Air adjustable seats?

[J. Kennedy]

Hi folks,

My baby has electric air adjustable lumbar and thigh support seats. It was actually selling point since both me & the wife have back problems. Trouble is, I can't get them to hold air for longer than 2 minutes. I flip the switch, the electric motor under the seat whirrs, the air bags inflate, then deflate. And no, I only weigh 185 lbs. The dealer has not heard of this and suggests replacing the entire seat assembly. I was so annoyed I did not even ask how much.

Could not find any info on this in the archives.

Has anyone taken a crack at this? What might I be getting myself into? Thanks in advance, JK.



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J. Kennedy
1995 XLT

 

[Rick]

You could have a cracked or loose hose or connection. Their are seperate air pumps for each seat.

It could also be a leaky air bladder. I don't know how hard it would be to get to them, but once you did you could possibly repair it with a tire patch.

 

[David S.]

Same problem here...air is released soon after inflation of seats.

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Ogden, Utah
1992 XLT

 

[dmeis]

My switches leak. When you pull the side cover that holds the switches you can spray them with soapy water then hit the switch, bubble should form indicating the leak.

If I remember correctly, Ford wants $50 for the replacements (all three)

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David
92EB-4.56-ARB-Custom Lift,skidplates-OBA-XD9000i-33MT's

 

[Paul Gagnon]

My driver's seat leaks too. I have been meaning to seal all the connections with silicone or tape or something but I have been too lazy to do it. Dead Link Removed If you unbolt the seat from the floor you can see all the hoses. I think you have to remove the motor to get at them but it shouldn't take much more than 1/2 an hours to seal all the leaks.

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Paul Gagnon
Calgary, Alberta
"No Brain, No Pain"
Dead Link Removed

Technically Velveeta isn't REALLY cheese... it's a cheese food...
The stuff that other cheeses eat... I guess.

 

[DCider]

I too have had this problem with my seats since I bought the truck in October. I haven't been motivated enough to rip the seats out and diagnose the problem. I'm thinking that a gasket or one-way valve is shot since the seats fill up and drain out almost immediately.

If anyone gets this diagnosed, please post a note on if it was fixable WITHOUT having to replace the entire seat. And if the seat needed to be replaced... Dead Link Removed

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David Cider
'92 Explorer XLT 4x4 4.0L 4Dr 4...

Current Mods:
Hi flo cat and muffler, KKM Air intake, SuperChip, Magnacor wires and AutoLite Double Platnum plugs

Pending Mods:
JBA headers, 4" Suspension Lift, Tires & Wheels

 

[J. Kennedy]

Update: I had a VERY enlightening conversation with a Ford Parts counter guy. In the 10 years he has worked there, he has sold 2 air bladders. 1 due to vandalism, another due to a sharp implement in the driver's back pocket. However, he has sold a TON of switches to the Service Dept.

Apparently the switch is both a switch AND a VALVE! The electrical part runs the pump, the air valve wears and does not close all the way. He said check to make sure the little hoses are good, but otherwise switches are $26.14 EACH!

I looked for recalls, but could not find anything. Typical Ford! Know the part is defective, and keep making it because there is no aftermarket. Jammed my paw up under the switch and sure enough, felt a little breeze! At $26.14 each I'm going to rummage around boneyards but those are probably toast, too. This is one of those little annoying projects that may never get done.

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J. Kennedy
1995 XLT

 

[DCider]

Has anyone actually looked at the switch/valve assembly to see where the leak might come from and if it could be repaired? If it can be repaired, we might be able to make it better...

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David Cider
'92 Explorer XLT 4x4 4.0L 4Dr 4...

Current Mods:
Hi flo cat and muffler, KKM Air intake, SuperChip, Magnacor wires and AutoLite Double Platnum plugs

Pending Mods:
JBA headers, 4" Suspension Lift, Tires & Wheels

 

[DC]

I was actually driving, with my 2 year old kicking the back of the seat, when I heard and felt a POP in my seat. The air bladder then deflated. Since then it won't hold air. must be a pretty big hole

------------------
DC
94EB 4.0

 

[Jeff95Explorer]

Air Leak in Power Seats

This posting is "a little" past the original conversation but I thought it was worth mentioning.

I had a problem with an air leak on the driver's side. The air is used to inflate the lumbar and thigh supports. But what was happening was they would deflate immediately, just like everyone else mentioned.

I ripped the seat out and the side cover this weekend, hoping it was just one of the hose was cracked or just disconnected. No such luck. It was the switch, just like most other people's.

PO'ed about no TSB on this, I figured I'd rip the switch apart. Here's what is happening:

The switch is in three pieces:
1. Outer cover including the switch rocker.
a. When pushing "+" of the switch the bags should inflate. The rocker activates the pump and a pluger pushes down, hitting the "Air In" release button on inner part of the switch.
b. When pushing the "-" the plunger on the other side pushes down, hitting the "Air Bleed/Out" release button on the inner part of the switch.
2. Inner Part of Switch.
a. The air lines plug into this.
b. It has the electrical contacts to start the pump.
c. It has "Air In" and "Air Bleed/Out" release buttons on either end.
3. The mounting flange of the switch.
This part doesn't matter.

So, what the problem is, is that when you push the "-" side of the rocker (1b), the plunger is simply getting wedged between the outer cover (1) and the "Air Bleed/Out" release button of the inner part of the switch (2).

Instead of buying a new switch(es) assembly, I sprayed some lubricant around the plunger in the outer cover (1). Now it works fine.

Call me cheap, but I'd rather go through this than give Ford the $$$ for a part that should be a recall. This may not be the fix for everyone, but I hope this helps somebody.

 

[Lee S.]

Power Lumbar Switch

Thanks Jeff95Explorer. Terrific advice. I just discovered this site last night and I already fixed a few annoying problems on my 98 4 dr. XLT.

I had nothing working with the power lumber. No motor or pump noise no air hiss.... nothing. Thanks to you I pulled out the lumbar switch and took it apart. I too found that the plunger in the switch was not allowing the contacts to properly meet and thus would not start the pump/motor.

I simply filed the contacts with a contact file and sprayed some good old Radio Shack tuner cleaner to clean and lubricate the switch. Everything is working perfectly now. If nothing else, I bought some more time with the switch before needing to replace it.

Not sure if any body cares but it's really not necessary to remove the seat to get at the power seat and lumbar switches. The side seat panel can be removed by itself. If you move the seat all the way forward and up you can access 2 philips head screws with a short screwdriver from underneath. There is a third philips head screw on the back of the panel which you can get to from the back seat. Finally there is a clip near the most forward screw that you can depress by inserting a screw driver between The side of the seat and the seat panel. This will pop the panel and expose the switches for removal.

All in all a pretty simple quick fix if it lasts.

 

[awhughes]

For some time now my lumbar would not inflate. While pushing the "+" portion of the switch I could hear the motor running as always but now the lumbar would not inflate.
I placed my hand on the underside of the cover panel and pushed the inflate switch. I could feel air.
I removed the plastic panel and sure enough one of the airlines was detached. I reattached the line and everything works fine.

 

[GFRY HTSN]

when i took my 1996 in the ford house, they told me as well i needed a new seat assembly. When i first got the car, the passenger lumbar did nothing, and both lumbar and bolster worked on the driver side, then the driver side bolster went out, then the lumbar went out. Do you all think its the switches, or the motor. Im glad i found this thread, i was about to order new motors off Genuine ford parts

 

[TSTONE]

My switches leak.

This is a pretty common problem with 2nd gen X's

 

[Lee S.]

Can't hurt you to check the switches first. Like I said earlier in this thread...I had nothing...no motor or pump or air hiss noise. It wound up to be the switch not making the proper contact to start the motor. I'd rather investigate the 'free fix' first before paying for new motors.

Lee