Keyless seat cushion switch.. function?

E

Elessee

Well-Known LVC Member
Joined
May 19, 2007
Messages
350
Reaction score
6
Location
Modesto
'88 Mark VII, 6-way power seats

Anyone know what the seat cushion switch does? It's a long, flat metal strip with 2 wires coming off it, and a connector. It's mounted crosswise under the seat cushion. Pressure on the seat causes continuity between it's two wires.

The reason I ask is my driver lumbar support never worked (for me anyway). It turns out that a prior owner had mistakenly plugged the lumbar compressor into this "keyless seat switch". (The electrical diagram sheets call it that.)
None of the wires involved had power, nor were they grounded so nothing bad happened..

This mis-connection is easy to make while sorting things out under the seat. The proper lumbar-switch connection is hidden away in a dark corner, while the seat-switch connector hangs in plain view. Both use an identical grey 2-wire male/female.

The electrical diagrams show a direct connection from that seat switch to the 2 under-seat courtesy lights.

I've been running the car for years and, afaik, everything works properly.. underseat courtesy lights, seatbelt warning chime, and everything else..

I'd rather not hook up the seat switch without knowing what it does. My general philosophy is to leave well enough alone. If someone knows what it does, i'd appreciate it. The shop manual does not seem to even mention it in the seats sections (Volume B, Group 41)

----------

btw.. the reason I got into this in the first place was my driver's seat-back was loose all of a sudden. One day last week, the back could easily be bent backwards a couple inches.. springy.. soft... and lopsided.
I unzipped the back-cover and pulled it up and saw that the sheet metal frame had cracked. It looks like a couple spot welds failed long ago, and eventually things gave way, tearing the metal... a nice, straight, horizontal 5 inch tear about 8 inches up from the hinge pivot on the left side. At first glance the crack looked like it was factory.

I welded it back up with no problem..
I had to remove the lumbar-compressor before welding since it's mounted in close proximity, and decided to fix the lumbar support... and give the whole seat some deferred maintenance...
 
There is a switch under the seat that makes contact when you sit. This allows for the doors to lock when the setting is on through the keyless entry. Is that what you are talking about?
 
Yeah.. that's it. Page 119 of the little Owner's Guide:

Autolock System
When the vehicle doors are fully closed, the ignition lock cylinder is in the ON position, the driver's seat is occupied or a heavy object is placed on the driver's seat, and the transmission is shifted through (R) REVERSE, all of the doors will lock.

I no doubt skipped this page since personally, i'd never use it.

Thanks JoshMcMadMac.
 
hey.. i learned something.. :) Where do you get these things?

That PDF instructs that after typing in the 5 digit code, hitting 5/6 or 3/4 unlocks the trunk or passenger doors. End of paragraph..

The glovebox manual is different. The next sentence in the same paragraph says to "hit 7/8 and 9/0 to lock the doors" or words to that effect.

I'd assumed, since it doesn't specify that there's "no need to type in the 5-digit code", that this locking feature also requires the 5 digit code.. but it doesn't. I just now tested it and the doors lock with 7/8 + 9/0 any time you press them.. now that's handy.

My keyless system went dark about a year ago and it was sorely missed for months. Two days of work convinced me there was nothing wrong with wiring, locks, fuses and stuff.. So, it had to be the computer module in the trunk... and a junkyard replacement did the trick.

-------
Speaking of that yard, I was there last week, searching for yet another hydraulic pump motor relay (for the brakes). All 6 or so Mark VIIs had disappeared. :mad:
Not wanting to leave empty handed, I found a similar Ford relay, but the internals are different. The original has a "snubber" circuit (a fat diode and a resistor), that reduces contact erosion from sparking, while common relays don't.
That hydraulic motor must pull a lot of juice while the relays have a short lifespan, or there's something wrong with my brake system.

Lincoln recalled 38000 units (AUG 08, 1986 | Recall ID# 72713) due to this relay. Burnt relay = no power brakes after a few pumps.. Mine's an 1988.

I called Ford Parts today and they might have something... tomorrow will tell.
Btw, the dealer operator answered on the first ring. Parts dept answered on the first ring. :eek: And the parts guy was friendly as can be.. Business must be slow.
 
P S A # 3 0 2

Elessee said:
hey.. i learned something.. :) Where do you get these things?...
Click to expand...
This Public Service Announcement has been brought to you by
logo_80x60.jpg
 
cool..
THE LINCOLN MARK VII CLUB
I'll look into that.

So, i went to Ford to see if they have a "hydraulic pump motor" relay for the '88 LSC and the guy said "yes".. and said "2 days to get it".. and then said "$48.00+tax".
At least it's available.. If I can't fix this car because a critical $5 part is unavailable I'm gonna "give it a home" as my dear old dad used to say. There's some sweet prices on late model, low milage Navigators and Aviators these days.

One bright spot was I brought along a spare Air Spring solenoid ... the O-rings at the base of my junkyard replacements are leaking slightly. Parts guy found the solenoid repair kit, including O-rings, on the shelf. $20.
 
Elessee said:
...At least it's available.. If I can't fix this car because a critical $5 part is unavailable I'm gonna "give it a home" as my dear old dad used to say. ....
Click to expand...
And if not available at the dealership, then probably at the nearest yard or on ebay.

We'll do what we can to help you keep that car on the road or at least out of the crusher. Even a Mark VII that's been totalled has MANY irreplacible parts on it that need to be removed before the car is crushed, and used in other Mark VIIs.

Let's hope you never come to that point.
 
Elessee said:
...One bright spot was I brought along a spare Air Spring solenoid ... the O-rings at the base of my junkyard replacements are leaking slightly. Parts guy found the solenoid repair kit, including O-rings, on the shelf. $20.
Click to expand...
Our 3900 pound cars are held up at trim height by 5 solenoids and 17 o-rings.

Mechanical engineering is a wonderful thing.
 
Air suspension is one of the best things about these cars, imo.

I confess that the car has had to do double duty as a pickup truck / garbage scow on occasion and carried at least a half ton of heavy stuff in the trunk according to the scale.. I forget exactly..the reciept's around here somewhere. I'm sure it was a bit beyond the GVWR of the vehicle. It steered just a hint squirrely on the freeway at a careful 60 mph for a few miles. But it rode nice and level.
The way suspension auto-adjusts to variable loads is trick. When I am ready to buy, air suspension will be something i'm looking for.

If it's gotta go someday, my first choice will be to offer it to the good people who populate this place. I'm guessing $700 book value for a straight bodied, smooth running, stock '88 LSC.
 
Elessee said:
Air suspension is one of the best things about these cars, imo.
Click to expand...
I concur.
Elessee said:
...If it's gotta go someday, my first choice will be to offer it to the good people who populate this place. I'm guessing $700 book value for a straight bodied, smooth running, stock '88 LSC.
Click to expand...
... and do not be offended by the first offer you receive of $300.00 for a running parts car.

Since we've long since hijacked this thread from Atlanta to Heathrow and back, let me tell you this; keep it on the road for as long as possible BUT, if you must 'give it a home' and you want the most dollars for the vehicle, then spend some time learning how to 'part it out'. Most of us are looking for a deal on a window switch or similar item that can be mailed in an envelope or box to anywhere in the world. Owners in your state may drive 100 miles to get a rust free decklid or hood for $100.00 or a set of doors for $100.00 or a fuel tank for $25.00 If you have a garage, then have a Pick-A-Part Party. Buy four large pizzas and four bottles of soda and charge each person $40.00 to pull whatever they can carry from the car. 48 hours later, most of the parts are gone (and most importantly will live on in other Marks) and you've got cash in hand and a (properly) stripped car waiting to go to the crusher.
 
Thanks for the info.
When I'm done with something, i am done. It'll never get parted out. Here, there or somewhere walks a car-less kid who will appreciate it for what it is, and I'll be satisfied letting him/her have it in one functional piece.
 
You're welcome.
What we try to do is encourage owners to never put a disabled vehicle in a situation where it may go to the crusher without first being stripped of much needed parts.

Unless a Mark VII goes into the hands of someone willing to spend hundreds or thousands of dollars to restore and maintain it, the unfortunate truth is that it will be sold as scrap metal to a yard for $300.00 or less. If we're lucky, the yard will allow Mark VII owners to remove vital parts over the course of a week or so. If we're not lucky, the vehicle will be crushed whole sending many one-of-a-kind parts and braces and switches and handles and relays and brackets to crusher and later a smelter to become cat food cans and the like.

Those of us that maintain and collect these cars, do whatever we can to educate and assist others to save whatever they can so that other Mark VIIs can continue to stay on the road.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Members online

No members online now.
Total: 74 (members: 0, guests: 74)
Back
Top