My passenger side seat was stuck in an all forward reclined position. First I pulled the switch to clean - it works fine but the seat wouldn't move. Then I checked all relays and fuses - they were fine but the seat wouldn't move. Then over-rode the circuit, connecting the motors directly to a 12V source - I gained more mobility but the seat remained in the all forward recline. I pulled apart the gearbox to find the drive-shaft to the worm gear had sheared.

The shaft is about 3/16 square soft metal - to save the gears I suppose. The problem I have now is how to turn the worm gear or how to pull the stationary gear from the upper body of the chair so I can position the back without having to deal with the worm gear.

Has anyone had any experience with the pulling apart the seat or worm gears?

 

WOW, I had a similar problem with my drivers seat this morning. I had reclined it a little more than I like and it would not move back in the upright direction. I ran it all the way back and it would not go forward again. I pilled the connectors of the back of the driver's seat and the passengers seat switches and tried to move the driver's seat using the passengers seat switch, still no go. I looked it over , tried jumpering the pins to no avail, then got really mad, got behind the seat and pushed really hard while working the switch and ot would move with my assistance.

I finally got it in the best position I could for myself and gave up on it for the day.

I have never torn into it but I think you may be better off buying a seat from someone parting one out or from a recycler than trying to disassemble and repair
the problem you are having. Hate to recommend such an action, but it may just be the simpler way to go.

Good luck with whatever you do and please keep us posted on your findings.

If you do decide to tear into it, I would suggest taking it out of the vehicle to have better access to it. If you can repair it, fix it as good as possible then reinstall. If you cannot repair it, you would have to remove it anyway to put in a replacement.

If you want me to, I can check with my local resources to see if anyone has a replacement seat available. If not, that is cool also. Like I said, Good Luck with it.

 

I replaced both my front seats for $27 each from the salvage yard. My seats were ripped, found two passenger seats that were not, and slapped them in. The lumbar **** has enough clearance next to the door column.

When working on them I saw that the motors are also easy to swap out, they operate a short cable to that worm gear you describe, and the cable can be removed and greased (like an old spedometer cable). Seemed like the worm gear boxes could be removed from the "corners".

Even if you buy a ripped seat, the motors and internal parts will be useful. Suggest you snag the seat switch as well, they are usually $3 or so, and are a PITA to dismantle and clean, Mercedes use almost the same switch, lots of ball bearings inside.

 

After I posted the thread I tried to use an easy-out bit to crank the worm gear shaft. No dice. So I may end up buying a used seat, that sounds like the easiest way to go. Thanks for the help.

 

Lots of times, a used part is the cheapest fix. Savannah had some great points there. Another suggestion, add your location to your profile, there may be others near you that can help you out.

 

Earch for my post: Disco 1 driver seat swap

Has pix of before and after. Also saw where someone took the cable out of dead motor, attached a battery drill to it, and adjusted seat back to reasonable psoition....

 

So...

Fixed it for free.

I drilled out the shaft and the worm gear until I could see the stationary gear(attached directly to the seat back). Then I rewired the teleflex cable to the other side. By connecting the leads to a 12V source I manually moved the seat to a normal position. Then I drilled out the side of the seat through the large stationary gear and inserted a bolt to fix the position.

Done.

Thanks for all the responses, if this hadn't worked out I would've definitely looked into a used seat.

 

And should you look into other seats, the Disco 2 seats will not fit the Disco 1.