Driver seat won't slide.

[totoro]

A fail point on my MOT sheet is 'fore and aft adjustment mechanism not functioning as intended.

 

I can't remember adjusting it since I got it five years ago so it is rusted or jammed with some detritus in the track or in the lever mechanism. Is there a drawing of what the lever does ? I can lift it OK but the seat is jammed solid. It would be nice to see a picture of what I'm looking for before grovelling around with my head upside down peering under the seat.

[HeavyMetalRich]

I think that tester was being a bit picky, failing you for that, personally. There's probably not many would notice a problem like that unless they had to move the seat to physically get into it. Even so, pass and advise. But I am not a tester and don't know the circumstances, so onwards to some hopefully helpful advice...

 

If you raise the seat as far as you can, you should be able to see the locking clamps on the seat rail by looking in from the driver's door and down the side of the seat. You should be able to see enough to give a generous spray with your lubricating oil of choice, give it a good spray then leave it to work its way in for five minutes or so then get in the seat and try to move it as you would normally. You can also give the rails a good spray too, again you should be able to see enough to give everything that needs a good soaking.

 

Hope that helps you.

[grumpy1]

If my seat was stuck so that my wife wasn't able to slide it forwards she wouldn't be able to reach the pedals. You probably wouldn't want to be sharing the road with someone who wasn't in proper control of their vehicle!

[totoro]

The offside rail seems to be free after a bit of lubrication and banging but the inner one is solid.

 

It isn't obvious how the lever acts to lock/unlock the seat on the rails and I can't find an illustration.

[HeavyMetalRich]

4 hours ago, totoro said:

The offside rail seems to be free after a bit of lubrication and banging but the inner one is solid.

 

It isn't obvious how the lever acts to lock/unlock the seat on the rails and I can't find an illustration.

 

I don't know how able bodied you are but if you are able to have a look under the seat from the floor level with a good light, you should be able to see more. The big plastic trim on the front of the seats don't make this easy but you might be able to see from the rear.

 

Someone like @DieselMonte might have a seat out of a car that they might be able to post a pic of?

[totoro]

Thanks all, it was rust causing the problem.

 

I took off the front panel, couldn't find the last screw so tin snips applied to the plastic removed the holdup, it's not as if I need to refit it, my car will never win prizes for its looks.

I gave some good squirts of penetrating fluid into the rails when parked on a slope so that it would run back into the blockage , left it for a few hours ,then with me holding up the lever and a mate applying his size XL hammer to the rail at the rear it started moving forward. After a few operations back and forth and more flushing the rust and grit the rails with WD40 it got easy to operate and is now good as new..

Sorted, so I'll get the MOT for another year, new discs and pads to the rear, new droplink to the front have been fitted and all is ticketyboo.

 

Total cost, about £68 for parts and calling in favours done for a mate who has access to a lift and tools.

[DieselMonte]

19 hours ago, HeavyMetalRich said:

 

Someone like @DieselMonte might have a seat out of a car that they might be able to post a pic of?

I have like 2 or 3 sets of seats out at the minute lmao.

See he got it sorted but if anyone wants pics I'll nab some 

[totoro]

52 minutes ago, DieselMonte said:

I have like 2 or 3 sets of seats out at the minute lmao.

See he got it sorted but if anyone wants pics I'll nab some 

 

Whatever the mechanism is, a big hammer and penetrating fluid sorts it.

 

I suppose it would be sensible to give the seats a run back and forward occasionally to stop them seizing up.