Hi!
cherokee xj 1990 4.0

I’m trying to figure out why my power seats are not working. There is nothing wrong with the motors, works fine when i connect my power tool battery. The doors are trying to lock/unlock but only the passenger one seems to have enough juice to make it. the seats are dead.

Now- the power at the fuse is 0.13 when I measure it. Sounds low? I have no clue.

when measuring on the wire under the seat I get no power.

thanks a bunch

 

It sounds like you need better power to your seats. The link is to an old Thread on a different forum for the Greg Smith mod for door locks on pre '91 XJs. I did this a few years ago and it really worked well - even the tailgate lock slams now. There is a picture of the mod on page 9 and then some diagrams on the pages following that. It sounds harder than it actually is. I mounted the two relays on a small aluminum plate. The plate and wiring were mounted behind the passenger side kick panel. It is all hidden. Greg Smith Power door locks writeup PRE-1991 | NAXJA Forums - North American XJ Association

 

Ah, yes thanks. I’ve been looking into that one as well for my windows. I guess I would need two power converters if I want to boost both the windows and the seats/locks since they’re on different fuses?

 

I ran an additional fused 12 volt power lead into the cabin. I want to keep the XJ as stock as possible, but some things seem to need just a little extra help.

 

Yes, that might be the easiest solution it seems. Did you run it under the carpet connected to the drivers side harness somehow? Or is the power coming in on the passenger side?

 

I came off the battery, with the waterproof fuse holder within a few inches. I ran the lead all the way around the perimeter of the engine bay and alongside the main wire loom. I drilled the firewall right below the throttle cable penetration. I could not find (because of the HVAC) a clear area on the passenger side, without going so low that I was concerned about water intrusion. Once inside I did run it back to the passenger side just at the edge of the carpet. In hindsight, I should have terminated at a distribution box for other power services (like the seats) and then over to the passenger side.

 

Aha ok, thanks so much for that clear explanation. I need to have new power to both my chairs and my locks it seems. Sounds like I should find a connection point where they both get the power from and jam the new power wire in there?

 

So with weak locks and non existent power to chairs- if I do the Greg Smith duo relay fix- will it help my seats as well or only the locks? I’m thinking since they are on the same circuit breaker in the fuse panel?

 

I don't think so. The locks only draw a demand when they are actuated, which typically isn't when you're adjusting seat positions. Not to say you couldn't wire it that way when you bring in the additional power for the lock mod.

 

Hmm ok. Do you know- is the power for the chairs also coming in by passenger side? A bit hard to wrap my head around the bird nests under my dash and lock panels..

 

An late update on this thread if anyone is super curious…

power seats fixed! As suggested I ran a new power wire from the battery since the wire had a break on it somewhere under the seat, under the carpet somewhere.

power locks fixed! The Greg Smith door lock fix worked like a dream. Locks where slamming, but a few of them where still hesitant to shift all the way. After removing all the lock switches, cleaning and lubing- BAM, problem solved.

power windows also fixed! I had some problem with a very weak output from the fuse panel under the dash for some reason. I took a spare power wire that I had from the seats fix and put a power booster in there, the windows were really struggling even when silicone sprayed before the boost. Problem solved and very speedy windows!

thanks for all the help!
On to the next on the list that never gets shorter…

 

The update is appreciated. I have the same problem with my power seat power, but once I got them in the correct position, I haven't had a need to move them again. Maybe someday I'll do the same and power them up too.