- Thread starter
- #41
Nakman - just got the new gears in the mail the other day. Have't had a chance to drop them in yet, but they look solid. I'll repost post install. Thanks again!
Power Seat Eats Replacement Gears (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter MidMO450
- Start date
This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate
links, including eBay, Amazon, Skimlinks, and others.
- Joined
- Jul 30, 2003
- Threads
- 69
- Messages
- 2,866
- Location
- Broomfield, Colorado
- Website
- www.gamiviti.com
Cool man, glad you got them take your time with the install, hopefully this is the last time you have to go in there. And I have a box of new gears now, sent a bunch of emails out tonight but for anyone who didn't email, the official word is gears are in stock and we're back up and running- thanks again for the patience.
Just went out to check the white plugs and run my front seats back and forth, the DS works fine and the plug is in place, but the PS (for the first time I can recall) is stuck; just a single clunk in both directions. The seat back goes up and down no problem.
- Joined
- Jul 30, 2003
- Threads
- 69
- Messages
- 2,866
- Location
- Broomfield, Colorado
- Website
- www.gamiviti.com
scrt80: yes should be more than enough, usually just 1 of each needs replacing but having a spare on hand can prove handy, especially if you need to attempt round 2 at the install for some reason. 2 gears and 1 cap per seat, but typically only one gear needs replacing, you don't know for sure until you get in there.
Kernal: you need to pull the PS to see for sure, as the white cap is located against your tranny hump. Sounds like it's missing the white cap to me, it may actually be under your seat. And if you haven't been forcing it then odds are good your stock gears are probably ok? These parts are independent of the seat back, it's just the sliding mechanism.
When we did James' seat, his was working ok but slow, when we popped it out could see quite a bit of wear on the teeth. The new replacement gears made the seat move smoother and faster than before.
Kernal: you need to pull the PS to see for sure, as the white cap is located against your tranny hump. Sounds like it's missing the white cap to me, it may actually be under your seat. And if you haven't been forcing it then odds are good your stock gears are probably ok? These parts are independent of the seat back, it's just the sliding mechanism.
When we did James' seat, his was working ok but slow, when we popped it out could see quite a bit of wear on the teeth. The new replacement gears made the seat move smoother and faster than before.
- Joined
- Jul 30, 2003
- Threads
- 69
- Messages
- 2,866
- Location
- Broomfield, Colorado
- Website
- www.gamiviti.com
Sure! it's a 14mm.. use a 6" extension in front, makes it easier. It's also easiest on seats that still slide, moving the seat away from the two bolts you're working on. In back, and especially if you can't get the seat to move, a ratcheting wrench is handy- it just takes longer without one. To get the plastic things off, pry up on the bottom with a big screwdriver, and pull straight back from the higher portion closest to the bottom of the seat- once you do this a few times it makes sense, and once you pull your seats 12x those plastic things get worn and come off much easier.
Pull the headrest out completely, it makes it easier to clear the door opening. And don't forget to unplug the wire harness- with all 4 bolts removed, just tip the seat back to give yourself some room. Go real slow when starting to remove it, just in case you forget you'll feel it pull back on you (done that).
When putting them back in, get all 4 started and in half way or so before you tighten anything. And remember to plug the wire harness back in prior to bolting the seat down (done that too).
And underneath in front, don't use the front drive screw as a handle- use the plastic trim piece, or clean your hand and use the cushion.
When I started reading the OP, I had no doubt that scrolling down would show that Nakman had chimed in and taken care of the situation. He's a textbook "standup guy".
- Thread starter
- #49
Dropped the new gears in a few weeks ago and all is well. No problems with the end caps at all. It would seem the upgraded gear material did the trick. Thanks again!
- Joined
- Jul 30, 2003
- Threads
- 69
- Messages
- 2,866
- Location
- Broomfield, Colorado
- Website
- www.gamiviti.com
Hey right on, and thanks for the follow-up!
No question these new gears are more rigid than their predecessors, which could create some new issues with installation. So to make things run smoother I'd suggest the following to others:
- look at the inside diameter of the gear, and note which side has a little chamfer (angle) on it. that's intended to be the starting side, a little ramp to help get things going.
- If it feels like the gear is stressing a lot in the vice, don't force it. Instead, try heating up the knurled shaft a little with a torch- not red hot, but somewhere in the mid-100's, just enough to make it too hot to touch which is enough to soften that plastic up a little bit.
Then take your time, read through the threads again, and knock it out.
No question these new gears are more rigid than their predecessors, which could create some new issues with installation. So to make things run smoother I'd suggest the following to others:
- look at the inside diameter of the gear, and note which side has a little chamfer (angle) on it. that's intended to be the starting side, a little ramp to help get things going.
- If it feels like the gear is stressing a lot in the vice, don't force it. Instead, try heating up the knurled shaft a little with a torch- not red hot, but somewhere in the mid-100's, just enough to make it too hot to touch which is enough to soften that plastic up a little bit.
Then take your time, read through the threads again, and knock it out.
Just ordered a set of these to fix my driver's seat. Thank you nakman for producing these. I can't wait to get them in and installed! Glad to hear all the positive feedback on the new design!
EDIT:
Got them in yesterday. Hope to install tonight. Thanks for the turnaround, nakman!
EDIT:
Got them in yesterday. Hope to install tonight. Thanks for the turnaround, nakman!
Last edited:
Ordered 2 sets of Gears and end caps to fix my 2 passenger seats
Looking forward to my seats working
Thanks for all the time you put forth in designing and making these
Looking forward to my seats working
Thanks for all the time you put forth in designing and making these
Nakman you are the Man!
Installed the gear and end cap to my passenger seat on my 97 and I have to say it worked great
Thank you
Sent from my iPad using IH8MUD
Installed the gear and end cap to my passenger seat on my 97 and I have to say it worked great
Thank you
Sent from my iPad using IH8MUD
- Thread starter
- #54
Just wanted to post that the new gears have been in for 8 months and still no issues. Thanks again Nakman!
- Thread starter
- #55
...and still going!!!
LFD2037
TEXAS LEXUS!
Installed a new gear in my PS today only to find out where the end cap screws in is stripped!!! Anyways, I held the end screw in w/just enough force to hold rod in place but not hard enough to put to much pressure. Well, the new gear stripped out in less than 1 second. Waste of time & money for me. Any other options I can try on my DS? Not wasting my money on plastic crap gears anymore. Nothing against the guy making them, just against the idea of a plastic gear in a situation that calls for a metal gear(damn you Mr. T engineers!!!)
Slomo
It's Complicated
Was going to PM nakman but in the interest of keeping all available info in one place for future searches decided to post here.
I was installing my new gears yesterday and ran into a different breakage issue. I followed the instructions verbatim with one exception. I misunderstood the directions and heated the gear hub to remove the old plastic gear but not to install the new one. Long story short I got clicking but no movement once all was back together and discovered that the new gear split between two of the teeth and opened up causing the hub to just spin inside of the new gear. I realized my mistake on the heating issue after rereading nakman's post above.
Has this happened to anyone else? Nakman, any input on whether the lack of heating was the cause of the split before I try again with my last gear tonight?
Thanks
I was installing my new gears yesterday and ran into a different breakage issue. I followed the instructions verbatim with one exception. I misunderstood the directions and heated the gear hub to remove the old plastic gear but not to install the new one. Long story short I got clicking but no movement once all was back together and discovered that the new gear split between two of the teeth and opened up causing the hub to just spin inside of the new gear. I realized my mistake on the heating issue after rereading nakman's post above.
Has this happened to anyone else? Nakman, any input on whether the lack of heating was the cause of the split before I try again with my last gear tonight?
Thanks
I did this too long ago to remember Mo. Will be interested in Tim's response tho as I have a friend in Laguna Beach with both seats stuck forward with the classic sound but no movement. Had him order a set of gears/caps for both seats and told him I'd install them having done it before. May not be out of a job Thursday with time to do this after all.
Slomo
It's Complicated
That is great news Brent!
I just reread the instructions and they do say to heat the shaft/hub for old gear removal and don't say to heat for new gear install, whereas on the additional tips page link from the gamiviti site it says the opposite, that "too cold or too hard pressing could cause the gear to crack". Guess that answers my question and I am not totally crazy because I was sure I followed the instructions very carefully. Might be a good idea to edit the instructions so they match the additional tips.
I find they don't seat on the gear correctly - they end up pressing on slightly off-center, which makes them go wwoWWWoowWWwooWWWOo when used.
