Passenger Seat trouble
Thread Starter
Cruising
Joined: Dec 2013
Posts: 14
Likes: 0
From: Collinsville Illinois
Passenger Seat trouble
Just purchased this 89 12/13/13. As far as I can tell it has remained in stock condition. I believe it is the 240 hp L98, automatic. The only change I found is the replaced radio. I am very happy with the over all condition of the car because by all appearances it has been well maintained. The one problem I need to address is the passenger side power seat. The seat has power, you can hear the motors run when any switch is moved, but there is no movement, forward, backward, up or down. The last position the seat was placed in, was all the way back. As a result I have yet found a way to get to the rear mounting bolts. I'm sure that if I got the seat out I could come up with a method of repair. Is there some type of manual release that would allow me to move the seat forward? Can the drive unit removed or moved with the seat in place. There has to be some fix for this issue. Someone has had to have run into this before. Any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks, Perk
Burning Brakes
Joined: Apr 2011
Posts: 917
Likes: 25
From: College Station Tx
I don't know of a manual release, but assuming the 89 is like my 95, you don't really have to move the seat forward to get to the rear bolt. Moving it forward will definitely make it easier though. I had the same issue on my drivers side seat. You can remove the bottom cushion. You then have access to the four bolts that hold the seat to the frame. With the seat out of the way, you then have access to the four frame nuts. You won't have room to use a ratchet on the rear, and the studs are very long-winded, so it will take a while to get the nuts off.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 2,351
Likes: 222
From: Delta B.C. Canada
2023 C7 of the Year Finalist - Unmodified
2019 C4 of Year Finalist (appearance mods)
2015 C4 of Year Finalist
To remove the seat cushion, release the wire retaining clip:
Since you are hearing the seat motor running, the problem is that your seat transmission is toast. You can get rebuilt transmissions from Keen Parts (supporting vendor here). You don't need the whole rack. When you order a rebuilt trans you need to tell them the diameter of the shaft shown in the pic below. Mine is 0.25".
Be careful not to break the fitting on the 3 drive tubes.
The transmission looks like this:
Since you are hearing the seat motor running, the problem is that your seat transmission is toast. You can get rebuilt transmissions from Keen Parts (supporting vendor here). You don't need the whole rack. When you order a rebuilt trans you need to tell them the diameter of the shaft shown in the pic below. Mine is 0.25".
Be careful not to break the fitting on the 3 drive tubes.
The transmission looks like this:
Melting Slicks
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 2,075
Likes: 109
From: Longmont Co
I had a similar problem on an 85. I was able to just reach behind the seat and manually push it forward at the same time as using the power switch. I was able to move it wherever I needed to.
Thread Starter
Cruising
Joined: Dec 2013
Posts: 14
Likes: 0
From: Collinsville Illinois
To members csthews and 92ragtop, you guys are right on top of things. I was able to get the seat cushion out and access the 4 bolts that held the hold the seat frame in place. The front adjustment that raises the seat up and down works. The drive that raises the back moves but appears to be on its last leg. The forward/backward movement is locked up solid. I did find several vendors that will be happy to sell me a transmission with a core chg. If I send the transmission in, the core is waived. Anyway. thanks for the help. By the way, as a bonus, I found $1.47 cents under the seat. Clean living pays off again. Thanks again, Perk
Racer
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 438
Likes: 14
From: Tucson/Santa Paula AZ/CA
2017 C4 of Year Finalist
To members csthews and 92ragtop, you guys are right on top of things. I was able to get the seat cushion out and access the 4 bolts that held the hold the seat frame in place. The front adjustment that raises the seat up and down works. The drive that raises the back moves but appears to be on its last leg. The forward/backward movement is locked up solid. I did find several vendors that will be happy to sell me a transmission with a core chg. If I send the transmission in, the core is waived. Anyway. thanks for the help. By the way, as a bonus, I found $1.47 cents under the seat. Clean living pays off again. Thanks again, Perk
I assume you have replaced that seat transmission by now. I just found that my passenger sport seat no longer moved forward/backward while all the other functions are great. The center section of my transmission is the culprit. I ordered a rebuilt one from Tom at Keenparts.com they have gone up to $150 plus $25 core charge but it is still a lot cheaper than the whole seat track.
My transmission has a cracked support structure and all the gears are good. I will most likely send it in for the core charge unless I can find the nylon support piece that causes this failure. BTW, you
CAN move the seat forward/backward even if the gears are dead. You put a small pipe wrench or channel locks on the steel tube that goes between the rails just to the rear of the three drive shafts. You can turn that tube while pressing the seat switch to move the seat. Mine was stuck all the way to the rear and I had to move it to get a socket on the rear hold-down nuts.
Mick
