Electric Armrest

[dean]

Hi all

Few questions/problems, first one is, the cubby box that came with the base ass has a rubber seal glued right the way round the sides of it, but this seal stops the cubby sitting down far enough in the centre console to touch the base ass at minimum height, but my original cubby box without this seal fits in a treat .

Also it looks like a window switch from the centre console will do the job perfectly, is that right?

There are two window switch size connectors plugged into a blank that is screwed to the transmission tunnel under the coin tray/imobiliser keypad they have the same colour thick yellow wires as the lecy windows, any chance i could use these to feed the armrest, or are they for the heated seats option?
Dont really want to piggy back off a window circuit for it.

Thanks
D

[citroenxm]

Dean

The window / arm rest switch is the same type of switch, just a different illustration on the buttons...

I fed the power from one of the window switches, and earthed it to the yellow plug you meantiond. I dont think the motor will draw that much current to worry too much about a piggy backed pickup.. Its been perfectly fine in my car!

By useing a window switch wiring diagram and assuming the arm rest motor to be the window motor you can make the wiring up by following the window diagram...

As for the box mounting... not sure of that problem, I didn't have the sides, all it does is let a bit of light through at night from the cigarette liter bulb for rear passengers...

You VERY WELL will NEED to remove some carpet for it to sit right down... I had to in the Onyx here!!

The mounting studs are already there when you cut the carpet out... It needs cutting out to sit lower...

Rgds
Paul

[dean]

Hi Paul

The carpet and sound deadening insulation were already perforated so i just pulled it out and bolted the ass straight in, i just don't understand what this bit of rubber round the cubby does other than hinder operation.
Good to know they are the same switches, i will use a window one until i can find the correct beastie.

Thanks Paul

D

This post has been edited by dean on January 24, 2009 11:42 pm

[xmexclusive]

Hi Dean

Look for an loose orange plug, you just might have the wiring already there.

John

[dean]

Hi John

I have got a brown flat almost computer internals style plug which judging by its position could be for the imobiliser key pad, and the two yellow ones, there is an orange plug on the rear window isolator switch but i will have another look now i know what it is im after thank you.

D

[xmexclusive]

Hi Dean

The rear window isolator switch plug should be Red, at least it is in a Mk2. I have just had a look at the spare loom in the corner and can confirm that Paul is right the arm rest plug wiring is identical to the rear window operating switch plug wiring. On the (BLUE) window switch plugs you should have 5 yellow heavy cables, a thin orange wire and a thin purple wire. The two thin wires are in diagonally oposite corners of the plug and are the power feed and earth to the bulb in the switch. They can be commoned straight off the wires in the window plug. There are two yellow wires in the other diagonal outer corners of the plug. On your new plug these will not be commoned but will be the new feeds to the arm rest motor. The other three yellow wires that are nearer the centre of the plug (two earths and a !2volt supply) can all connected to the same respective position on the new plug.

John

This post has been edited by xmexclusive on January 25, 2009 02:31 am

[jorgy9]

Hi Dean

I also have wired my armrest onto a rear window plug, no problems at all -after all the lenght of use of the armrest is, what, 2-3 secs each time? (unless a child is having fun with it?!)-. The electric window uses a motor of very similar size with the armrest one so it'd imagine there'd be no wiring overload problem?

I don't know why u having this height discordance problem with the rubber thingy, on mine this fitted exactly -if I had left the rubber out I'd have the equivalent gap between cubby and central console plastic at lowest position-?

BTW, do the fitting points on ur car match the ones of the armrest frame? Mine didn't so have just screwed it on the rearmost bolt...

cheers
G

[xmexclusive]

Hi All

Just to make clear. Where the electric arm rest wiring is pre installed by Citroen the power feeds are on the same circuit as the rear windows. Looping off from the window switch plug will be making contact with the same circuit it is just that on the original loom pre-existing joints positions for other cables are used to make factory production easier. For an add-on arm rest making the connections close to the switch plug makes it easier to find the correct wires to couple to. As to power rating, this will not be a problem as it is all on the same circuit in the offical version anyway. They use heavy cables to avoid high voltage drop for the rear window power lines simply because of the long total length of the cables. For the factory arm rest loom cables which are much shorter total length they use thinner medium sized cables so voltage drop and power drawn cannot be a problem.

John

[DerekW]

My V6 with the electric armrest fitted as standard has it wired through the ignition.

You not only have to have the ignition on, you have to have the engine running!

What's that all about?

Derek

This post has been edited by DerekW on January 25, 2009 07:49 pm

[dean]

Well im going to keep my cubby box because the genuine leccy one just doesnt fit properly .
Should have it in and working tomorrow i have just got to solder this up,




Then piggy back off the rear window circuit for the + and probably put a crimp on ring connector for the earth which i may use a mounting stud from the armrest ass for, then all done .

D