goingc4

First, thanks to the many past posters whose information I have been perusing for the last week. It was nice to be able to fix my climate control by merely cleaning the contacts in the module! It was also great fun to find all the mice nesting material under the drivers seat, I never would have realized that little metal "hoop" freed up the seat so you could just lift it out. (the mice did not eat any of the seat wires).

Before I forget this is on a 1988 vert. with sport seats. The drivers seat does not go backwards (99.999999999% of the time). It goes forward, I've managed to get it to click back a hair twice. Is there a method to getting the console switch out to test? None of the seat mounted switches seem to provide this function. (Okay I made the mistake of thinking the Haynes and factory wiring diagram I have for my 85 Coupe (no sport seats) would suffice, and it looks like none of the colors match on the factory diagram and of course the Haynes doesn't cover the power seats at all. I am ordering a factory manual, but in the meantime - I really would like to get the seat to go back! It is starting to look like I have to remove the seat to get at the console switch - but how do you remove the seat when you can't move it backwards to access the bolts.

Sorry for my newbieness, if I'm missing something obvious please don't get out the flamethrower, I have searched guite a bit for info. And thanks again to those that continue to help.

Midnight 85

Lift up the console lid and you will see two screws that hold the shift plate in place, remove these along with all the ones you can see on the outside of the plate. You will also need to remove the screws that hold the center bezel (around the heater controls and radio) in place, it has to be pulled out a ways to get the shift plate free. Just lift the plate high enough to get to the seat control switches, this way you shouldn't pull any other wires loose. You should be able to do this without removal of the shift **** but if not then you take a small screwdriver and pry gently up on the lockout button, it will come right out. Then you will need a pair of snap ring pliers to remove the snap ring, all you do then is pull the **** off.

deerra

I don't know if I can help but I'll give it a try. I'd remove the bottom seat cushion and unplug the electrical plug for the seat motor. I'd get another 12 volt power source (another battery) and hook up two leads to the seat motor to see if it will run. If so, I'd say you have a bad switch. If it won't run, bad motor. Then again, the drive shaft (if that's the proper term) could be bad.
Hope this helps. Good luck and keep us posted.

goingc4

Thanks for the prompt replies. I have lifted out the cushion and unplugged the wires, but I couldn't determine which ones should be carrying power, so I didn't want to just apply 12 volts anywhere, I'm a little gunshy about assuming every position would accept 12 volt input without something making smoke..

I have quite a bit of the upper console out because I had to fix the climate control module, I guess I didn't look hard enough to see about getting to the switch.

I'll go check that before I hit the sack. Thanks for the input.

goingc4

No joy. On my car the console switches are mounted in a recessed area behind the easy to access power window switches. It looks like a have to remove the decorative side panel to get to a small cover screwed over the switch. I thought I had all of the screws removed from that decorative panel, but it's not budging. Looks like the seat has to come out. The good news is I can see the nuts at the front, so it looks like I'll get to try my ratcheting wrench set - it ought to be good for about 15 minutes a nut if I'm lucky.

Der Flieger

Yes, you have to remove the seat, and the center console, as well as the long trim panel on the left side of the hump. The switch is quite a little item, since it controls all of the left seat adjustments. As I recall, it costs about $80.00, and is quite a bit of work to replace. Mine became intermittent and then quit altogether. The storage compartment has to come out as well, since the wiring is underneath it, as I recall. I still have my old one, but it won't do you any good, I'm afraid. Good luck!

65Z01

goingc4, drop me an e-mail and I'll take pics of the wiring in my '88 Shop Manual and shoot em back to you.

I too would just jumper the proper wires at the plug into the seat to see if the motor runs or not.

goingc4

Thanks for the removal details, and thanks for the offer of a picture. I've sent an email. I'm not sure which I'm hoping for, that the jumpering works and proves a bad switch or that it doesn't and proves a motor problem!

Thanks again all.

ZQQM

Maybe for a test you could switch the passenger side with the driver side control switch. Just a thought.

Midnight 85

Boy, I sure missed the boat on this one, sorry, it's been a while since I had mine apart and forgot that the seat controls were in the main console section. It's true what they say about the memory going first.

65Z01

goingc4, you've got mail with the pic. It looks like it is totally safe to jumper +12Vdc & ground to those two wires going to the fore/aft motor as the switch simply selects the direction of current flow.

Midnight 85, for me memory was the 2nd thing to go.....now what was the 1st...???

Der Flieger

Another way to do it is to remove both seats and install the driver's seat in the passenger position. If it works using the passenger control switch, then you know the driver's side switch is the problem. If the problem moves with the seat position, you know the seat is the problem.

goingc4

Thanks 65Z01, the wiring diagram was great, but of course your description was dead on as well. I jumpered 12 v to the yellow/green and back she rolled. Having the wiring info I was able to put a meter on the forward side and see the 12V coming thru and put it on the yellow/green and see that I'm only getting about 1 volt and a few hundred milliamps from the switch. So the switch is probably gummed up.

Now I get to have the fun of pulling everything out to get to it! The good news is I'm up to paying 37 cents less for my car now! Only $3,599.63 cents more change to find, and it's a free car!

65Z01

You lucked out that the problem wasn't with the expensive track drive.

I'm not sure how the seat switch is setup but when I replaced my driver's side door lock switch I found that the problem was simply corrosion on the switch pins that plug into the socket.

Maybe you will get lucky and only have to clean the switch pins, assuming it has similar config to the door lock sw.