Seat Heater fix Replace relays for seat heater

[SuffolkD at aol.com]

Probably the best answer for this fix repackaged for easier archives search.
-Scott by BOSTON
> > Daughter's '88 90 has a problem that just started today.  The heating
> > element for the driver's seat stays on unless the car is shut down.  No
> > modulation, and even though the setting is set to 0, it seems to be on
> > full. 
> There are basically three places the problem could occur - in the little 
> controller wheel on the dash, at the thermistor thing in the seat, and 
> at the control relay.
> 
> It's unlikely to be the dash thing, since it is just a variable 
> resistor.  Though, it could have an internal short.
> 
> If the seat thermistor was bad, all it could do is "call" for more heat 
> when the control is set for some, so it's also unlikely.
> 
> The control relays are not only most likely, they aren't terribly hard 
> to diagnose.
> 
> Undo the cubby panel under the steering wheel (four screws with 8 mm 
> heads, I think), and you find the auxiliary relay panel, which has about 
> three rows of relays.
> 
> Look for two identical relays next to each other - they are tall ones, 
> and probably have part number 443 919 533 on them.  Pull them out and 
> swap them wiht each other.  If the problem goes to the passenger seat, 
> one was bad.  Pull one out and see which seat it ran, discard whichever 
> one wasn't working (or open it up and try to fix it... it may just have 
> stuck contacts).  Replace with one from a junkyard.
> 
> If the problem stays where it is, the dash controls can be pulled out 
> with a pick type tool, and likewise swapped to see if one of them was 
> the culprit.
> Huw Powell
>