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How-To: Wire Up Your Power H3 Seats When Converting From Manual '04+'05 & Up

24K views 39 replies 14 participants last post by  cart7881 
#1 · (Edited by Moderator)
Disclaimer
The community here at 355nation.net urges you to please use caution and seek professional assistance when performing modifications to your vehicle. Before attempting any modification it is advised that you refer to your Colorado or Canyon service manual or contact a certified mechanic as not all GMT355 trucks are the same. The staff and the associated members are in no way responsible for any damages, injuries or other harm inflicted to your vehicle or yourself which may result in attempting these modifications. The posts and content presented on this site reflect in no way the views of 355nation.net or it’s ownership.




A 355nation How To presented by
Goros Special thanks to Rshadd & Supermodulation

Project Name
How-To: Wire Up Your Power H3 Seats When Converting From Manual '04+'05 & Up

Project Description
Installing and Wiring Power, Heated Leather H3 Seats into 2004 & 2005 Model Year trucks without power harnesses

Skill Level
Moderate

Project Vehicle
Make: GMC
Model: Canyon SLE 4WD
Year: 2005
Engine: 3.5L
Power windows: Yes
Sun Roof: No

Tools Needed
18mm socket for seat bolts
10mm socket for grounding bolts
T50 Torx driver for seatbelt buckle latch
Wire Cutters, Strippers & Crimpers


Materials Needed
Electrical tape
Wire loom - 3/8" & 3/4"
25 ft. of red 10 gauge wire.
25 ft. of brown 16 gauge wire.
Crimp Connectors
1 x 40 amp ATC fuse
2 x 25 amp ATC fuses
2 x 10 amp ATC fuses
1 inline 50amp ATC Fuse Holder w/dust shield
2 inline 30amp ATC Fuse Holders w/dust shield
2 inline 20amp ATC Fuse Holders w/dust shield

Project Time
2-3 hours or less

Project Cost
H3 Leather Power, Heated Seats - $150-1200
H3 Seat Connectors - 2 GM 88988653 8 pin pigtails & 1 GM 15193800 12 pin pigtail - $50-75
Elbow Grease


Step One, The Basics

While H3 seats from any model year are a direct bolt-in, the wiring is not. Supermodulation's H3 post details how to migrate and merge the harnesses to function in a 2006+ twin, but 2004 & 2005 model year twins don't have any wiring under the passenger seat, except for the airbag position sensor. To get everything to work on the H3 power heated passenger seat, you need to add some wiring.

This means you have to build the harness and run power and grounding for every single connection to make the seat work as intended.

First step, remove the H3 seatbelt latch from the new seat using a T50 torx bit, unhook the 2 wiring harnesses from their underseat connectors and set it on your workbench under good lighting. Don't throw it away, we need part of it - H3 Passenger Seats require the seatbelt to be fastened for the heater to fire. Since we can't use the latch itself, we need to keep that part of the wiring.

Here is the seatbelt sensor harness connection. Pay attention to this one.



As you can see, there are 2 wire harnesses coming out of the latch. You are interested in the one higher up on the unit, which terminates as you see in the previous picture.



If you choose to perform surgery on the seatbelt latch, you will find that the upper wire terminates at the buckle connection which closes the circuit, allowing the heater to fire. So, we need to close the circuit without a buckle in the latch. Don't worry about it draining your battery, we're going to make it so RAP controls the power to the heater while allowing the adjustment motors to function still.

missing pic




You are going to cut the wires off about an inch and a half up past the connector and splice blue to blue and black to black in order to make the connection for the heater permanent. Then, tape them up and plug the connector back where it belongs, making sure to zip tie it up and away from anything that might get crushed during the operation of the seat. If you are 2006+, skip this step and connect your seatbelt sensor from your stock seat per Supermod's original post.

Next, you need to remove the Airbag Seat Position Sensor from your manual seat (it's the only wire under there - you don't have pressure sensors or motor wiring or anything else) and move it to your new seat. The sensor is riveted onto the bracket under the seat, you will need to fab one and attach it to the seat rail per Supermodulation's original post on H3 Seat install, and run the wire how it was run on your original seat - clipped to the metal spring supporting the cushion where it won't get pinched.

Once that is complete, mount your original seatbelt buckle latch onto the H3 seat like so and get ready for the real fun



Power

Start either at the positive terminal of the battery or the outgoing side of the mega fuse with your 10AWG wire. I have the military battery terminal mod with the big 3 upgrade so I started at the battery as hookup is simple. I used a heavy duty 50 amp rated inline fuse holder with cover with a 40 amp fuse in the engine bay.

missing pic


Run that sucker through the firewall grommet and pick it up at the drivers footwell under the steering column. Once that is done, feed the wire all the way in and run it under the center console until you reach the modules underneath, then follow the path from the module to the ground strap point where the passenger seat airbag position sensor is grounded. If you are doing both seats, this is where you want to split it and run one line to drivers and one line to passenger. Be careful how it's routed, you don't want to cut the wire with the seat as it rides on the track!

RAP power

You can either tap RAP at the fuse box per Supermod's RAP mod, at the lighter socket you converted to RAP via that mod, or off the yellow wire off the flat connector under your steering column. I used the one under the steering column, but do whichever works best for you. Whichever you choose, use the brown 16AWG wire you bought and tie it in.



Now, follow the same path as the red 10awg, and split it appropriately if you are feeding the drivers seat as well, watching to make sure it won't get damaged as the seat moves also.

Next, I put an inline fuse on both the RAP line and the battery power line - RAP got a 10amp with cover and battery power got a 25amp.

missing pic


Grounding

Tie all your grounds together and run a lead to the same ground lug your airbag sensor connects to. Now is a good time to run your wire loom as well, before you have to crawl around under the seats to mess with it.

Final connections

I used the replacement pigtail harness 88988653 for the 8 pin connector and the OE from the wrecked H3 it came from - it was cut off about 6" past the connection so it was perfect. Buy one if you need to, it will simplify things and allow you to remove your seats without much trouble.

missing pic


The flat black connector is the airbag seat position sensor run, the white connectors are the h3 seat power connections you will be wiring into.

12 pin connector


CONNECTIONS LEFT TO RIGHT
Orange Wire Top LEFT & Bottom LEFT - Battery Power
Blue, Green, Pink, Light Blue & Yellow - NOTHING
Brown - RAP
Black Wire Top RIGHT & Bottom RIGHT - Ground

8 pin connector
missing pic


CONNECTIONS LEFT TO RIGHT
Black Wire top LEFT - GROUND
Black Wire top RIGHT - GROUND
Brown Wire Bottom Right Center - RAP
Red Wire Bottom Right - NOTHING

Make sure you use all the right connections and fuse everything correctly and you'll be good to go. Heat, Adjustment, and Lumbar all 100% functional. Double check your 18mm bolts mounting the seat for tightness and make sure you aren't going to cut any wires with the normal operation of the seat and you're done!



missing pic
 

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#17 ·
Well, it depends. If that is the seat belt switch and you don't have any passenger seat belt indicators on the instrument panel, it may not be necessary. The seat belt switch is in the seat heat circuit, however the switch is normally open with the belt buckled. That means that it may not be required for the seat heat, but the heat can then be turned on without someone in the seat.

Bottom line: Leave it disconnected, but keep in mind that it may be needed later.
 
#23 ·
In the section of the Service Manual, that contains the pinouts, the description lists the OEM connector (bare), the terminal part numbers, and a part number for the "service connector". The service connector is the connector with the pigtail wires and that is the number I posted. The pigtail wires are all usually white and have the largest gauge wires that the connector can handle.

In most instances you could order the bare connector and the terminals for a few bucks and build your own, but I ran the OEM connector part number through a couple of reliable sources and couldn't find anything.

Your salvage yard idea is probably the best.
 
#28 · (Edited by Moderator)
Disclaimer
The community here at 355nation.net urges you to please use caution and seek professional assistance when performing modifications to your vehicle. Before attempting any modification it is advised that you refer to your Colorado or Canyon service manual or contact a certified mechanic as not all GMT355 trucks are the same. The staff and the associated members are in no way responsible for any damages, injuries or other harm inflicted to your vehicle or yourself which may result in attempting these modifications. The posts and content presented on this site reflect in no way the views of 355nation.net or it’s ownership.




A 355nation How To presented by
Goros Special thanks to Rshadd & Supermodulation

Project Name
How-To: Wire Up Your Power H3 Seats When Converting From Manual '04+'05 & Up

Project Description
Installing and Wiring Power, Heated Leather H3 Seats into 2004 & 2005 Model Year trucks without power harnesses

Skill Level
Moderate

Project Vehicle
Make: GMC
Model: Canyon SLE 4WD
Year: 2005
Engine: 3.5L
Power windows: Yes
Sun Roof: No

Tools Needed
18mm socket for seat bolts
10mm socket for grounding bolts
T50 Torx driver for seatbelt buckle latch
Wire Cutters, Strippers & Crimpers


Materials Needed
Electrical tape
Wire loom - 3/8" & 3/4"
25 ft. of red 10 gauge wire.
25 ft. of brown 16 gauge wire.
Crimp Connectors
1 x 40 amp ATC fuse
2 x 25 amp ATC fuses
2 x 10 amp ATC fuses
1 inline 50amp ATC Fuse Holder w/dust shield
2 inline 30amp ATC Fuse Holders w/dust shield
2 inline 20amp ATC Fuse Holders w/dust shield

Project Time
2-3 hours or less

Project Cost
H3 Leather Power, Heated Seats - $150-1200
H3 Seat Connectors - 2 GM 88988653 8 pin pigtails & 1 GM 15193800 12 pin pigtail - $50-75
Elbow Grease


Step One, The Basics

While H3 seats from any model year are a direct bolt-in, the wiring is not. Supermodulation's H3 post details how to migrate and merge the harnesses to function in a 2006+ twin, but 2004 & 2005 model year twins don't have any wiring under the passenger seat, except for the airbag position sensor. To get everything to work on the H3 power heated passenger seat, you need to add some wiring.

This means you have to build the harness and run power and grounding for every single connection to make the seat work as intended.

First step, remove the H3 seatbelt latch from the new seat using a T50 torx bit, unhook the 2 wiring harnesses from their underseat connectors and set it on your workbench under good lighting. Don't throw it away, we need part of it - H3 Passenger Seats require the seatbelt to be fastened for the heater to fire. Since we can't use the latch itself, we need to keep that part of the wiring.

Here is the seatbelt sensor harness connection. Pay attention to this one.



As you can see, there are 2 wire harnesses coming out of the latch. You are interested in the one higher up on the unit, which terminates as you see in the previous picture.



If you choose to perform surgery on the seatbelt latch, you will find that the upper wire terminates at the buckle connection which closes the circuit, allowing the heater to fire. So, we need to close the circuit without a buckle in the latch. Don't worry about it draining your battery, we're going to make it so RAP controls the power to the heater while allowing the adjustment motors to function still.




You are going to cut the wires off about an inch and a half up past the connector and splice blue to blue and black to black in order to make the connection for the heater permanent. Then, tape them up and plug the connector back where it belongs, making sure to zip tie it up and away from anything that might get crushed during the operation of the seat. If you are 2006+, skip this step and connect your seatbelt sensor from your stock seat per Supermod's original post.

Next, you need to remove the Airbag Seat Position Sensor from your manual seat (it's the only wire under there - you don't have pressure sensors or motor wiring or anything else) and move it to your new seat. The sensor is riveted onto the bracket under the seat, you will need to fab one and attach it to the seat rail per Supermodulation's original post on H3 Seat install, and run the wire how it was run on your original seat - clipped to the metal spring supporting the cushion where it won't get pinched.

Once that is complete, mount your original seatbelt buckle latch onto the H3 seat like so and get ready for the real fun



Power

Start either at the positive terminal of the battery or the outgoing side of the mega fuse with your 10AWG wire. I have the military battery terminal mod with the big 3 upgrade so I started at the battery as hookup is simple. I used a heavy duty 50 amp rated inline fuse holder with cover with a 40 amp fuse in the engine bay.



Run that sucker through the firewall grommet and pick it up at the drivers footwell under the steering column. Once that is done, feed the wire all the way in and run it under the center console until you reach the modules underneath, then follow the path from the module to the ground strap point where the passenger seat airbag position sensor is grounded. If you are doing both seats, this is where you want to split it and run one line to drivers and one line to passenger. Be careful how it's routed, you don't want to cut the wire with the seat as it rides on the track!

RAP power

You can either tap RAP at the fuse box per Supermod's RAP mod, at the lighter socket you converted to RAP via that mod, or off the yellow wire off the flat connector under your steering column. I used the one under the steering column, but do whichever works best for you. Whichever you choose, use the brown 16AWG wire you bought and tie it in.



Now, follow the same path as the red 10awg, and split it appropriately if you are feeding the drivers seat as well, watching to make sure it won't get damaged as the seat moves also.

Next, I put an inline fuse on both the RAP line and the battery power line - RAP got a 10amp with cover and battery power got a 25amp.



Grounding

Tie all your grounds together and run a lead to the same ground lug your airbag sensor connects to. Now is a good time to run your wire loom as well, before you have to crawl around under the seats to mess with it.

Final connections

I used the replacement pigtail harness 88988653 for the 8 pin connector and the OE from the wrecked H3 it came from - it was cut off about 6" past the connection so it was perfect. Buy one if you need to, it will simplify things and allow you to remove your seats without much trouble.



The flat black connector is the airbag seat position sensor run, the white connectors are the h3 seat power connections you will be wiring into.

12 pin connector


CONNECTIONS LEFT TO RIGHT
Orange Wire Top LEFT & Bottom LEFT - Battery Power
Blue, Green, Pink, Light Blue & Yellow - NOTHING
Brown - RAP
Black Wire Top RIGHT & Bottom RIGHT - Ground

8 pin connector


CONNECTIONS LEFT TO RIGHT
Black Wire top LEFT - GROUND
Black Wire top RIGHT - GROUND
Brown Wire Bottom Right Center - RAP
Red Wire Bottom Right - NOTHING

Make sure you use all the right connections and fuse everything correctly and you'll be good to go. Heat, Adjustment, and Lumbar all 100% functional. Double check your 18mm bolts mounting the seat for tightness and make sure you aren't going to cut any wires with the normal operation of the seat and you're done!


Hello Brother @Goros I'm Master Mason from Venezuela, I have the H3 seats to make a adaptation in my chevy colorado 2006 please I appreciate if you can help me with the harness pictures and some instructions to make this job easy. pleaseee. my email is: djrivas2@gmail.com
 
#32 ·
I’ll be doing a video of my install, for my YouTube channel, but I got lucky and found a set of 2004 leather seats for my 2004 Colorado. ?.
 
#33 ·
I have a 2006 Chevy Colorado The airbag sensor has more colors and was wondering which color goes with what on the hammer H3 seats starting darling my Chevy colorbrottle plug has 4 blacks 1 yellow 1 pink 1 blue 1 green And one light green on my H3 seat a has 2 blacks 2 red Is 1 Brown 1 blue Can anybody out there tell me which colors go together It would help me out thank you
 
#34 ·
I have a 2006 Chevy Colorado The airbag sensor has more colors and was wondering which color goes with what on the hammer H3 seats starting my Chevy colorbrottle plug has 4 blacks 1 yellow 1 pink 1 blue 1 green And one light green on my H3 seat a has 2 blacks 2 red Is 1 Brown 1 blue Can anybody out there tell me which colors go together It would help me out thank you
This is for the passenger side seat
 
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