Squirrelmaster
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- March 4, 2004
- Messages
- 255
- Reaction score
- 69
- City, State
- Colorado
- Year, Model & Trim Level
- 1999 Sport, 4x4, SOHC
First of all, many thanks to 410Fortune for this idea.
Second, I tried to take photos for every step, but unfortunately my phone's camera decided that a few of them should be uselessly out of focus (which I didn't notice until I looked at them half way through). I tried to substitute some photos from the reassembly process to fill in the missing photos, but unfortunately I am still missing a few photos.
Third, this is on the passenger side on my 1999 2-door Sport, so it has the lower tilt/slide lever not present on 4-doors or the driver's seat, but the process is (mostly) the same for the driver's side though the recline mechanism is a bit different.
Fourth, this is my project vehicle that I primarily use for off-roading and stress-relief wrenching, so it is not my daily driver and is therefore filthy inside (because why clean it when it is only going to get more filthy with more off-road excursions?!). The carpet was also replaced with a vinyl floor to prolong my ability to be lazy about cleaning the thing.
Fifth, I ordered some soft loop anchor points meant for watercraft, as they have various sizes and reinforced holes. These are the ones I ordered: Amazon.com
Sixth, I used the 4" length strap, as it is firm enough that it sticks out firmly with no issue and is easy to reach, but not so long that it might get snagged.
Now for the install!
First, slide the seat all the way backward and remove the front seat bolts.
Next, slide the seat all the way forward and remove the rear seat bolts and seat belt bolt.
With the seat out (I did it inside the car, but only because I didn't have room to remove it in my garage), you can now begin removing the plastic seat trim. First, pull off the adjuster wheel (if equipped). There are no C-clips, so you can just pull it firmly away from the seat and it should slide off.
Next, remove the two screws that help hold the trim on. One is located behind the adjuster wheel and the other is located at the back. The screw locations may be different on different trims and different years.
Next, you need to unclip the two retaining clips that hold the trim to the seat. I wasn't able to get a good photo of the clips with the trim installed, but you can take a flat head screwdriver and slide it in between the trim and seat bracket and gently push the clips in, then twist, and they should pop out relatively easily. Once the clips release, you can wiggle the trim off, keeping in mind that there is a clip/hook on the upward part the wraps around a bolt sticking out of the adjuster mechanism, so you may have to pivot it a bit to get this clip off and free.
Now that you have access to the recline mechanism, you'll want to tilt the seat forward so that you can partially remove the upper seat cover to get at the two (2) upper bolts holding the recline mechanism in place. Since my seat has the lower tilt/slide lever, I just used it to tilt my seat forward (so I didn't think to take a photo of this step). For those without the lever, you will need to use some pliers to pull the broken part of your lever to actuate the mechanism.
Next, you'll need to separate the long clip holding the front and rear of the seat cover together. This is just a long interlocking clip that is actually easier to get apart than to put together. You'll want to take a wider flat head screwdriver and insert it through the hole in the adjuster mechanism (which only works with the seat tilted forward), and stick it in between where the clips meet (the center of "Z").
Once you get the screwdriver in between the clips, twist it so that there is a gap wide enough to get your finger into. You may want to wear gloves for this part, as there may be some sharp spots from when the clip was manufactured that can cut you, but with your finger in the gap, wiggle it down an inch or so to make sure the clip is separated, and then slide your finger down towards the other side of the seat and the clips should separate relatively easily.
With the seat cover clip separated, you can now start gently rolling the seat cover up towards the top of the seat. You'll need to compress the foam a bit at the bolsters, but luckily you only need to roll it up far enough to get access to the two Torx bolts.
With the upper seat bolts out, you'll probably notice that the seat back still seems pretty securely mounted. The lower bolt hole has a lip on the back side that fits into a recess in the seat back frame, which you'll need to keep in mind during reassembly as you won't be able to reinstall the seat back if you tighten both of the lower seat bolts down snug. Next, remove the lower bolts and and then carefully unclip the rod from the (yellowed) white clip and the rod should easily come out.
Okay, so now that the mechanism is free, we can start the disassembly. Unfortunately, this is where I have some missing photos. I used an oscillating saw to cut the center of the front stud out, and then used a punch and hammer to knock the remaining parts of the stud out. This seemed like the easiest method, but a hacksaw or sawzall would likely have worked just as well.
Next are all the parts that I collected to install the strap.
Now for installing the strap. Make sure you install the bolt so that it will be on the inside of the mechanism, close to the seat frame. I failed to do this on my first attempt and found out that the nut was just a tad too thick and was hitting the seat frame. If your bolt head is too thick, you can shave it down for extra clearance easier than doing the same to the nut and/or cutting down the bolt length.
Also, it took me three washers to keep the spacing even, but it may take more or less depending upon the thickness of your washers (I failed to check the thickness, but they came with the straps). I put two washers on one side and one on the other, sandwiching the strap in between.
And that's the strap install. You can put the mechanism back on by doing the reverse of the removal steps.
And again, what it looks like when the trim is back on and the seat is reinstalled.
Second, I tried to take photos for every step, but unfortunately my phone's camera decided that a few of them should be uselessly out of focus (which I didn't notice until I looked at them half way through). I tried to substitute some photos from the reassembly process to fill in the missing photos, but unfortunately I am still missing a few photos.
Third, this is on the passenger side on my 1999 2-door Sport, so it has the lower tilt/slide lever not present on 4-doors or the driver's seat, but the process is (mostly) the same for the driver's side though the recline mechanism is a bit different.
Fourth, this is my project vehicle that I primarily use for off-roading and stress-relief wrenching, so it is not my daily driver and is therefore filthy inside (because why clean it when it is only going to get more filthy with more off-road excursions?!). The carpet was also replaced with a vinyl floor to prolong my ability to be lazy about cleaning the thing.
Fifth, I ordered some soft loop anchor points meant for watercraft, as they have various sizes and reinforced holes. These are the ones I ordered: Amazon.com
Sixth, I used the 4" length strap, as it is firm enough that it sticks out firmly with no issue and is easy to reach, but not so long that it might get snagged.
Now for the install!
First, slide the seat all the way backward and remove the front seat bolts.
Next, slide the seat all the way forward and remove the rear seat bolts and seat belt bolt.
With the seat out (I did it inside the car, but only because I didn't have room to remove it in my garage), you can now begin removing the plastic seat trim. First, pull off the adjuster wheel (if equipped). There are no C-clips, so you can just pull it firmly away from the seat and it should slide off.
Next, remove the two screws that help hold the trim on. One is located behind the adjuster wheel and the other is located at the back. The screw locations may be different on different trims and different years.
Next, you need to unclip the two retaining clips that hold the trim to the seat. I wasn't able to get a good photo of the clips with the trim installed, but you can take a flat head screwdriver and slide it in between the trim and seat bracket and gently push the clips in, then twist, and they should pop out relatively easily. Once the clips release, you can wiggle the trim off, keeping in mind that there is a clip/hook on the upward part the wraps around a bolt sticking out of the adjuster mechanism, so you may have to pivot it a bit to get this clip off and free.
Now that you have access to the recline mechanism, you'll want to tilt the seat forward so that you can partially remove the upper seat cover to get at the two (2) upper bolts holding the recline mechanism in place. Since my seat has the lower tilt/slide lever, I just used it to tilt my seat forward (so I didn't think to take a photo of this step). For those without the lever, you will need to use some pliers to pull the broken part of your lever to actuate the mechanism.
Next, you'll need to separate the long clip holding the front and rear of the seat cover together. This is just a long interlocking clip that is actually easier to get apart than to put together. You'll want to take a wider flat head screwdriver and insert it through the hole in the adjuster mechanism (which only works with the seat tilted forward), and stick it in between where the clips meet (the center of "Z").
Once you get the screwdriver in between the clips, twist it so that there is a gap wide enough to get your finger into. You may want to wear gloves for this part, as there may be some sharp spots from when the clip was manufactured that can cut you, but with your finger in the gap, wiggle it down an inch or so to make sure the clip is separated, and then slide your finger down towards the other side of the seat and the clips should separate relatively easily.
With the seat cover clip separated, you can now start gently rolling the seat cover up towards the top of the seat. You'll need to compress the foam a bit at the bolsters, but luckily you only need to roll it up far enough to get access to the two Torx bolts.
With the upper seat bolts out, you'll probably notice that the seat back still seems pretty securely mounted. The lower bolt hole has a lip on the back side that fits into a recess in the seat back frame, which you'll need to keep in mind during reassembly as you won't be able to reinstall the seat back if you tighten both of the lower seat bolts down snug. Next, remove the lower bolts and and then carefully unclip the rod from the (yellowed) white clip and the rod should easily come out.
Okay, so now that the mechanism is free, we can start the disassembly. Unfortunately, this is where I have some missing photos. I used an oscillating saw to cut the center of the front stud out, and then used a punch and hammer to knock the remaining parts of the stud out. This seemed like the easiest method, but a hacksaw or sawzall would likely have worked just as well.
Next are all the parts that I collected to install the strap.
- One (1) 4" reinforced loop strap (I had a 6" and it seemed like it would be fine as well, but the 8" seemed a bit too long)
- One (1) 1/4"x3/4" bolt
- One (1) 1/4" nut
- Three (3) 1/4" washers
Now for installing the strap. Make sure you install the bolt so that it will be on the inside of the mechanism, close to the seat frame. I failed to do this on my first attempt and found out that the nut was just a tad too thick and was hitting the seat frame. If your bolt head is too thick, you can shave it down for extra clearance easier than doing the same to the nut and/or cutting down the bolt length.
Also, it took me three washers to keep the spacing even, but it may take more or less depending upon the thickness of your washers (I failed to check the thickness, but they came with the straps). I put two washers on one side and one on the other, sandwiching the strap in between.
And that's the strap install. You can put the mechanism back on by doing the reverse of the removal steps.
And again, what it looks like when the trim is back on and the seat is reinstalled.
