Loose Driver Seat

[Lazzman]

I have a '98 Sport with the leather interior.

For some reason the drivers seat is loose and rocks back and forth about a half inch or so. I checked the bolts that mount it to the frame of the truck and they were very tight.

I then removed the seat from the truck hoping that I could find a loose bolt or fastener under the seat, no luck.

Has anybody found a fix for this problem? It seems to be just a loose nut internally, but it gets real aggrivating when coming to a stop or accelerating from a stop.

Thanks for any advice or suggestions....

 

[lunisic]

i have the same problem, I looked at all the bolts and everything is tight, I believe they develop slack where it mounts to the track, if you seat is power like mine thats what it seems to be....the fix, I dunno.

 

[Lazzman]

Yes, I have the power seat also and it does seem to have developed some slack in it as you say.

When I had the seat out of the truck I noticed that their were no bolts or anything to tighten externally underneath the seat. Something has worn away a little internaly to cause the added play.

To bad there couldn't be an easy fix for this besides dropping several hundred $$$ on a used seat.

Thanks

 

[falcaraz]

Check the bolts that go into the upper part of the seat. I had one come loose and cause alot of slack in the seat. You have to pull the cover up a bit to access them.

 

[Lazzman]

Will do.

Thanks

 

[vroomzoomboom]

check the seat frame itself. this happened to me. what had happened was some of the spot welds that hold the seat frame together broke, and the metal just started to twist around until they all broke. the bad new about checking this is that you have to pull the covers off the frame. frustrating, but not impossible.

 

[Lazzman]

The seat seems to be rocking from the bottom, as if the mounting bolts that mount the seat are loose, but they are tight.

I surmized that the problem is in the frame of the seat under the leather and foam, but how to get to it that is the problem.

Speaking of such you can put new covers on your leather seats from Katzkin, perfect fit and matches the leather perfectly, big problem is that they cost like $850 per seat. I could not believe the price :thumbdwn:

I watched them do a truck on powerblock TV, seemed easy enough but the price was crazy.

 

[gijoecam]

You need a new seat track... Mine did exactly the same thing, and was replaced at about a year old under warranty. It has since worn out again, and is moving (but well out of warranty now). I've just learned to live with it.

-Joe

 

[ThePhoenix]

come to think of it...mine does that too. I think its only the sport models

 

[Lazzman]

Oh Jeez, that sucks....

Going to have to live with it.

 

[dinoant]

Mine does that too, a 98 sport, but with cloth seats. I looked at the bottom of my seat, and it seems one of the bolts that keeps it on the track is out on one side, and thats why its leaning back im guessing. I'm going to try to fix this somehow this weekend, any pointers? It gets to the point to where when I lean back in it, it almost reclines, this can't be very safe.

 

[RaiderKC]

My X has the play to, no visible reason, i just got use to the seat jerkin

 

[JRock10]

I finally narrowed my issue down to the point where the seat bottom is attached to the power adjustment mechanism. On mine, it is on the outer part of the seat near the door. There is a rod that goes across the width of the seat, and the bottom is attached to this with a ring opening and then spot welded to the rod. The spot weld broke at this point and causes the seat to rock. You don't have to remove the cover or anything to find it, just bend way down and look up while you rock the seat. I've thought about a couple of solutions:

1. Re-weld it (dangers of burn damage to the seat)
2. Drill and tap the rod, then put in a Grade 8 bolt with a steel washer.
3. Drill a hole in the rod and put a cotter pin through the rod to retain the seat (probably would break the pin)
4. Place a hose clamp on the rod to hold everything together. (probably won't hold)

I'm going to try #4 first, then thinking #2 if that doesn't work.

 

[Cosmotime]

Loose Driver's Seat - 2009 Thread Resurructed

Sorry about this - know that this is a 2009 thread; however, the last poster had some options and they were going to try at least one them but they never posted their results.

Most people seemed to have this issue with Explorer Sports, but my Eddie Bauer 2000 has power seats and has the same issue of the seat rocking a inch or two when you stop. Has anybody come up with a solution other than replacing the seat? Thanks.

 

[koda2000]

The seat seems to be rocking from the bottom, as if the mounting bolts that mount the seat are loose, but they are tight.

I surmized that the problem is in the frame of the seat under the leather and foam, but how to get to it that is the problem.

Speaking of such you can put new covers on your leather seats from Katzkin, perfect fit and matches the leather perfectly, big problem is that they cost like $850 per seat. I could not believe the price :thumbdwn:

I watched them do a truck on powerblock TV, seemed easy enough but the price was crazy.

you can get new leather from The Seat Shop for less. I replaced my driver's seat bottom for $195. perfect match once you clean your old leather.

regarding the loose seat problem, i assume you're checking the 4 bolts that hold the seat bottom to the frame too, right? i don't recall the leather being in the way of these bolts, but if it is, the leather can be easily unhooked from the seat frame. it's held down with 4 plastic pieices that clip over the edge of seat frame.

 

[Cranmaro99]

Check the bolts that go into the upper part of the seat. I had one come loose and cause alot of slack in the seat. You have to pull the cover up a bit to access them.

This was the cause of my rocking seat, as well.

 

[Beargap]

Sorry about this - know that this is a 2009 thread; however, the last poster had some options and they were going to try at least one them but they never posted their results.

Most people seemed to have this issue with Explorer Sports, but my Eddie Bauer 2000 has power seats and has the same issue of the seat rocking a inch or two when you stop. Has anybody come up with a solution other than replacing the seat? Thanks.

On my '97 the shafts that attach the power seat motor to the frame are just pressed in and had begun to rotate giving that rocking motion and looseness to the seat. I pulled the seat after adjusting it so that it was basically level and then welded the end of the shaft to the frame in front and back. You need to protect the fabric, of course, but I didn't have to remove much of the seat to get at these, just the plastic cover, as I recall. That cured the problem and the seats were rock steady afterwards.