matrophy

Bought a 1998 C230 for a project car and to fix it up for my youngest to drive when he gets his license. It's been easily 30 years since I've had such a project.

I could use some help troubleshooting the seat relay.

It is a 7 pin relay and so I am not sure what does what.

Could I get some instructions on what to test and how?

I'm pretty sure it's bad, but in my youth I would run to the store and buy the first part I though of only to find that it was something else - usually something real simple - so I resolved to do as much testing as I can before replacing a part.

If I find it is bad, I see that oftentimes it can be repaired by soldering.

Next question is how easy it is to get it apart.

Thanks for any help,
Colin

Plutoe

Before you really screw things up simply look at the schematic on the relay---then apply 12v on applicable pin----do you hear a click--yes ---its good-----


PS: It's a ten dollar part do not try to take it apart---your better off buying the wife an ice cream bar.

matrophy

Sadly, there's no schematic on the relay, just numbers, and not the numbers like 87 or 30 as you would expect but 1,2,3. etc. It's actually $40 part so I'd like to be able to test it before buying a non-returnable part. I'll take the ice cream purchase under advisement - probably never a bad idea.

cgshawaii

sometimes the relay will work, sometimes not.

thumping the trunk floor sometimes will cause it to work.

The problem is bad solder joints in the relay PC board. If you think you're all that with a small soldering gun, flux and re-flow the solder joints. This may work, or not.

I've had two C280's and on both cars the seat relays went bad. Shop around, buy another, put it in. Heave the old one far into the weeds. Done.