Thank you I never took my seat apart because I have all of my white caps but I will look into the rubber washer. It's weird that it only slides forward and never backwards. I guess it will make sense when I finally pull the seat and flip it over.
Front Seat Jiggle / Clunk (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter jaredc
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Thank you I never took my seat apart because I have all of my white caps but I will look into the rubber washer. It's weird that it only slides forward and never backwards. I guess it will make sense when I finally pull the seat and flip it over.
Posting to this thread as I opened a similar thread for the same issue:
https://forum.ih8mud.com/threads/im-at-my-wits-end-power-seat-is-loosey-goosey.843275/
The fix for this issue is ridiculously simple. The issue is with the brackets as indicated by the red arrows in the picture below (which is not my picture). Inside those brackets are some white plastic bushings the threaded rod spins inside of. Eventually these wear out slightly, and a little bit of play is generated.
But the advice in that picture (which I believe is part of the instructions for the Gamiviti seat gear repair), to make sure the brackets are perfectly perpendicular to the lead screws (threaded rods), turns out to not be that great, especially on an older seat. As any of you who have done the seat gear repair know, those brackets can be tightened down at a slight angle instead of perpendicular, and by design they don't really "lock into perpendicular" position. By fastening them at a slight angle, just enough to tighten up on the rod, the seat play/clunk/looseness is completely eliminated...and the seat still moves fore and aft smoothly.
https://forum.ih8mud.com/threads/im-at-my-wits-end-power-seat-is-loosey-goosey.843275/
The fix for this issue is ridiculously simple. The issue is with the brackets as indicated by the red arrows in the picture below (which is not my picture). Inside those brackets are some white plastic bushings the threaded rod spins inside of. Eventually these wear out slightly, and a little bit of play is generated.
But the advice in that picture (which I believe is part of the instructions for the Gamiviti seat gear repair), to make sure the brackets are perfectly perpendicular to the lead screws (threaded rods), turns out to not be that great, especially on an older seat. As any of you who have done the seat gear repair know, those brackets can be tightened down at a slight angle instead of perpendicular, and by design they don't really "lock into perpendicular" position. By fastening them at a slight angle, just enough to tighten up on the rod, the seat play/clunk/looseness is completely eliminated...and the seat still moves fore and aft smoothly.
Thanks for adding this! I was able to make the driver side bracket slightly crooked on mine without even removing the seat and it fixed the annoying clunk! While I'm sure the plastic gear has more stress moving the seat with some added strain of the crooked bracket, hopefully as little as I move my seat the gear will still live long and prosper and I can live without temporary insanity at every stop light!Posting to this thread as I opened a similar thread for the same issue:
I'm at my wit's end...power seat is loosey goosey
The fix for this issue is ridiculously simple. The issue is with the brackets as indicated by the red arrows in the picture below (which is not my picture). Inside those brackets are some white plastic bushings the threaded rod spins inside of. Eventually these wear out slightly, and a little bit of play is generated.
But the advice in that picture (which I believe is part of the instructions for the Gamiviti seat gear repair), to make sure the brackets are perfectly perpendicular to the lead screws (threaded rods), turns out to not be that great, especially on an older seat. As any of you who have done the seat gear repair know, those brackets can be tightened down at a slight angle instead of perpendicular, and by design they don't really "lock into perpendicular" position. By fastening them at a slight angle, just enough to tighten up on the rod, the seat play/clunk/looseness is completely eliminated...and the seat still moves fore and aft smoothly.
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Glad that worked for you!
Eight years later this post is still paying dividends. Just fixed my seat jiggle. Added some well-placed washers as well to take up the slack in the worn plastic bushing.
I just had this problem and got it fixed.
Inside the two white worm drive housings (one is attached to the motor) there seemed to be some sort of rubber washer.
Those washers had deteriorated to a gooey substance in all four housings.
One seat was not moving at all anymore as the whole gear was stuck due to this mess.
The other seat was clunking forward and backward.
Somehow either the rubber washers were of doubtable quality or the combination of those with the used grease caused an incompatibilty.
Sometimes this can happen when you use the wrong grease on rubber parts. However, this was probably the worst I have ever seen.
Either way, I took all gear housings apart, removed all goo, replaced that with SyncoLube PTFE grease and put a new fitting combination of a rubber washer and an M12 washer in there.
Make sure you try to rotate the assembly via the input drive after bolting it back together (do not try to rotate the output side. This will put unnecessary stress on the fragile nylon gears!).
If it doesn't rotate smoothly and you need too much effort, you have to adjust the thickness of the rubber/M12 washer combination.
You will want it so it's tight enough to not move from side to side, but not stuck.
Another warning: If you take apart the motor to remove the goo from its worm gear you will find that a littler washer with three bent hooks comes lose.
This goes with its flat side towards the magnets. It might be difficult to put it back in, but you will find a way.
Inside the two white worm drive housings (one is attached to the motor) there seemed to be some sort of rubber washer.
Those washers had deteriorated to a gooey substance in all four housings.
One seat was not moving at all anymore as the whole gear was stuck due to this mess.
The other seat was clunking forward and backward.
Somehow either the rubber washers were of doubtable quality or the combination of those with the used grease caused an incompatibilty.
Sometimes this can happen when you use the wrong grease on rubber parts. However, this was probably the worst I have ever seen.
Either way, I took all gear housings apart, removed all goo, replaced that with SyncoLube PTFE grease and put a new fitting combination of a rubber washer and an M12 washer in there.
Make sure you try to rotate the assembly via the input drive after bolting it back together (do not try to rotate the output side. This will put unnecessary stress on the fragile nylon gears!).
If it doesn't rotate smoothly and you need too much effort, you have to adjust the thickness of the rubber/M12 washer combination.
You will want it so it's tight enough to not move from side to side, but not stuck.
Another warning: If you take apart the motor to remove the goo from its worm gear you will find that a littler washer with three bent hooks comes lose.
This goes with its flat side towards the magnets. It might be difficult to put it back in, but you will find a way.
I just replaced all of the gears in both front seats of my 96 FZJ80, and when I took it for a test drive, had the dreaded clunk.
Turns out the issue was multi-faceted: the rubber washers were worn and thin, and, on the drivers seat, the bushings on the shaft that connects to the sliding rail were really worn.
I ended up having to perform both fixes in this thread on the drivers side. So, new washers and bolting the shaft to the rail at a slight angle. You can also hammer the tab in the bracket on the shaft that holds the bushing a little bit to create a tighter fit, but I’d be careful with how much so you don’t damage it.
I can confirm the rubber hose washer is the perfect thickness.
I’d also recommend checking the washers before trying the angled bracket trick because if your washers are shot, your gears will likely wear much more quickly. It’s easy to tell if you have play - if the shaft with the nylon gear moves out of the housing at all, you need to replace the washers. If you have the clunk, you can actually feel this if you remove the front trim piece and find the end of the threaded shaft where it comes through the front of the motor housing (if you slide forward and the shaft comes out a bit, you have a washer problem).
I really wish you could buy the aftermarket threaded shafts with new bushings!
This is what it looks like when there play from worn out washers:
Play on the other side too:
Hose washer trimmed to fit. Worked like a charm!
Turns out the issue was multi-faceted: the rubber washers were worn and thin, and, on the drivers seat, the bushings on the shaft that connects to the sliding rail were really worn.
I ended up having to perform both fixes in this thread on the drivers side. So, new washers and bolting the shaft to the rail at a slight angle. You can also hammer the tab in the bracket on the shaft that holds the bushing a little bit to create a tighter fit, but I’d be careful with how much so you don’t damage it.
I can confirm the rubber hose washer is the perfect thickness.
I’d also recommend checking the washers before trying the angled bracket trick because if your washers are shot, your gears will likely wear much more quickly. It’s easy to tell if you have play - if the shaft with the nylon gear moves out of the housing at all, you need to replace the washers. If you have the clunk, you can actually feel this if you remove the front trim piece and find the end of the threaded shaft where it comes through the front of the motor housing (if you slide forward and the shaft comes out a bit, you have a washer problem).
I really wish you could buy the aftermarket threaded shafts with new bushings!
This is what it looks like when there play from worn out washers:
Play on the other side too:
Hose washer trimmed to fit. Worked like a charm!
@harrydunn
Did you place washers around the bushing on the threaded shaft/bracket? If so, could you give more detail (i.e., did you cut them and slot around the shaft?)
I looked at that part for a bit and it doesn’t seem easily removable. Also, my shafts have welded stops (assuming this is how all of them are), so it doesn’t seem like the bushing or bracket are removable (and it doesn’t seem like you can buy them individually aftermarket).
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I'm trying to recall what I did. I've since sold the vehicle to my brother. I was able to get washers over it without slotting. Took it all apart I believe.
Got it. If your subconscious randomly retrieves the solution in the shower, report back. It seems like split washers would be the way to do it, but I could be missing something.
There is a very easy fix to seat jiggle, play, bump, movement for most cases. The assembly that the threaded rod passes through has a threaded sleeve inside a rubber bushing which sits inside the housing. The rubber bushing shrinks over time and leaves some play. Perhaps the housing tabs open up a little as well.
Take some large channel pliers (I love my Knipex Cobra pliers) and squeeze the ends of the housing tabs to close the gap. Just do a little at a time on each side. It's best to leave a slight bit of play to limit the stress on those seat gears when the seat hits the end of the travel. The stress comes from any slight alignment differences from the two sides. It's best to do this with the seat out so you can check the play from side to side.
There may be other causes, but this issue likely contributes. I did not replace the rubber washer in my passenger seat gears but I did on the drivers seat. I don't think the absence of that 3mm washer at the seat gear can make that much difference in seat movement. It may cause faster wear on the gear. My passenger seat without the washer does move smoother and faster than the drivers seat with the gear.
I clipped the photo of the underside of the rail bracket housing from the Landtank extension video but don't have to take the seat assembly apart to do this. You just need access to the bottom of the seat.
