Parts Catalog Accessories Catalog How To Articles Tech Forums
Call Pelican Parts at 888-280-7799
Shopping Cart Cart | Project List | Order Status | Help



Go Back   PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum > Mercedes-Benz Tech Information and Support > Diesel Discussion

Reply
 
LinkBack Thread Tools Display Modes
  #1  
Old 10-24-2008, 02:34 PM
Registered User
 
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Austin, TX
Posts: 61
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.

__________________
1981 300TD
1986 300SDL
Reply With Quote
  #2  
Old 10-24-2008, 02:41 PM
Stevo's Avatar
Registered User
 
Join Date: Apr 2002
Location: NW WA
Posts: 6,299
You must slide the track so the holes line up over the screws. plenty of folks get stumped by that one
__________________


1985 Euro 240D 5 spd 140K
1979 240D 5 spd, 40K on engine rebuild
1994 Dodge/Cummins, 5 spd, 121K
1964 Allice Chalmers D15 tractor
2014 Kubota L3800 tractor
1964 VW bug

"Lifes too short to drive a boring car"
Reply With Quote
  #3  
Old 10-24-2008, 02:42 PM
Registered User
 
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Austin, TX
Posts: 61
Hmm. I'll have to take some pics I think. It appears to me that they are completely hidden.
__________________
1981 300TD
1986 300SDL
Reply With Quote
  #4  
Old 10-24-2008, 03:50 PM
Registered User
 
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Austin, TX
Posts: 61
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.

Attached Thumbnails
Seat Track Removal-img_0470edited.jpg  
__________________
1981 300TD
1986 300SDL

Last edited by whunter; 04-06-2011 at 08:37 AM. Reason: attached picture
Reply With Quote
  #5  
Old 10-24-2008, 04:01 PM
Registered User
 
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: kannapolis NC
Posts: 9
There is an access hole that you have to line up, it will go through the lower track.
Reply With Quote
  #6  
Old 10-24-2008, 04:30 PM
Stevo's Avatar
Registered User
 
Join Date: Apr 2002
Location: NW WA
Posts: 6,299
Quote:
Originally Posted by ljwdale3 View Post
There is an access hole that you have to line up, it will go through the lower track.
Either that or its a bolt that doesn't have to come out. Its been a while but you CAN get to all the bolts you need to.
__________________


1985 Euro 240D 5 spd 140K
1979 240D 5 spd, 40K on engine rebuild
1994 Dodge/Cummins, 5 spd, 121K
1964 Allice Chalmers D15 tractor
2014 Kubota L3800 tractor
1964 VW bug

"Lifes too short to drive a boring car"
Reply With Quote
  #7  
Old 10-24-2008, 04:37 PM
Registered User
 
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Austin, TX
Posts: 61
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?
__________________
1981 300TD
1986 300SDL
Reply With Quote
  #8  
Old 10-24-2008, 05:28 PM
Banned
 
Join Date: May 2002
Location: Blue Point, NY
Posts: 25,396
Quote:
Originally Posted by Togorashi View Post
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?
It's been awhile since I did the seats on the SDL's and they are slightly different than the W-123, but, if you look at your photo, you'll see the lower half of the track is secured to the upper half of the track in some fashion. The black stamped steel piece is between these two halves.

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.
Reply With Quote
  #9  
Old 10-24-2008, 06:48 PM
Registered User
 
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Austin, TX
Posts: 61
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.
__________________
1981 300TD
1986 300SDL
Reply With Quote
  #10  
Old 10-24-2008, 08:46 PM
Registered User
 
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: DFW area (north side)
Posts: 1,288
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.
__________________
Charles
1983 300D, bought new, 215k+ miles, donated to Purple Hearts veterans charity but I have parts for sale: http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/showthread.php?t=296386
Reply With Quote
  #11  
Old 10-24-2008, 08:53 PM
Registered User
 
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Austin, TX
Posts: 61
Quote:
Originally Posted by Cr from Texas View Post
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.
Yeah. I started soaking it in Kroil as soon as I got it out. There is a lot of corrosion and rust on mine. That might be the reason I had so much trouble getting to the screws. I started doing some rust treatments today. I'll probably finish that tomorrow and repaint on Sunday.

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.
__________________
1981 300TD
1986 300SDL
Reply With Quote
  #12  
Old 10-24-2008, 09:23 PM
Registered User
 
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: DFW area (north side)
Posts: 1,288
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!
__________________
Charles
1983 300D, bought new, 215k+ miles, donated to Purple Hearts veterans charity but I have parts for sale: http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/showthread.php?t=296386
Reply With Quote
  #13  
Old 10-24-2008, 09:24 PM
Registered User
 
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Austin, TX
Posts: 61
Quote:
Originally Posted by Cr from Texas View Post
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!
It's definitively rust. You can look at the pick and see it.

Sorry, no loose change.
__________________
1981 300TD
1986 300SDL
Reply With Quote
  #14  
Old 04-06-2011, 08:53 AM
whunter's Avatar
Moderator
 
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: Metro Detroit, Michigan
Posts: 17,390
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.



.
__________________
ASE Master Mechanic
asemastermechanic@juno.com

Prototype R&D/testing:
Thermal & Aerodynamic System Engineering (TASE) Senior vehicle instrumentation technician.
Noise Vibration and Harshness (NVH).
Dynamometer.
Heat exchanger durability.
HV-A/C Climate Control.
Vehicle build.
Fleet Durability
Technical Quality Auditor.
Automotive Technical Writer

1985 300SD
1983 300D
1984 190D
2003 Volvo V70
2002 Honda Civic

https://www.boldegoist.com/
Reply With Quote
  #15  
Old 04-06-2011, 09:04 AM
vstech's Avatar
DD MOD, HVAC,MCP,Mac,GMAC
 
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Mount Holly, NC
Posts: 26,832
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.

__________________
John HAUL AWAY, OR CRUSHED CARS!!! HELP ME keep the cars out of the crusher! A/C Thread
"as I ride with my a/c on... I have fond memories of sweaty oily saturdays and spewing R12 into the air. THANKS for all you do!

My drivers:
1987 190D 2.5Turbo
1987 190D 2.5Turbo
1987 190D 2.5-5SPEED!!!

1987 300TD
1987 300TD
1994GMC 2500 6.5Turbo truck... I had to put the ladder somewhere!
Reply With Quote
Reply

Bookmarks

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is On
Trackbacks are On
Pingbacks are On
Refbacks are On




All times are GMT -4. The time now is 02:11 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.7
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
Search Engine Optimization by vBSEO 3.6.0
Copyright 2018 Pelican Parts, LLC - Posts may be archived for display on the Peach Parts or Pelican Parts Website -    DMCA Registered Agent Contact Page