Having power seats in your car provides a lot of convenience. With a button, you can move the seat back and forth, as well as modify the backrest’s height and angle. This is much more convenient than using cogs and levers, which can be cumbersome. With no backup, power seats become frozen in place and it can be difficult to move them manually if the system fails.
Manually moving a power seat is doable, but it necessitates working in a confined space and disassembling the seat in several components. Restore power functionality by following the instructions in this article, which will walk you through troubleshooting and repairing the seat.
The mechanism’s design varies from seat to seat, but in general, the seat is mounted on two rails that resemble threaded screws, and an electric motor pushes the seat up and down while simultaneously winding both sides.
It’s not practical to change the power seat manually on a regular basis, therefore your options are to either address the power problem or find a comfortable setting.
How To Manually Move a Power Seat
Tools You’ll Need
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This job necessitates the use of a cordless power drill in order to relocate the seat more quickly. It will take a long time to move the seat by hand because the rail threads are so thin.
Disconnecting plastic covers and unscrewing obstructions will be a snap with the included set of screwdrivers. Although it’s possible you won’t need it, I’ve included the drill extension anyhow.
Manually Moving The Seat
Normally, I’d offer you a step-by-step breakdown of how to accomplish the work, but due to the wide variety of seat mechanisms, this won’t be possible. As a result, I’m going to give you some general suggestions and strongly recommend that you seek up the schematic for your vehicle’s seat.
Depending on the model, you may have to disassemble the seat again to a greater or lesser extent during the repair process. Your goal is to get adequate access under the seat to manually manipulate the winding mechanism.
You’ll discover a flexible drill extension-like cable within the central rail. One end of the cable would be inserted into a drill, while the other would be inserted into the winding machine. You’ll gradually switch between the left and right mechanisms, remembering to switch the drill direction so that both sides travel in the same direction.
As a result, you won’t have to spend more money on repairs in the future, even if the mechanism is damaged during the procedure.
The Alternative Power Method
A guide on powering chairs in a car that doesn’t have power seat connections to the batteries caught my eye as I was seeking for other ways to move the power seat. However, if we need to temporarily power your seat during the debugging process, you can use this option.
Because he doesn’t think they’re necessary, the instructor pulled the cables, but this is not something I recommend you do. Connect the positive and negative terminals of the power drill to miniature power lines and run them to the 12V battery. Only if the problem is not in the seat itself, but rather a blown fuse or a poor connection to the battery will this procedure work.
Troubleshooting and Fixing The Power Seat
The problem with a motorized seat is usually easier to remedy than moving it manually, which is bizarre. It is possible to access the winding mechanism and replace the power motor even if the motor itself has failed.
Test The Seat Functions
Also, make that all of your seat’s additional features, such as the ability to adjust the seat height and backrest tilt, function properly. All systems must be shut down when this occurs because there is no power available. In this case, the issue is most likely with the motor or the motor’s independent circuit.
Check The Fuse Box
The fusebox and circuit breaker should always be the first places you investigate. Using a multimeter or a test bulb helps speed up the process of checking the fuses.
Connect the test probes to a breaker’s pins and set the multimeter to the Ohm () preset. If the breaker has a value other than 0 or 0 L, it is functioning properly. Although it was hot to the touch when you removed it, there’s a good possibility your system has an electrical problem if the new breaker clicks into place right away.
Fuses are tested by connecting the ground and testing the lamp with exposed portions of a fuse. Before you replace a part that’s broken, make a note of where it was and then try to reposition the seat.
There is a good chance that even if it does not work, you have fixed something else in the car. Cross-reference the fuse’s location in the owner’s manual to see what it regulates. The presence of a blown fuse indicates a problem with the system’s power supply, so keep an eye on it from time to time.
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Check The Main Seat Connector
Main power connectors to seats may have become disconnected. With a bottle of water or a bottle of water rolling into it, the backseat passenger may have stepped on it. With a four-door vehicle, you can open the back door and squat outside the vehicle to inspect it. If you can get to the connector, make sure it’s securely attached.
It’s possible that no electricity is being sent to the seat. The ground and power pins of the connector should be tested using the test bulb. The power pin has a red or orange wire, while the ground pin has a black or brown wire. Wires that are meant to handle more power may be thicker than the rest.
Connecting the test lamp to the power pin should result in it lighting up. Because it’s not receiving power if this isn’t the case you’ll need to consult with a professional electrical engineer.
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Inspect The Seat Motors
Remove the power seat from its fixed mounting position and tilt it to the side to further narrow down the source of the issue. We’ll need electricity to determine which motor has failed, so please remove it while the power connector is still attached to the seat.
Tilt adjustment and horizontal travel motors are both located at the bottom of the seat. Only the ground and power wires are needed to connect the motors to each other.
To test a motor, locate the wires that lead to it, disconnect them, and connect the ground and positive wires of a test lamp to the lamp’s electrical supply. Using the switch that controls that motor, check to see if electricity is flowing toward it simultaneously. The control switch will have failed if there is no power. Otherwise, the motor needs to be replaced.
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As of the date/time specified, prices and availability are subject to change. A customer who purchases this item will be subject to the price and availability information that is displayed at the time of purchase on [the relevant Amazon site(s), as applicable].
Test The Control Switch
Make sure that the power plug isn’t loose by removing the switchboard’s connectors. Corrosion of the connecting pins on the board should be checked. Find a scrapyard where you can get hold of a control switch and try it out right away.
Testing the switchboard, in contrast to testing motors, will only require connecting the connector. If it’s compatible with the new switches, go ahead and get it. A less expensive option would be to purchase a new control group without the buttons and shroud.
The Amazon Product Advertising API was used to get these prices.
As of the date/time specified, prices and availability are subject to change. A customer who purchases this item will be subject to the price and availability information that is displayed at the time of purchase on [the relevant Amazon site(s), as applicable].
FAQs
Why won’t my power seat move forward or back?
Most likely the fault is in the seat’s drive motor or control board if the seat has extra powered functions but the horizontal movement does not work.
How do you jump a power seat?
It is feasible to utilize a 12V battery from a power drill to power a power seat. Although it isn’t ideal, two wires from the seat’s connector can be extended to the battery terminals and connected to the power and ground. Using this method, you can power the seat.
How much does it cost to get a power seat fixed?
Since luxury cars have more features and can therefore be repaired at a higher cost, the precise cost is dependent on the model year and class of the vehicle in question. The average cost of labor and parts is often given as $600, however you can save a significant amount of money by using non-OEM or junk parts and doing the repairs yourself.
Conclusion
It may sound strange, but rather of attempting to manually move the power seat, you’re better off investigating and fixing the problem that’s causing it to malfunction. Replacement of loose terminals, faulty motors, or control boards isn’t difficult and will restore complete operation to the seat.
