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Need help identifying wires on fuse box of a 1981 with power seat

vetter

Member
Joined
Jul 2, 2003
Messages
12
Location
La Prairie
Corvette
1981 Coupe
Hello all, I need help identifying 2 wires near my '81 fuse box. If some '81 owners with the power seat option could post a picture of their fuse box this wouls really help.

There is one Orange/black and one solid Orange as the attach picture 1 shows.

The org/Blk has a terminal attached to it. I have discovered that this wire supplies the driver power seat motors. For a test, I connected the wire to a "Bat" terminal in the fuse box as shown on picture 2 and the seat now functions.

The solid Orange I did not find its use yet but maybe the rear defog.

I am reaching out to 1981 owners for a picture of their fuse box and the placement of these wires in the box.

I am suspecting that there should be plastic holders ( as the pink wire circled in picture 3) at the end of these wires, a picture would confirm this.

Also in picture 3 is shown a circled fuse location labelled "Power seat" which I tried putting a fuse in and does nothing for the power seat. I suspect the Org/Blk wire would connect somewhere in the fuse box that is controlled by this fuse. Again, a picture of the fuse box would probably show the location for the connection.

Thanks,
Vetter.
 

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Orange wires in various gages are used throughout the harness.

The rear window defroster is controlled by the pink wire (circled) next to and from the gages fuse. The gages fuse and the pwr accy (power accessory) circuit breaker power the defogger. My 81 has that same pink wire as you circled in that location. I have rear defogger but not power seat. The fuse position that is empty and marked power seat on your fuse box is labeled pwr accy cb in the manual and shows a 35 amp circuit breaker in that location. If that is right, your rear defroster should not work either. Does it's light on the switch lever light up? If not, I'd try a breaker in the position labeled power seat and see if the defroster works.

Power seat is controlled by the power window circuit breaker at the top right of the fuse box above the a/c fuse. The diagram shows a 3.0 (12ga.) pink wire running from the power window circuit breaker and plugs into a connector on the body harness under the seat that goes from the seat switch to the motor. The pink wire connects to a plug in the harness next to the seat motor plug 561 in the picture. You could check there to see if that orange/black wire is present at plug 561. Could be that they ran orange/black instead of pink. That orange/black wire looks to be 12ga. The drawing looks like there might be a place to the left next to the power window circuit breaker to plug in that orange/black. If that spot next to the power window cb is indeed a plug-in, then I'd connect the orange/black wire there to see if the seat works.

That battery location in the box that you plugged into is probably hot all the time and is unfused.

Hopefully someone will post a picture of a fuse box with power seat.

Tom
 

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Orange wires in various gages are used throughout the harness.

The rear window defroster is controlled by the pink wire (circled) next to and from the gages fuse. The gages fuse and the pwr accy (power accessory) circuit breaker power the defogger. My 81 has that same pink wire as you circled in that location. I have rear defogger but not power seat. The fuse position that is empty and marked power seat on your fuse box is labeled pwr accy cb in the manual and shows a 35 amp circuit breaker in that location. If that is right, your rear defroster should not work either. Does it's light on the switch lever light up? If not, I'd try a breaker in the position labeled power seat and see if the defroster works.

Power seat is controlled by the power window circuit breaker at the top right of the fuse box above the a/c fuse. The diagram shows a 3.0 (12ga.) pink wire running from the power window circuit breaker and plugs into a connector on the body harness under the seat that goes from the seat switch to the motor. The pink wire connects to a plug in the harness next to the seat motor plug 561 in the picture. You could check there to see if that orange/black wire is present at plug 561. Could be that they ran orange/black instead of pink. That orange/black wire looks to be 12ga. The drawing looks like there might be a place to the left next to the power window circuit breaker to plug in that orange/black. If that spot next to the power window cb is indeed a plug-in, then I'd connect the orange/black wire there to see if the seat works.

That battery location in the box that you plugged into is probably hot all the time and is unfused.

Hopefully someone will post a picture of a fuse box with power seat.

Tom
Hello Tom,
thank you for your help.

When you mentionned that a 35A circuit breaker should be in the 'pwr accy cb" are you meaning a silver box type like the WDO ? Hence not a fuse ?
The org/blk (60) from the "pwr acc cb' in my '81 drawing says also that it goes to the defogger relay. This is probably another org/blk wire that I do not see. The defogger switch light has never come on.

The loose Org/blk wire does arrive at the connector behind the seat and hence, the seat works when connected to the unfused "bat" terminal. I attached a picture of what the camera sees (My eyes can't see clearly that location) on the top right of the fuse box as you describe in your message. I see the WDO label that seems to point down to that silver box (Is that what GM calls a circuit Breaker ?) which is labelled "30A 12V". Under this silver box there is a big pink wire just over the A/C fuse as you mentionned.
But this wire is certainly not going to the power seat connector it is the org/blk that goes to the seat. My '81 wiring diagram shows also, as you mention, that the pink(76) wire should supply the power seat.

I do see that there is a receptacle as you mention to the left of the WDO circuit breaker which has nothing plug into it. So I will try to put the org/blk there as you suggest. If it was there before (because the seat was functionning at some point in the past) I find the connection not very secure. I would think the org/blk wire terminal would have a plastic surrounding like the pink wire that controls the defogger switch.

And there is also that loose solid orange wire that is bare at the end, no clue where that goes.

That's why a picture would be so helpful.

Thanks again for your help Tom.
 

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