Seat motor cable question.

[Ronnie]

I have my seats out so I can clean and dye the carpet in my car. While I have the seats out I need to lubricate the cables that move the seat. I have one that is jerky going down in the rear and I think it because the cable is dry.

My question is can the driven inner cable that turns be pulled out of the outer cable to clean it and lubricate it? I have the end of one cable loose and it doesn't seem to want to come out. Should it come out?

[DAVES89]

I don't have an answer Ronnie, but if you screw it up I just pulled a 16 way base at Gibson's. I can bring it if you should break it...

[Ronnie]

Thanks Dave for your willingness to help. The power seat mechanism must be really durable. It appears that I'm the first person on this forum that has attempted to lubricate it. Otherwise I'm sure someone who has done it before would have been willing to offer me some help.

Edited February 9, 2014 by Ronnie (see edit history)

[2seater]

Ronnie,

I am tardy on this but I used to have a device like a syringe that clamped over the cable end to force lube through the assembly. I think I found it in a motorcycle parts list a long time ago.

[Ronnie]

Thanks for your reply. I tried to get motor oil to flow through the cable housing but it didn't work very well. It just wanted to puddle up at the top end of the cable. Then I tried transmission fluid. It will slowly work it's way through the cable and drip out the other end. I think it will lubricate the cables well enough to prevent binding, which was the problem I was having. Now I have to wait for all the excess trans. fluid to drip out. I have plenty of time for that since I will be cleaning and dyeing the carpet before putting the seats back in.

[DAVES89]

Ronnie, Make sure you tighten the shoulder bolts on the ends of that cable. One bolt was missing when my seat guy redid my seat. So out to Gibson's I went to get a 16 way base. Paid $21.00 for it. Now someone would think that is a lot to spend for a bolt, but I got 3 motors, switches and trim pieces. So I am set, besides all 3 cars have 16 ways.

So if you need parts let me know, same price as always.

[Ronnie]

Thanks for the tip Dave. Could you be more specific about where the bolts are located? The cables snap into place on mine. Maybe the photo below can be used as a reference as to which bolts you are talking about. Perhaps you are talking about the bolts that hold the motors on?

[DAVES89]

It doesn't look like you have 16 ways, as mine has a black cable that runs along the back end of the seat. It fits into a bracket and is tightened down with a shoulder bolt with an allen wrench. If the bolt is missing the seat moves "catywompus" when one tilts the seat forward. I thought it to be important to just get a complete base for all the extra parts as well as the missing bolt [not knowing if the bolt was special or not.

[Ronnie]

Yeah, that's the difference. I don't have 16 way seats. Still it is a good tip for anyone who has their 16 ways out of the car.