Power seats offer unparalleled convenience, allowing drivers and passengers to adjust their seating position with the touch of a button. However, like any mechanical system, power seats can malfunction. A common issue arises when the motor responsible for moving the seat forward or backward fails, leaving you unable to adjust your seat. This can be particularly problematic when you need to remove the seat for repairs or access to other parts of your vehicle, as the mounting bolts are often inaccessible until the seat is moved. This is where understanding how to Manually Move Car Seat Winder Tool principles can be invaluable.
Many car owners find themselves in a predicament: the power seat is stuck, and the front and rear mounting screws are hidden. Shop manuals often dictate moving the seat fully forward or backward to access these screws, but what do you do when the power function is dead? Fortunately, there’s a solution that doesn’t involve cutting through metal or resorting to brute force. This guide provides a practical method to manually move your power seat, focusing on the use of a manually move car seat winder tool concept, enabling you to tackle this problem effectively.
For many vehicles, especially models similar to the “Series 2” such as a 2002 Outback, the seat’s fore and aft movement is driven by a motor typically located on the front corner, door-side of the seat. This motor, through a series of gears, turns a long screw. This screw is connected to a flexible shaft, similar in design to an old-fashioned speedometer cable, that extends across to the other side of the seat. This flexible shaft is crucial to understand when considering how to manually move car seat winder tool techniques.
The flexible shaft transmits the rotational motion from the motor side to the opposite side, ensuring both sides of the seat move in unison. It’s designed for relatively easy disconnection, usually featuring a knurled ring at the motor end. By loosening this ring, you can detach the inner cable from the gearbox, effectively isolating one side of the seat’s drive mechanism. This disconnection is the first step in utilizing a manual method, essentially creating a scenario where you can apply a manually move car seat winder tool to each side independently.
To manually move the seat, mimicking the function of a manually move car seat winder tool, you can employ a simple cordless drill. Here’s a step-by-step approach:
-
Locate the Flexible Shaft: Identify the motor on the side of the seat closest to the door. Find the flexible shaft housing and the knurled ring where it connects to the motor’s gearbox. You might need to gently pull back the lower front upholstery edge, often held by hog rings, for better access.
-
Disconnect the Flex Shaft: Loosen the knurled ring. Pliers might be needed initially, but it should then unscrew by hand. Once loosened, carefully pull the flexible cable, encased in its housing, out of the gearbox. There’s no need to remove the inner cable from its black housing.
-
Prepare Your Winder Tool (Cordless Drill): With the flex shaft disconnected on one side, the exposed end of the inner cable becomes your point of engagement for a manually move car seat winder tool. A cordless drill with adjustable torque settings is ideal.
-
Move the First Side: Attach the chuck of your cordless drill to the square end of the exposed flexible shaft. Set the drill to a slow speed and begin turning the shaft. You’ll notice the seat moving on the side where the cable is still connected and engaged with the seat track mechanism. Reverse the drill’s direction if the seat moves in the wrong direction. Move this side of the seat just an inch or two.
-
Switch Sides and Repeat: Now, detach the drill from the flexible shaft. Carefully re-insert the flexible shaft into the gearbox on the side you just moved, and disconnect it from the opposite side (the side that was originally still connected). Attach your drill to the newly exposed flex shaft end on the other side. Remember to reverse the drill direction as needed to move this side of the seat forward or backward, again moving it a similar inch or two.
-
Alternate and Adjust: Continue alternating between sides, moving each side incrementally. Avoid trying to move one side too much at once, as this can cause the seat mechanism to bind due to misalignment. Patience is key; moving the seat in small increments, side to side, will prevent strain and damage.
-
Access Mounting Bolts: By repeating this process, you can move the seat sufficiently forward to access the front mounting bolts, and then move it backward to reach the rear bolts.
Important Considerations:
- Gentle is Better: Be cautious when using the drill. Avoid excessive force or speed. Setting a low torque on your drill is advisable to prevent damage to the flexible shaft or the seat mechanism if binding occurs. The goal is controlled movement, not speed.
- Square Shaft End: The square end of the flex shaft is robust but avoid overly tightening the drill chuck, which could distort it.
- No Special Tools Needed (Initially): While a specialized manually move car seat winder tool could be fabricated for repeated use, a cordless drill and the existing flex shaft are sufficient for occasional manual adjustments.
- Plastic Trim: Once the seat is moved forward to access the rear bolts, remember to remove any plastic trim pieces covering them. These are usually held in place by plastic arrow-head fasteners which can be fragile.
Manually moving a power seat using this method, effectively employing the principles of a manually move car seat winder tool with a common cordless drill, is a practical solution when faced with a failed power seat motor. It allows you to access seat mounting bolts without resorting to destructive methods, making seat removal and further repairs possible. While it might take a little time and patience, this DIY approach can save you considerable hassle and expense.
