Another seat issue, '94 850. I am not sure if it is the cable or the motor that drives the seat back? It has gotten progressively worse over the last 2 or 3 years, and now does not lift at all. I hit the switch, and the motor cranks for maybe 1/2 second, then stops. I can hit it umpteen times, and it does not lift the seat back. All other motors work fine.

I figured I would check before I pulled apart the seats to see if the cable was the culprit. Any ideas?

I believe Tech has written something on this - with step by step guides on how to reach the inner parts of the seat.

If you could look into past threads or messages, you will find it.
:)

Yes, TECH has...but I am trying to avoid pulling apart the seat if the problem is the motor, not the cable. My motor cranks for about 1/2 second, then stops. It can be hit endlessly, but then stops.

I am checking out a '93 set of seat rails and motors for replacement. I guess if I get no more suggestions, I'll probably pull the seat apart anyway...may even find some money! :grin:

If the motor is really bad, it may/should not even crank at all. How sure are you it is the motor at fault. (I think the motor should last quite a long time under normal use.)

:)

Anyway, hope you make it out.

Thanks for your post. I am not sure if the motor is bad, only that it cranks for a 1/2 second, then stops...Do you think that it is stopping since the cable is jammed?

Could very well be.
It won't take you all that long to pull it apart to check it.

Unfortunately, YES, it could. :blush:

Especially if the cables' free-line is already limited.

Tell us how it goes. :) Good Luck!

Well, popped everything off, greased and re-installed the cable. I did reverse the ends, as one was a bit worn. It works great, and cost me $0. But, we'll see how long the fix works. Used zip ties instead of hog clips.

Thanks for your support!

Another tip.With a mini torch heat the end of the cable and slide the plastic into the metal some.

I have the same problem - like rmtworks said, click the button and you can hear the motor run for 1/2 second only, then nothing. I'll take it apart later today and try the cable-refit remedy, then report back.

Reporting back.
I had the rmtworks problem: click the button and you can hear the motor run for 1/2 second only, then nothing. No actual movement of the seatback.

I followed the Bay13 directions
http://www.volvospeed.com/Repair/seatcable1.php
to take apart the seatback and remove the old cable. Being a cheap sonofagun, rather than buy a new cable I figured to rehab the existing one. I used a heatgun to pry off the metal end from the cable housing. The housing itself is just a hard plastic, it just about turned to goo (a little too close with that gun). I trimmed off mebbe 1/4", a little more, then reamed out the metal end, replaced it, and then re-pinched it onto the cable housing.

I put it all back the way it came, and when I tried the seat back adjustment and it did nearly the same thing. This time, the seatback moved, just a skosh, but again it stopped after 1/2 second. Repeated activation of the switch made it move another tick.
Someone suggested that the potentiometer might be reading a seat position which is "all the way up" and in order to reset it, ya might have to "bump it" this way, repeatedly hitting the switch, until it resets itself.

Just figuring, I pulled the cable off the gearbox again, and ran the seat adjustment "down". The cable end was free and spinning. The seat didn't move of course, but if it was a pot in the motor, then maybe this would reset it. When I put the cable back into the gearbox, everything worked just fine. All the way up, all the way down.

Tied 'er back up with zip-ties. Everything works. Very satisfying. Took about an hour.

My theory: the plastic cable housing expands in the heat of the summer. It then causes the cable to, in effect, retract into the housing, and lose contact with the receiver in the gearbox. Trimming off the plastic lets the cable extend further out.

Question is, what will happen in the winter, when the temp drops to 0F? We shall see.

You also could have just heated it slightly and pushed the housing in further without trimming it.

Good job!
:)

And thanks for sharing!