06 explorer, driver's side power seat lift mechanism is stuck

[oliveralbq]

in this explorer i just got, the driver's seat moves forward and rearward just fine. (the other two controls also work fine). the front/rear control is the same button that lifts the seat up and down.

my seat is stuck in the down position -- when i lift the control to put the seat up (or press it to move it down), the long threaded rod under the seat moves a hair, and then almost looks like it seizes.

the motor doesn't sound any different, so i dont think the gear is stripped.

the screw does move a bit, so i believe the controller is okay, its just that it wont turn (moving the seat up or down)

i sprayed penetrating oil (pb blaster) on it in case it had just gotten stuck, but that had no effect.

anyone have any idea what this mechanism could possibly be caught on?

 

[jrford]

my '04 did the same thing, the front was stuck in the lowest position. First thing i did was unbolt the seat and tilt it forward, then i could get some pliers on the shaft and spin it a turn or two. Once i did that it worked normally. Hopefully its that simple for you. I now just try and avoid the extreme setting.