Seat Track Removal
Ok. I give up. I'm repairing the seats on my '81 300TD. I've got the seats out and want to remove the tracks.
I've read all the threads on seat repair. I've looked at my service manual (nothing). Everyone says "just remove the 4 phillips screws and the tracks come off". Well, I've removed 6 screws now and it's still firmly attached. I see there are screws in the middle of the track that I can't get to. There are also screws that would require a side screwdriver. I haven't tackled those yet. I'm stumped. I just can't figure this out. |
You must slide the track so the holes line up over the screws. plenty of folks get stumped by that one ;);)
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Hmm. I'll have to take some pics I think. It appears to me that they are completely hidden.
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OK. Here is a pic of my seat.
The bolt I'm pointing to is coming from the bottom, connecting the bare metal portion to the black portion. If I reach my hand into the springs, I can feel the top of the threads. How do I access that bolt? I see no way to get to it. I've moved the seat backward, forward, every which way. It won't move far enough to reach that. http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c2...0470edited.jpg |
There is an access hole that you have to line up, it will go through the lower track.
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Well. I'm still stumped. From what I can tell, there is no hole to line up. I moved the track back and forth and there is NO opening at all.
The other thing I don't understand is that everyone says there are 4 bolts. Well I removed the 4 easy bolts. 2 at the back and 2 at the front. But there is still this middle bolt. What are these 4 bolts? |
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You'll probably need to remove the lower half of the track first. Then you'll find the holes in the black stamped steel piece that the other posters are referring to. You'll need to get a #3 Phillips screwdriver and extend it though the hole in the black stamped steel piece and snag the head of the screw that holds the track to the seat frame. There are three of these screws on each side. |
I got it all apart finally. I never could get any holes to line up. I just used a side screwdriver and got the screw out of the track assembly. Once that was off, I was able to get the rest of it off.
Thanks for all the help. |
Time to clean
Now you have all the tracks seperated, right?
Now flood each with WD40 or soak in a cleaning solution. Make each track slide (I began with large rods in the holes and leverage to first get them loose) and shake to remove all the loose change. The coins were the problem in mine and it took a lot of soaking, moving, and shaking to get them all out. Dimes are just the right size to fall through the 123 access holes and wedge the slider so it cannot move. Once the track slides freely, you should be able to spot the access holes for reassembly. Free sliding tracks allow you to get to every fastener with a straight screwdriver. |
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Suprisingly the seat was in really good shape. The horsehair pad looked good. The foam wasn't deteriorated at all. Not one spring was broken. It's a bit mushy for my liking so I put some pool noodles in there. This is the passenger seat and I'm expecting the driver's side to be in much worse shape. |
Mine looked rusty, but it all came off. I don't know what alloy MB used for tracks but it seems to be very rust resistant. I think old, dirty, dried out cola might look a lot like rust.
I think the key to avoid the problem in the future is to routinely exercise the tracks - especially the height adjuster track. And pick up all loose change! |
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Sorry, no loose change. |
Answer
The W123 seat track must be partially disassembled to access the (seat base) "center" track frame mounting screws.
I do not have time at the moment to take pictures and/or write a DIY. FYI: There are two early and two late model seat track designs. . |
heh, this thread reminds me of one time a customer of mine was getting bolts out of a seat base... he's working in my yard, while I'm working on several other things, and after an hour of fiddling with the seat and trying really hard to get the FRONT BOLT OUT OF THE BASE OF THE SEAT... he asks me how to get to it.
I look at it, giggle, and grab the seat adjuster handle and slide the seat back an inch... bolt fully exposed now... and walk away. I think he's still cursing me. |
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