E320 W124 wagon, rear (2nd) seat is stuck - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

TomO · #1 10-10-2003, 05:45 PM

I can't fold forward the back of the passenger-side rear seat (second seat, not the third way-back seat.) The latch apparently doesn't release properly. The driver's side seat works fine. The PO had the same problem, and I spoke with his mechanic, who recalled he had to fiddle with it, but couldn't recall exactly what he did.

Any ideas? I searched but couldn't find anything.

d2bernhard · #2 10-10-2003, 07:52 PM

They should move by themselves, once the seat bottom has been lifted. Spray some stuff (WD40, TriFlow) on all of the joints and get it all lubed up, then fiddle until it comes lose. Try pushing the black spring metal lever up and down while you wiggle it. I used to have to do this to free mine until I lubed it and it worked all by itself (I thought I broke it at first by lubing it but now know it is supposed to work that way).

95300YDT-A · #3 10-11-2003, 05:41 AM

TomO this is what works for me.
Once the seat is lifted I push the retaining hook (of the seat) completly in and than pull my finger away so the hook "springs" back up. For the passengers side do this with your right hand pulling the back of the seat at the same time
with your left hand into the forward direction.
This works 9 times on the 10 for me.
There is a second latch for the back ( Lh and Rh) between the door seal and the latch of the door hook. It is a small black button you can push in to unlock the back. I have never seen one working and of course I tried to find out why. It's easy the pull back the door seal and lift up the uphostery.
Than you will see the most clumsy and cheapest part of the W 124 T.
I simply don't beleave it ever worked, not even when new.
So fiddling to it will not help. There is an interconnecting between de seat latch and the back latch with so mutch play it will NEVER work!
But let the seat latch jumping up happely disengage the back lock enough.
Good luck!
Danny

d2bernhard · #4 10-12-2003, 12:27 AM

au contraire. I know many people have trouble with these, but mine have worked perfectly for more than a year after I lubed them. I first used a penetrant spray -- TroFlow -- and then a few weeks later Lubro Moly Tacky Lube Spray.

adrianruk · #5 10-12-2003, 07:39 PM

TomO
I too had this problem. I traced it to a link which had become disconnected at the bottom of the seat back.
If you haven't fixed it yet post again & I will have a look at mine again & give you more detail.

Adrian

TomO · #6 10-16-2003, 01:03 PM

Thanks everyone. I finally got around to the seat last night. Everyone's comments helped. I couldn't figure out how to get triflow to the latch, so I went ahead and pulled off the door seal to lift the upholstery. I could only lift the upholstery a cm or so--barely enough to see, and not enough to understand. So I pulled the seal from the driver's side (the working seat). Again, prying up the upholstery with a big screwdriver and using a flashlight, and then moving the white latch that holds the seat bottom, I could see how it works. There is a little 1/4 inch diameter metal "button" that goes down about 1/4 inch (or less) when the lower seat is lifted (i.e., when the white latch is moved). A long wire more-or-less connects the two parts. Going back to the stuck seat, I peered in and could see that the little metal button was not moving. So I used a long skinny screwdriver to manually push it down, while simultaneously pulling forward on the seat back. Voila! It took several tries, because every time I let go of the big (prying) screwdriver and flashlight with my right hand so I could grab the seat back, the skinny screwdriver would slip off the metal button. Hint: have a helper move the seat when you are ready.

Once free, I could get at the latch mechanism. It was extremely hard to move, so I generously applied Triflow, especially to the two pivot points that I could now see, and rocked the latch back and forth.

Lesson 1, for anyone with a 124 wagon: lower your seatback periodically and apply lube to the latch that is otherwise inaccessible (I plan to use some lithium grease, too). Or maybe the factory forgot to lube mine.

Lesson 2: warning. I tried Danny's method first, and unfortunately succeeded in dislodging the (RubeGoldberg/MickeyMouse) connecting wire from the lower (white) latch. I tediously reconnected it using needle-nosed pliers, long skinny screwdriver, and a flashlight--and bifocals, and experienced a minor miracle as the wire slipped back into place.

Question: It seems the black tab that holds the seat belt just below the frozen seat latch might also hide a bolt that holds the upholstery to the chassis. If so, and if that could be moved, it would greatly improve access to the latch mechanism. Any ideas?

d2bernhard · #7 10-17-2003, 12:47 AM

Congrats! I am compelled to make one last pitch for Lubro Moly Tacky Lube Spray. It is amazing stuff. I asked my indymechie about Lubro Moly products in general and he said "dunno, ever use this?" (Whipping out a can of the stuff.) He praised it highly, has used it over 15 years. Fixes crappy and worn latches nothing else can. Best price I have found is etyparts.com.

And fianally, yes, lube lube lube, twice per year.

3star · #8 12-12-2003, 08:36 PM

My W210 wagon has the same problem....2nd row passenger seat latch stuck and seat won't fold down.

I don't think that the mechanism has ever been lubricated...previous owner leased the vehicle.

Is the repair process the same as the W124?

3star

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