1986 Mercedes 300 SDL 280,000 plus (seat reclined and will not go up)
 

Good morning all,

Someone reclined the passenger front seat and now it will not go back up. I changed the switch and it still won't respond. Are there any helpful suggestions about what to check next?

All recommendations are appreciated.

Thanks

Ron

Other seat functions still work fine? Sure it's not the switch? They are infamous for being flaky.

-- Open the driver door and see if the switch operates.

Thank you both for your replies. I checked the other functions for the seat and they are working. I also opened the driver's door and tried to make the seat upright. There was still no luck with the recline function of the passenger seat.

Ok more thoughts:
Check seat switch for corrosion (they come apart)
Fuse for seat there (can) be several 15, A and B

Thank you for your advice and suggestions.

I did purchase a replacement set of switches. So I know the switch is good. I also checked the fuses, and they're good. I looked really well and only had #15. I didn't see #15A.

Does anyone else have any suggestions? Are the motors interchangeable between both side? WIll contact clearer help?

Can anyoe else help with this topic?

Good evening everyone

Can anyone help with my seat issue? Is there something I can do to help?

Thanks

Ron

It is not going to be an easy fix. How handy are you? You may have to remove the seat to get to the motor/wiring. These are some tests I would do.

1) Can you move the seat for/backwards? If you can then all electric/fuse is good.
2) Can you hear the motor runs/clicks when you activate the recline switch in up/down direction? Yes - then electric is good. It is mechanical problem.
3) Can you move the back further down? If you can then the power is good to the motor but only in one direction. The switch reverse the polarity.
4) It is possible the gear is off the track. The back is driven by cables to both sides of the back seat using one single motor.

All the motors on at the seat bottom. You can locate the recline motor and jam 12v to the wires, reverse polarity to drive in other direction. It is going to be a hard nut to crack. Good luck.

Thank you so much for your reply.

1. There is power to move the seat forward and backwards. The head rest also moves up and down. And the seat moves up and down.

2. The seat is almost fully reclined, and I will check to see if I hear the motor running when attempting ti recline or raise it up.

3. I have pulled the interior out of several of my cars and feel comfortable doing it.

I will report back after some inspection.

Thanks again

Ron

I checked things out and here are my findings:

1. As previously mentioned, there is movement forward and reverse.
2. The headrest moves up an down.
3. When I attempt to pu the seat back down further, I hear a click.
4. When I attempt to make the seatback more upright, nothing happens.

I will look deeper into the wiring and the reverse polarity you mentioned.

Thanks

Ron

Dead spot in motor? Grab seat back while depressing switch and rock it forward.

I will definitely try that. Thank you for your response.