Seat Track Overhaul
- Thread starter M Darrah
- Start date
LSC HUNTER
New member
If the rivet spins could you not use say a cut off wheel or Dremel with a carbide bit, cut one end off and then punch out the remaining piece of the rivet with a hammer and drift?
Just a thought as I have never gone into a seat track in any way. There are other ways to skin this cat!!
Just a thought as I have never gone into a seat track in any way. There are other ways to skin this cat!!
I apologize for the long delays. Personal matters are taking most of my time.
I had another go at the rivets in the gearbox. Let's just say it makes all the difference when you hold it in a vice. Problem is that there isn't a good place on the casing where you can get a grip on it because it has so many bumps and angles. There isn't a single flat surface on it. And since it's plastic and somewhat fragile, I couldn't crank it down for fear of cracking it. So I got it as tight as I dared and then supported it with one hand while drilling with the other.
I put a drop of 3-in-1 oil on the rivets to keep them from heating up and melting the plastic. I also kept the speed pretty low. Keep in mind they're steel not aluminum and they're of the "semi-tubular" type. So they're solid most of the way through and pretty tough. The key to minimizing spinning is to keep changing the angle of the drill bit. A couple of times it was necessary to jam a screwdriver on the other end of the rivet though. A variable speed Dremel with a carbide cutter at 500 RPM helped too but isn't absolutely necessary. Cutting the heads off isn't an option because some of them are recessed in little depressions or surrounded by raised ribs and stuff. Basically I just went slow and didn't get aggressive. It only took about 20 minutes to drill all 12 rivets out, and although the surface around the head got a little gouged up, the bores are clean.
Once the drill breaks through the head, it'll usually leave a ring that's partially attached. I'd pull that off with some needle nose pliers.
The Big Reveal
Now for the good news. Although the gearbox casings are unique to each side, the internal gears are identical for passenger and drivers side. That means you can crack open a spare passenger seat gearbox, which will almost always be in better shape, and swap the gears into the drivers side gearbox (or vice versa). It may or may not be worth the trouble for your situation, but it's nice to know it's an option. So don't throw away those bad seat tracks until you take out the gearboxes!
Here's a shot of the gearbox after opening. I haven't touched anything at this point, so it's a good reference for the amount of lube they used. This is from a passenger side gearbox. The middle worm is for the forward-backward motion and is usually the one to wear out first. I pasted a pic of the drivers side to show that they're identical. Also note that all three input shafts are identical. I didn't check to see if the two outboard gears are the same. It didn't dawn on me until I looked at the picture. I'll check that out tomorrow.
Unfortunately the middle gear that outputs to the forward-backward pinion can't be removed. It looks to be pressed together with the gearbox shell sandwiched between it. I think it's mostly the worms that wear so it may not be an issue. I doubt if it's possible to use a puller but who knows. It looks like it was pressed together with a 50 ton press!
Seat track ready for the seat back. What a PITA that was to reinstall. Much easier to take apart!
Unfortunately, once I got the seat reinstalled in the car, nothing worked! A couple of the motors would work for a split second and then quit. Some would only go one direction and not the other, while one would just click. Bear in mind I tested it before installing the seat back a couple of weeks ago and everything worked great! I was about to set fire to the car, but some more checking revealed that the battery was dead flat. UGGGGGHHHHH! I've started the car a few times here and there, but I guess all the wiper motor and seat track testing, along with doors ajar took their toll. I've got it on a trickle charger, will try it again in the AM.
I will try to get the full walkthrough written and posted but right now I'm not happy with some of the pics. I still have the passenger side to disassemble so I'll probably use that.
I had another go at the rivets in the gearbox. Let's just say it makes all the difference when you hold it in a vice. Problem is that there isn't a good place on the casing where you can get a grip on it because it has so many bumps and angles. There isn't a single flat surface on it. And since it's plastic and somewhat fragile, I couldn't crank it down for fear of cracking it. So I got it as tight as I dared and then supported it with one hand while drilling with the other.
I put a drop of 3-in-1 oil on the rivets to keep them from heating up and melting the plastic. I also kept the speed pretty low. Keep in mind they're steel not aluminum and they're of the "semi-tubular" type. So they're solid most of the way through and pretty tough. The key to minimizing spinning is to keep changing the angle of the drill bit. A couple of times it was necessary to jam a screwdriver on the other end of the rivet though. A variable speed Dremel with a carbide cutter at 500 RPM helped too but isn't absolutely necessary. Cutting the heads off isn't an option because some of them are recessed in little depressions or surrounded by raised ribs and stuff. Basically I just went slow and didn't get aggressive. It only took about 20 minutes to drill all 12 rivets out, and although the surface around the head got a little gouged up, the bores are clean.
Once the drill breaks through the head, it'll usually leave a ring that's partially attached. I'd pull that off with some needle nose pliers.
The Big Reveal
Now for the good news. Although the gearbox casings are unique to each side, the internal gears are identical for passenger and drivers side. That means you can crack open a spare passenger seat gearbox, which will almost always be in better shape, and swap the gears into the drivers side gearbox (or vice versa). It may or may not be worth the trouble for your situation, but it's nice to know it's an option. So don't throw away those bad seat tracks until you take out the gearboxes!
Here's a shot of the gearbox after opening. I haven't touched anything at this point, so it's a good reference for the amount of lube they used. This is from a passenger side gearbox. The middle worm is for the forward-backward motion and is usually the one to wear out first. I pasted a pic of the drivers side to show that they're identical. Also note that all three input shafts are identical. I didn't check to see if the two outboard gears are the same. It didn't dawn on me until I looked at the picture. I'll check that out tomorrow.
Unfortunately the middle gear that outputs to the forward-backward pinion can't be removed. It looks to be pressed together with the gearbox shell sandwiched between it. I think it's mostly the worms that wear so it may not be an issue. I doubt if it's possible to use a puller but who knows. It looks like it was pressed together with a 50 ton press!
Seat track ready for the seat back. What a PITA that was to reinstall. Much easier to take apart!
Unfortunately, once I got the seat reinstalled in the car, nothing worked! A couple of the motors would work for a split second and then quit. Some would only go one direction and not the other, while one would just click. Bear in mind I tested it before installing the seat back a couple of weeks ago and everything worked great! I was about to set fire to the car, but some more checking revealed that the battery was dead flat. UGGGGGHHHHH! I've started the car a few times here and there, but I guess all the wiper motor and seat track testing, along with doors ajar took their toll. I've got it on a trickle charger, will try it again in the AM.
I will try to get the full walkthrough written and posted but right now I'm not happy with some of the pics. I still have the passenger side to disassemble so I'll probably use that.
Last edited:
SCTBIRD1173
Mark my Bird!
Thanks so much for the write-up Mark!