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Seat Back Release fix - complete instructions inside!
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Posted by jsj42 [Email] (more from jsj42) on Tue, 15 Feb 2005 08:02:29 Share Post by Email
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Hello all,

I've struggled for a few years now getting into the back seat of my '97 Coupe as the seat back release levers continued to get worse and worse. Last month one of them finally failed altogether so I decided to do something about it.

My dealer and independent Saab Mechanic both quoted me upwards of $250 per seat to fix the problem. Yeah right.

My searches of the board were fairly inconclusive (most said things like "the cables stretch" or "squirt some WD-40 down in there"), until, after extensive searching, I came across a post, that had detailed instructions about how to fix the seat back release levers. I printed it out and found that, *in general* it worked quite well. Today I logged on to thank that person, but have been unable to find the original post. I've decided to post my own version of the process, including some of the tweaks of the original process, for the benefit of anyone who has this same frustrating problem. My thanks go out to that original poster, whoever you are: your instructions were excellent.

I am not a member of saabnet.com, so I'm not sure if this post will disappear because of that. Perhaps the first member who reads this could cut and paste it so it is archived for awhile? Here we go:

Overview:
Basically, if your seat release levers are worsening over time (as opposed to sudden stopping), the problem is that the cables that go from the levers on the side of the seat to the catch hooks at the base of the seat, are stretching out.* These cables are similiar to derailleur cable on a bicycle - thin woven steel cable and plastic tubing. What you will do is fabricate a part that effectively removes the slack from the stretched out cables. This involves removing the seats from the vehicle, pealing the covers up, installing the part, and replacing everything. Allow a full afternoon. The project requires patience and dexterity (as there's not much room to work in the seats!).

*I believe the problem is also worsened by the decay of a plastic bushing that surrounds the peg which the catch hooks hook onto. If you look at the bottom, rear of your seats, you'll see these pegs, bushings, and catch hooks, and, as you wiggle the levers, you'll see the hooks trying to release from the pegs. The bushings on my car were breaking apart, and, ultimately, I just pulled all the excess plastic off that I could. I was concered about this, but after re-tensioning the cables, everything works perfectly.

Tools:
Torx wrenches (for removing the seats from the car).
Heavy duty side cutters.
Very small, long needle nose pliers (modeling pliers).
Very small, more-blunt needle nose pliers.
A moderately small flat-head screwdriver.
A medium flat-head screwdriver.
A large Channel-lock wrench.
A power drill w/ a small drill bit for metal.
A hacksaw.
Rubber mallet.

Supplies:
Some scrap aluminum (sturdy, but thin enough to saw through (0.5mm?): I used the triangular braces for some DIY wall shelves I found at Home Depot.
Approximately 24 tiny machine screws (about 3/4 inch long, 1mm diameter) and corresponding nuts.
A tube of Lock-tite.
A bunch of small wire-ties (zips)
Lots of patience.

STEP 1: Fabricate the cable-tensioners.
There will be 6 cable tensioners - each lever has two cables (one to each catch hook): 3 levers x 2 catch hooks = 6 cables. The cable tensioners will each consist of two small plates of aluminum that are bolted together like a sandwich with four machine screws. The four machine screws will all be in a row, and the cables will be tensioned by weaving the cable in and out of the screws through the "sandwich". (Imagine weaving a motorcycle in and out of four cones). Believe it or not, weaving the cable through these screws takes enough slack out of the system to get it working properly again. In fact, for several of my cables, I only used three of the four screws.

This is the most time-consuming step.

First, create 12 small strips of aluminum approximately 2" x 1/4" in length using the hacksaw.

Second, drill four holes side by side in each strip. Make sure the holes are as close together as possible but that there is enough spacing that you can fit the screws & nuts into them without interfering with the neighboring screws & nuts. Drill the strips in pairs, keeping them together - you want to make sure that the holes of each pair line up so you can screw them together into little sandwiches.

STEP 2: Remove the seats from your car.
There are four large torx bolts at each corner of the seat that attach the rails to the floor of the car. You may need a breaker bar of some type to loosen these - they're stubborn.

STEP 3: Peal back the seat covers.
First, to make your life easier, I recommend removing the seat back release lever handles. You'll see that the plastic handles are pushed onto a metal lever; you can pry them off with the screwdrivers. Use the small one to get started, then the larger one. Use a towel to prevent the screwdriver from marring up the bracket that surrounds the lever as you pry against it. The lever itself is on there pretty good so the screwdriver will probably dig into the plastic a little before it pops off, but it is minimal and completely hidden.

Second, clip the five retaining clips at the base of the seat back that hold the leather together using the heavy duty side clippers. Throw the metal clips away. Underneath there are two wire hooks that hold the seat onto the frame. Unhook these.

Third, begin pealing the seat cover back, turning it inside-out as you go, exposing the innards of the seat. Peal it up and over the exposed metal of the seat levers - take your time. I used some clamps to hold it back the way I wanted so I could free up my hands.

STEP 4: Expose the wires.

First, use the sidesnips to clip the little retaining clips that hold a thin, papery fabric backing to the wire backing of the seat, being careful not to rip the fabric too much. Dispose of the clips.

Second, unhook the springs on both sides of the seat that hold the wire backing of the seat to the frame of the seat. I used the large crescent wrench to squeeze the wire backing in to the frame to loosen the springs enough to unhook them. A screwdriver can also help to pry them free.

STEP 5: Attaching the cable tensioners.
This is the most tedious step.

First, examine how the whole thing works. You'll notice that the levers actuate a cable which passes through a black plastic bracket that attaches to the frame just below the levers. This part keeps the cables tensioned. The cables then feed into white plastic sleeves which run down to the catch hooks. You will be attaching your fabricated cable tensioners between the levers and the black plastic bracket... not much room to work, huh!

Second, unhook the black plastic bracket from the frame. This can be done with a medium flathead screwdriver which prys the piece's tabs from the frame. This is pretty easy once you find the right angle.

Third, free up enough slack in the cable so that you have room to work. Do this by manually pushing the catch hooks all the way open - this creates a little slack. You may need someone to help you hold them open, because even if they slide closed a little, they take up precious millimeters of slack. Also, make sure the metal release levers are all the way in the down position. You'll notice that if your seat covers are pulled all the way up over the levers, the seat covers might actually pull the levers upwards. You may have to pull the covers down slightly (which in turn covers up more of the seat, giving you less room to work (!) - but I assure you the extra slack in the cables is work it). You should be able to reach in now with a finger, hook the cable between the black plastic bracket and the point where it attaches to the levers (hidden from view) and pull it towards you slightly.

Fourth, attach the cable tensioners. This is the hard part. I recommend having only one screw and nut in place in the end position of the little "sandwich", with the nut only barely screwed onto the bolt. Slide it over a cable so that the cable is now sandwiched between the plates. Hold it with one hand, and take a free screw and slide it into the second hole, grab a nut, and screw it on. Now take some time to tighten both nuts down slightly (not all the way yet - the play is useful for working). Now it gets harder... you have to now force the cable and sandwich so that the cable is in position to "weave" in and out of the bolts. Once you have this done, insert a third bolt, screw it down. Chances are this will be enough tension taken out of the cable right here, but if the cable still seems exceptionally loose (you just have to get a feel for this), you can use the fourth bolt. Finally, screw all the nuts down as tightly as possible. This is very difficult to do, and I used both the micro needle nose pliers to turn each bolt a quarter turn at a time. Squirt some locktite on when you're done. Repeat this process with each cable (that needs tensioning).

STEP 6: Test it out.
First, REMEMBER to reattach the black mounting bracket into the frame! If you don't do this nothing will work. Now test the action of the lever and watch the catch hooks - if you've done it all right, the lever should be fairly easy to pull up, and the catch hooks should release fully.

STEP 7: Put it all back together.
First, reattach the springs from the frame to the wire seat back.

Second, attach the thin mesh fabric to the wire seat back using the small wire zip-ties.

Third, pull the seat covers back down and adjust into position. Clip the wire hooks back to the seat frame, then seal the botton with five zip-ties to replace the metal clips. Trim the excess really short, and rotate the head of the zip ties up against the back of the seat.

Fourth, reinstall the seats into the car. You may need to use the rubber mallet to tap the frame so that it lines up with the bolt holes in the floor. A second person can really help with this step as well.


Conclusion.

I really hope this works for you. It will probably take you a full afternoon and a lot of patience. It helps to have small hands and an extra person, as well as good lighting, and maybe a magnet to pick up the occasional fumbled tiny nut or screw.

Thanks again to the orginial poster - his description differed primarily in how he fabricated the cable tensioners. While his fabrication was more simple in design, I found that I was unable to install them reliably, so I devised my own method. But whoever he is, thanks for your help!

Josh

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