Hi folks.. New to this forum, just bought an '83 300SD with 123K miles on it. I have a problem with the driver side seat in that it's stuck in the rearward position where I can not get to the track bolts.

There is motor noise when I activate the switch, but no forward/back or up/down movement, the only thing that works is the seat back tilt.

After searching through all of the threads here I'm assuming that it's a flex cable problem.

So.. anyone have any suggestions on how I can access those bolts to pull the seat to work on it. ?

Also, are they any power relays involved in the actuation of the motors ? I also hear what might be described as "relay chatter" when the seat switch is engaged.

I'm a flat out newbie with MB's... but not a rookie when it comes to putting wrench to cars.

Any other sage wisdom about these cars would also be greatly appreciated, as not only do I have mine to care & feed for... I also have the one that belongs to my lady friend (that after driving it a few times, got me wanting one for my own) to take care of too.

Best regards,

Conrad

conrad,I have had this problem. It was on the first SD I owned.What I had to do was use a long screwdriver to wedge between the bolt head and the track.using this to hold the bolt while turning the nut under the track.Not easy,and a helper comes in handy.Congrats on your sd,the most solid and reliable auto ever built.This web site will bring you much knowledge about your sd,and maybe some other ideas on your seat problem.Good luck.

just took the front seat out of my 86 SE today to fix a couple of broken springs, pretty much the same set up as on my SD. Even with the seat in full foward position the back two bolts holding the seat frame to the floor are hard to get at,I used a 3/8 drive 12 point 10 mm socket with a long extension and a universal connecting the socket to the extension.I think that you will have to work from the side with some type of flexible extension and hope the bolts are not too tight...........
William Rogers.........

I had this same problem on my 82 SD. I'm not sure its the route you want to go but I took a 2x4 and rapped it with vinyl held it against the lower seat frame while smacking it with a rubber mallet. It worked for me!!

__________________
Brandon



2008 S550
1957 Dodge D100
1967 VW Microbus 21 Window
2001 Suburban
2004 Beach cruiser bicycle
-----------------GO DUKE!-----------------

"It cannot be emphasized too strongly or too often that this great nation was founded not by religionists, but by Christians; not on religion, but on the Gospel of Jesus Christ. For that reason alone, people of other faiths have been afforded freedom of worship here." Patrick Henry 1776

Here is a temporary method I found for getting the seat to move forward. As you may know, the seat motors transfer their energy to the gears to move the seat by way of cables similar to speedometer cables. Over time the factory-sqared ends of the cables become round and effective (spin free). If the seat is all the way back, move the fabric out of the way in front of the seat so that you gain access to the cables (three of them). Determine which cable moves the seat back and forth by running the back/forth motor switch and feeling the cables (you can determine which cable and motor is the back/forth cable by the vibration in the cable). As your helper holds the seat button in the move forward direction, wiggle the cable back and forth. By doing this there is a good possibility that the cable will catch momentarily at its ends and the seat will move forward. Repeat this until the seat is in the desired position. Obviously this is not for every circumstance...but it might help you.

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Jim Sehl
'80 350SL
'80 300TD
'84 190D
'86 300E
'92 600SEL
'94 S420

I agree with jfsehl, that is the method I used when the seat in my 83 SD would not move forward or back. once you do get it moved to a position that allows you to work you can remove the attachment hardware and tilt the whole seat back in the car, no need to take it out. The power seat drive cables were too short in some of the earlier cars, Mercedes updated the length of the drive cables by a few millimeters to cure the problem, I replaced mine and have not had any problems since.

If you dont want to buy new cables, take the end off of the cable, cut approx. 1/4 inch off of the outer jacket, place end back on cable and recrimp. End of cable problem and the price was right !

Bob H.

Thanks all for your feedback on my stuck driver seat problem. I haven't started any work on the seat yet, I have another problem that I want to address first.

I've discovered that the driver side door handle lock has been broken by someone trying to do a forced entry with a screw driver.

I have a new door handle & lock I just brought from the MB dealership parts dept (105 bucks). Now the excitement begins with learning how to remove the door panel to gain access to the forward screw holding the old handle in place.

Oh what fun...