front seat gear swap (Broken Seat/Missing Cap Issue, pt. 2)

[Rifleman]

Well i did my gear replacement yesterday, the gear and cap install went fine, but i would like to add one important point. That point being to make sure that the front of your seat is tilted all the way up, BEFORE you remove the seat from the truck. If you don't tilt the seat up you can't get at the two screws holding the plastic cover plate in place that blocks the 4 Allen screws you need to remove. In my case i had to lug the seat back out to the truck, hook up the power, tilt it up, and then i was good to go, but this would have been good info to know before i removed my seat. Oh i would like to add one more thing, the gear and end cap are very well made, they fit perfect, they are well worth the few bucks it cost to buy them, it's money well spent!

 

[Blown3UR]

Hey guys,

I recently got another 80 to add to the stable.. this one has the leather power seats. The driver side is stuck around half way through the rail while the passenger seat moves but makes a loud sound whilst operating. I decided to order the fix for both seats (2 gears, 2 caps).

I removed the driver seat for installation. Followed the instructions which were great but when I was pressing the gear onto the shaft, I accidently cracked it (guess it was going in at an angle). I had to use the other one instead and that slipped on very smoothly. Bolted everything back up and aligned the rails and went to the truck for a test. Nothing happened the seat would still not move but I could here the motor working. I tried messing around with it back and forth for a few mins hoping it would work but it didn't so I removed the seat and stripped everything off again. I found that the other gear had cracked as well (around half way - see pics) and the worm gear on the shaft was burred from one side!!

Any idea what went wrong? I also feel that the inside of the replacement gear didn't take the pattern of the worm gear. Maybe it was slipping?

I am also wondering if every seat rail has 2 gears or just one since the kit for both seats has 2 gears and 2 caps only.. I did the DS seat and worked on the outter gear, didn't look into the other side (next to the tunnel) to check if that had a gear.

Any thoughts? I'm going to order some replacement and attempt this again because the truck is undriveable at its current state especially being 6'5

 

[Rifleman]

Did you try warming the gear before you went to install it to make it soft and flexible like the instruction said to do??? If not, when you get the the new gears you might want to try that to keep them from snapping again. One other thing, when i installed my gear on the shaft i used a Arbor press to press the gear on. Using the arbor press allows much better control aligning the shaft up with the gears bore then a bench vice does. So if you can get access to an Arbor press to install your gear, i think that will work out better.

 

[tmoore41]

Hey guys,

I recently got another 80 to add to the stable.. this one has the leather power seats. The driver side is stuck around half way through the rail while the passenger seat moves but makes a loud sound whilst operating. I decided to order the fix for both seats (2 gears, 2 caps).

I removed the driver seat for installation. Followed the instructions which were great but when I was pressing the gear onto the shaft, I accidently cracked it (guess it was going in at an angle). I had to use the other one instead and that slipped on very smoothly. Bolted everything back up and aligned the rails and went to the truck for a test. Nothing happened the seat would still not move but I could here the motor working. I tried messing around with it back and forth for a few mins hoping it would work but it didn't so I removed the seat and stripped everything off again. I found that the other gear had cracked as well (around half way - see pics) and the worm gear on the shaft was burred from one side!!

Any idea what went wrong? I also feel that the inside of the replacement gear didn't take the pattern of the worm gear. Maybe it was slipping?

I am also wondering if every seat rail has 2 gears or just one since the kit for both seats has 2 gears and 2 caps only.. I did the DS seat and worked on the outter gear, didn't look into the other side (next to the tunnel) to check if that had a gear.

Any thoughts? I'm going to order some replacement and attempt this again because the truck is undriveable at its current state especially being 6'5

This is probably a BAD solution but it may help for a temporary fix. The PO on my LC had both driver and passenger seat hooked up with only one shaft. He removed the shaft and gear housing that are connected with the plastic gear and cap discussed in other posts. Both seats do work like this, and I think he kept it that way for quite some time but I imagine it is bad for the motor and other components in long run.

 

[tmoore41]

I have successfully destroyed two new gears and have yet to fix my seat problems.

Here is the scenario: 1995 LC with 120K. PO purchased the replacement gears and caps (I assume from Gamiviti as I don’t think these can found elsewhere) and gave them to me when I purchased the LC. Both Driver and Passenger seats were working, but he had removed the shaft and gear housing on one side of the seat – leaving only one shaft hooked to the motor. I am not sure how long the seats were operated this way, but I am guessing it has been for quite some time. The seats are still operational with only one shaft hooked up, but I have to believe that this will definitely shorten the life of the expensive motor. The problem is that under quick acceleration or stopping the seats actually slide forward or back about ½”. This rocking cannot be good for the underlying components.

I followed the instructions via the web and swapped to the new gears. Very good instructions, but a little more difficult than I anticipated with pressing on the new gear. Nonetheless, I am pretty confident that I completed the gear swap correctly. However, during the initial test I could hear the gears strip immediately and only one side of the seat tried to move. The first go around I may have underestimated the importance of precisely aligning the shafts. I basically just eyeballed it. The second try I precisely measured the shafts and feel that everything was properly aligned. Same result – stripped gear and only one side moving.

I did check for obstructions to the seat track, and also to make sure all the components looked to be in good shape. Basically I am wondering if I should purchase another set of gears or go ahead and purchase the entire housing. Possible the issue is related to the worm gear in the housing and/or my inability to get it lined up correctly with the plastic cap. Anything other than less than perfect install that could be causing this problem?

 

[Congo Cruiser]

Greetings. I'm in the same boat as you. 1995 FZJ80 and waiting for new gears to arrive to try this again.

My oversight was a failure to check the passenger seat outboard gear after replacing the inboard. I didn't realize there were plastic gears on BOTH sides of the drive shaft. I stripped my new gear because that side moved forward while the other stayed put (had a stripped gear unbeknownst to me).

I'd suggest carefully inspecting both inboard and outboard gears and lubricating both. I'd also suggest thoroughly cleaning the associated worm gears. Finally, on the advice of another Mudder, I purchased an inexpensive digital caliper to PRECISELY align my seat rails.

I fixed the driver side without issue. Taking these steps to hopefully fix the passenger side. Patience is key. Good luck.

 

[tmoore41]

Just ordered another set....Try one more time - Maybe my experience with removing the seat a dozen or so times and a better understanding of the components will lead to success......

 

[concretejungle]

I was thinking, don't you need to make sure both sides are equally lined up? Meaning, no sideways bind so when the seat moves forward the gears are positioned the same. Just a thought.

 

[tmoore41]

That is correct. Definately need to be lined up - did not use a digital caliper but measured and counted threads

 

[Congo Cruiser]

@tmoore41, received my replacement gears from Gamiviti last week and installed them last night. Worked out great.

I applied power before attaching the seat rails just to make sure both gears were spinning.

Installed the seat rail on the motor side first and tightened everything down. Counted threads and used an inexpensive digital caliper to measure from the forward stop to the rail carrier.

Then aligned the other side to within a small fraction of an inch of the motor side rail.

Applied synthetic grease to the rails and drive screws (had already applied grease to the gear assemblies).

Worked perfectly. My issue was failing to check both gears on the one seat. Cost me a new Gamiviti gear, but all's well now.

Hope you are successful as well.

 

[spyduh]

I just installed 1 new gear and 1 new cap on my passenger side. The hardest part was taking off the ******** front plastic panel. pressing in the new gear wasn't the easiest thing either. One tip for aligning the track is just to spin both brackets ALL the way to the REAR END so it touches the welded washer. To clarify, the rear end is the same end you remove the little plastic rear supports. Back it till it stops on the welded washer on both sides! Then you just put the 4 bolts back and mount back onto the seat rails. No guessing or counting each thread, this make sure its perfectly aligned.

 

[spyduh]

I bought an extra gear/cap for my driver side. Seeing how much work it took to do my passenger. I'm going to hold out until the driver side actually breaks.

 

[LX Avalanche]

I performed this on both front seats last weekend and it worked great. I measured multiple times to make sure both shafts were in the same spot.

 

[tmoore41]

@tmoore41, received my replacement gears from Gamiviti last week and installed them last night. Worked out great.

I applied power before attaching the seat rails just to make sure both gears were spinning.

Installed the seat rail on the motor side first and tightened everything down. Counted threads and used an inexpensive digital caliper to measure from the forward stop to the rail carrier.

Then aligned the other side to within a small fraction of an inch of the motor side rail.

Applied synthetic grease to the rails and drive screws (had already applied grease to the gear assemblies).

Worked perfectly. My issue was failing to check both gears on the one seat. Cost me a new Gamiviti gear, but all's well now.

Hope you are successful as well.

Sorry for the long delay in responding. Gamiviti shipped the gears out to me right away (including one of the nifty first aid kits...), it just took me forever to have time to work on the seats again. Install successful!!!! Driver seat working great for the last week. I did check the gear on the opposite side. It looked to be worn but still functioned properly. Having only two gears and still needing to do my passenger side - I decided to not replace this gear. Probably should have but didnt want to take chance in case I screwed up the first gear. Mostly, I think the experience of taking the seat in and our so many times and working with gears enough finally led to proper install. A couple of tips that are already stated on these posts and in Gamivit's instructions that I probably underestimated the first go around -

1. Don't over tighten the nuts for the shafts (whatever you want to call the long threaded rods that move the seat back forth
2. Heat the new gear before pressing (I think the first time around I may not have had the gears on perfectly - heat makes it much easier)
3. Don't underestimate the importance of having the seat brackets in the exact same position and be sure they are parallel to the shaft when tightening
4. Remove the entire assemble - By this I mean, I found it much easier to remove all of the power seat components (both shafts, gear assemblies, motor, etc. This made it much easier to properly line everything up and made it possible to check the gears on both sides.
5. Definitely remove the seat and work on it outside the car. If you have never taken it out - It is actually very easy to remove
6. Tilt the seat all the way up before disconnecting - makes it much much much easier to access the allen head screws
7. I checked and doubled checked the position of the white cap to ensure it was properly securing the drive shaft on the gear before installing.

Again all of that info has already been stated other places. My only problem now is that I can't find the cap that covers the passenger side gear assembly, and the small metal washer, and rubber washer. I am sure they are floating around my garage somewhere......

Thanks for all the help.

 

[AndrewFromID]

So far, I'm 0/2 on fixing my seats. Got 2x gears and caps, and replaced both of the outer gears. Now my driver's seat won't even make a sound like the motor's engaging going forward (it will going backwards), and the passenger seat moves just fine on the outer gear that I replaced, but doesn't move at all on the inner gear.

So, I'm going to order 2x more gears, and try the inner gears.

One question: when you're aligning the shafts, can't you just spin them both all the way back, the the rear position? So long as they're both fully backed out, won't they be aligned then? Wouldn't this bypass the need for calipers and other measurements?

 

[GTSURF]

Hello everyone. Great forum and info here. I just replaced the cap on my driver seat. Didn't change out the gears in hopes that the cap was the problem (as that was the case for my passenger seat a year ago). Seat moves forward and back just fine when unbolted and tilted back against the back seat. But as soon as I bolt the seat to the floor, it stops moving again. I don't see it binding or catching on anything underneath. Any idea what can be wrong?

 

[texfredbastiat]

I replaced my passenger side gear a few weeks back. works flawlessly now. Well done, Gamviti

 

[GTSURF]

I just did the same on my driver side. Thought I could get away with just the cap initially but that didn't do the trick. So I bit the bullet and replaced both gears. A bit of a challenge removing the old ones (ended up using a Dremel to cut them off), and making sure the new ones are on straight. Took maybe 1-1/2 hours instead of the one hour reported by others, but that's fine. It works great now and beats the $2000 that the dealer quoted me to fix it!

 

[Cruiserdrew]

Bought these gears years ago from Tim and finally installed today. In the interim, I had given 1 gear and 1 cap to a friend. Bad move. It turns out my motor side gear is stripped too. I'm hoping Gamiviti still makes these!

My advice-It's 5 minutes more work to replace BOTH gears. And you should replace both, anytime you are replacing 1. I'm going to do the other seat as PM if there are more gears in the pipeline.

 

[Klowie74]

Did PS this am as a test and it worked despite my messy mechanic skills. Am ordering another set for the DS. So excited!