the Ford dealer here in Monroe, getting some paint work done to the Crown Vic I had bought, and a lady was in the showroom looking at a Focus asking a few VERY basic questions that the salesman had no idea how to answer. I was embarrassed for him.

I once had a salesdroid tell me that the horsepower was derived from the engine size and was on a sticker under the hood. He then proceeded to open the hood!

I haven't bought a car, other than my BMW, in the last 30 years where I didn't know considerably more than the salesdroid!