Power seat failure - DIY repair
07-22-2006, 08:32 PM
#1
Rennlist Member
Thread Starter
Power seat failure - DIY repair
Rarely do I use the fore/aft control on the seat, but when activated, it was not make the smooth whirr of a well working mechanism ..... eventually, it died .... . I removed the flexible drive cables from their sheaths attached to the front motor: one was damaged as the center cable in the image below ( robbed from a Pelican Parts DIY):. The second started to unravel as I ...er ... tried to move the seat 
.
As they are a 928 part, a fellow Rennlister is stripping the assembly from an old seat for me ... but in the meantime, a repair was successfully attempted ( normal repair being cable & sheath replacement).
A dremel cut-off wheel trimmed the unraveled spring steel strands back ~20mm. I them built up the remaining core with silver solder, and used a flat file & vise to reshape the drive tips to the 4mm square required. With some trial fitting, the relubed cables were reassembled.
It works - smooth as new. If you decide to try this move of desperation, regular 50/50 or 95/5 solder will not work ... nor will brazing rod; however, silver solder will nicely flow into the cable core - and appears stronger than the original tip.
I will install the 928 assembly later, as they have an allan key driven gear on the motor output shaft to allow manual operation if the electrics die - but for the moment, smooth sailing ...
.As they are a 928 part, a fellow Rennlister is stripping the assembly from an old seat for me ... but in the meantime, a repair was successfully attempted ( normal repair being cable & sheath replacement).
A dremel cut-off wheel trimmed the unraveled spring steel strands back ~20mm. I them built up the remaining core with silver solder, and used a flat file & vise to reshape the drive tips to the 4mm square required. With some trial fitting, the relubed cables were reassembled.
It works - smooth as new. If you decide to try this move of desperation, regular 50/50 or 95/5 solder will not work ... nor will brazing rod; however, silver solder will nicely flow into the cable core - and appears stronger than the original tip.
I will install the 928 assembly later, as they have an allan key driven gear on the motor output shaft to allow manual operation if the electrics die - but for the moment, smooth sailing ...
07-23-2006, 12:06 PM
#2
Three Wheelin'
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Halifax, Nova Scotia , Canada
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Garth,
You have been busy ! This fix is definetely one for the memory box . Next time I have a seat out , a look at the drive cables looks like a good idea.
All the best
Geoff
You have been busy ! This fix is definetely one for the memory box . Next time I have a seat out , a look at the drive cables looks like a good idea.
All the best
Geoff
07-23-2006, 01:05 PM
#3
Instructor
Join Date: Sep 2005
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I recently had to replace my convertible top drive cables. Before paying $180 for 30 inches of cable I looked high and low trying to find a generic replacement. You would think that somebody would make some different lengths with the standard square end, but I couldn't find anything out there. I had one that had started to unravel on the end, and I didn't try the repair. Good going.
07-23-2006, 08:02 PM
#4
Rennlist Member
Thread Starter
Originally Posted by Red rooster
Garth,
You have been busy ! This fix is definetely one for the memory box . Next time I have a seat out , a look at the drive cables looks like a good idea.
All the best
Geoff
You have been busy ! This fix is definetely one for the memory box . Next time I have a seat out , a look at the drive cables looks like a good idea.
All the best
Geoff
"Necessity is the mother of .... whatever ..." It is such a pain to track down, order, and pay brokerage/GST/PST on small parts in this neck of the woods, that it is easier to roll your own ...
BTW, ready to bring the spare motor home - whenever it stops raining ...
Chet - the axiom is ' never toss anything': otherwise, how would one fill the garage? ..... it may be worth repairing that cable as a spare.
