2018 PIU Seat swap

[washpiuboi]

Hi explorers,

I wanted to make a knowledge post. I have a 2018 PIU it came with the standard cloth seats. I was able to source some 10 way electric seats from another 2018 explorer. However the seat rails are not in the same positions. The seat belt sensors are compatible I tested and no airbag error light came on with the vehicle running. The seats dont seem to have common attachment systems between the seat rails either. Best of luck!

 

[Steve8316]

I have a 2018 PIU it came with the standard cloth seats. I was able to source some 10 way electric seats from another 2018 explorer. However the seat rails are not in the same positions.

They didn't make a different floorpan for PIUs vs. Explorers - I had no trouble bolting '15 Ltd. seats (& console w/shifter) into my '16 PIU.

I also had no trouble bolting in '18 XLT rear seats & carpet, and all 4 floor mats.

 

[washpiuboi]

@Steve8316 Maybe the explorer sport has a different floor plan or maybe LKQ sold me the wrong part# seats? I dont want to use pre-2016 seats on my car because the airbag sensors are not compatible. I've circled the airbag sensors in red, they use a liquid that connects to the seat cushion.

 

[Steve8316]

Maybe the explorer sport has a different floor plan...

No. They all use the same body.

maybe LKQ sold me the wrong part...

That's the most likely explanation.

...pre-2016 seats...because the airbag sensors are not compatible.

Who told you that?

I've circled the airbag sensors in red, they use a liquid that connects to the seat cushion.

Yeah, that's what's in my '15 seats. But I transferred the PIU's original pad into the Ltd. chair. It was very quick & easy - I only unclipped the front of the upholstery.

 

[washpiuboi]

Looking at where the seats are bolted to the rails in the photo you uploaded. Looks like the same as the police seats.

 

[Steve8316]

Yes, all Explorer & PIU seats bolt down the same way, because all the bodies & floorpans are the same. That's one way to know for sure that the chairs you bought aren't from an Explorer: because they don't fit your PIU. Find the labels on them with their PNs, and Google them to find out what they came out of.

Of course the mounting points on mine look the same as the PIU seats - they're bolted down to the same places. The big difference is that I actually removed mine in the JY myself.

So I know what mine came out of.

 

[DePolicify]

Here is some info that may be useful

The seats are compatible, however sometimes the frames want to contract. there is not much cross support so sometimes they tend to pull together. Bolt up front and back on the inner bolts (get them started but don't tighten all the way), then use a prybar or similar to align the outer front and back bolts. Once started snug all the bolts down. I have encountered this and it seems to be random. It happened to me putting 2013 Explorer seats in a 2013 PIU. Funny enough I did not have to do it putting 2013 seats into a 2017 PIU, so there does not to be a rhyme or reason to it.

The OCS bladder (or airbag sensors as you refer to them) are compatible across all 11-19 years however they are calibrated. So most of the time by just swapping the bladder over you will get an airbag light. You can either calibrate the OCS using forscan/IDS, or just swap over the bladder from the old seat. I almost always just swap the bladder. It is possible in theory to get lucky and that the new bladder happens to be calibrated the same in both seats but I have never gotten that lucky.

Sometimes you do need to swap the PIU passenger OCS wiring harness (OCS bladder/sensor, seatbelt sensor, seat track position sensor) into the new seat for whatever reason. Once again there does not seem to be a rhyme or reason to when. Best rule of thumb is to keep your PIU seats around until you have finished the swap and all the lights are off.

If swapping in older (2011-12ish) Explorer seats into PIU you may encounter different seatbelt mounting systems. The earlier models anchored into the outer side of the seat, and the newer ones anchor at the base of the B-pillar. They are still compatible but you need to swap the seatbelt buckle and harness from the PIU seat onto the new seat.

Hope this helps. I have encountered just about every error you could with seat swaps.

 

[washpiuboi]

Here is some info that may be useful

The seats are compatible, however sometimes the frames want to contract. there is not much cross support so sometimes they tend to pull together. Bolt up front and back on the inner bolts (get them started but don't tighten all the way), then use a prybar or similar to align the outer front and back bolts. Once started snug all the bolts down. I have encountered this and it seems to be random. It happened to me putting 2013 Explorer seats in a 2013 PIU. Funny enough I did not have to do it putting 2013 seats into a 2017 PIU, so there does not to be a rhyme or reason to it.

The OCS bladder (or airbag sensors as you refer to them) are compatible across all 11-19 years however they are calibrated. So most of the time by just swapping the bladder over you will get an airbag light. You can either calibrate the OCS using forscan/IDS, or just swap over the bladder from the old seat. I almost always just swap the bladder. It is possible in theory to get lucky and that the new bladder happens to be calibrated the same in both seats but I have never gotten that lucky.

Sometimes you do need to swap the PIU passenger OCS wiring harness (OCS bladder/sensor, seatbelt sensor, seat track position sensor) into the new seat for whatever reason. Once again there does not seem to be a rhyme or reason to when. Best rule of thumb is to keep your PIU seats around until you have finished the swap and all the lights are off.

If swapping in older (2011-12ish) Explorer seats into PIU you may encounter different seatbelt mounting systems. The earlier models anchored into the outer side of the seat, and the newer ones anchor at the base of the B-pillar. They are still compatible but you need to swap the seatbelt buckle and harness from the PIU seat onto the new seat.

Hope this helps. I have encountered just about every error you could with seat swaps.

Thanks! I've been following your vids. Very glad to have your input! I'll see if wrestling them in works

 

[washpiuboi]

Here is some info that may be useful

The seats are compatible, however sometimes the frames want to contract. there is not much cross support so sometimes they tend to pull together. Bolt up front and back on the inner bolts (get them started but don't tighten all the way), then use a prybar or similar to align the outer front and back bolts. Once started snug all the bolts down. I have encountered this and it seems to be random. It happened to me putting 2013 Explorer seats in a 2013 PIU. Funny enough I did not have to do it putting 2013 seats into a 2017 PIU, so there does not to be a rhyme or reason to it.

The OCS bladder (or airbag sensors as you refer to them) are compatible across all 11-19 years however they are calibrated. So most of the time by just swapping the bladder over you will get an airbag light. You can either calibrate the OCS using forscan/IDS, or just swap over the bladder from the old seat. I almost always just swap the bladder. It is possible in theory to get lucky and that the new bladder happens to be calibrated the same in both seats but I have never gotten that lucky.

Sometimes you do need to swap the PIU passenger OCS wiring harness (OCS bladder/sensor, seatbelt sensor, seat track position sensor) into the new seat for whatever reason. Once again there does not seem to be a rhyme or reason to when. Best rule of thumb is to keep your PIU seats around until you have finished the swap and all the lights are off.

If swapping in older (2011-12ish) Explorer seats into PIU you may encounter different seatbelt mounting systems. The earlier models anchored into the outer side of the seat, and the newer ones anchor at the base of the B-pillar. They are still compatible but you need to swap the seatbelt buckle and harness from the PIU seat onto the new seat.

Hope this helps. I have encountered just about every error you could with seat swaps.

Heya! "Massaging the passenger seat did get it to fit. I think the ground and positives are swapped on the seat harness as the controls for the seat motors are inverted but working. The airbag light is on, I'll have to diagnose with forscan.

 

[washpiuboi]

So I ran into a few issues. The ground on the 2018 10 way passenger seat uses a different connector pin position than on the piu seat. the PIU car harness uses a ground in position 5. On the PIU seat harness the various grounds merge into a single wire. IMG_0744 shows the splice. and then the black wire next to my index finger normally goes to pin 5 on C312. Additionaly. The OCS sensor & bladder have a different part number and the two bladders have different shapes between these two seats. The PIU bladder sticks out past the edge of the seat lip (img_0739) but it doesn't stick out enough from being able to clip the cover back into place and it uses plastic retaining pins to hold it on to the seat frame. Harbor freight's PITTSBURGH Automotive Plastic Fastener Kit had matching plastic retainers if you need to cut them out to remove them.

 

[washpiuboi]

I was able to correct all the issues by splicing pin 5 (Black wire) from a 2014 harness to the large black wire going to pin 17 on the seat connector. the wire on the img_0769 going into the orange splice connector looks grey, but its actually black. So now the original black ground goes to both 5 and 17 on connector c312. additionally i had a wire swapped at pin 10. The 10-way power seat has gn/bu (green blue) to pin 10 which i had accidentally left unconnected. now there are 4 unused wires at the moment until I have the energy to make the seat heaters wired in. A winter project. I've attached some wiring diagrams for the SRS for police, non police, and the ground page that routes to the seats. I'll post an update later when I get the driver seat wired and install.

P.S.: This would have been less of a headache for me if I had ever dealt with connector pinning and wiring diagrams before. But the seats are very nice and the swap is worth it if you're prepared ahead of time.

 

[washpiuboi]

So a follow up for the driver's seat. The process was the same as the passenger. The ground wire on the PIU goes to a different pin than on the explorer sport. I splice a wire into the explorer sport's harness so that connector C311 would have the additional ground. All of my airbag lights are gone and both seats move with normally with the 10-way buttons. The driver seat was much easier because it does not have the OCS sensor and so there are 5 less pins to integrate. Like the passenger seat, I also had to "massage" the driver seat into place. The seat cushion for both seats is narrower than the PIU seats, the gap between the center console and the seats is larger so its a little easier to reach down, but also easier to drop things underneath the seat. However it means accessing the center console (like if you're replacing a police center console) is much easier.

 

[Steve8316]

With either seat or console, it's only 4 bolts & 1 or 2 connectors to pull each front seat out of the way. I wouldn't fight around the seat to work on the console.