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850 Seat Back Cable Repair

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63K views 49 replies 23 participants last post by  john21wall  
#1 ·
This it how you repair the seat back cable. I will also explain how to replace the cable as well.

You will need to remove the Lumbar adjustment knob. Unscrew as far as you can. Then pull out and unscrew till it stops then one more time pull and unscrew. The washer part under the knob pulls right off. It will look like this.

Image

Then you will need to cut the 4 metal hogrings in the seam where the front and back of the leather meet.

Image


Image


Also you will have to remove the seat switch panel. When you do so on the back of the panel there should be a red plastic clip. Install that where I have shown in the picture. Failure to do so may cause the seat air bag to go off if that metal piece is hit while messing with the seat. If your clip is missing find something plastic fairly thick to install there.
Image


Sometimes it is easiest to get to them from the back seat area.
Next unfold the leather from the plastic pieces on the ends. There is little hooks that hold the leather.
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Next start sliding the leather up the seat back slowly and carefully. There is 4 more hog rings you will need to cut. In the picture they are located in the little holes you see where the metal rod is. They go around the metal rod in the leather and to the rod in the foam.
Image


Also while sliding the leather up you will have to unhook little hooks from the back side that help keep the leather tight around the rear pocket of the seat.

The white stuff in the middle is the heating element for the seat heaters.

Once you get the leather this high look from the back of the seat. You will see the motor and transmisson.
If you choose to try to repair the cable you will need to heat the metal in either the transmission or motor and slide the plastic parrt of the cable in. Then while holding it move the switch and make sure the cable grabs. Sometimes you will have to do both sides at the motor and transmission. I had to do both on both of my cars. I did this today thats where this post is coming from.
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Before repairing the cable.

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After repairing the cable.

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Before repair at transmission
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After repair.

If you want to replace the cable you will have to slide the big plastic piece off the inside to remove the screws holding the transmission to the seat. Also remove the clip on the rod to slide the transmission out to gain access to the screws to remove the cable. Remove the screws in the motor from the retainer to get the cable out and replace the cable.

Install everything in reverse order.

Hope this helps someone out there.
 
B
#30 ·
QUOTE (Tech @ Sep 10 2008, 06:03 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>The outer part of the cable stretches over time.
By heating and pushing it in more shortens the outer part allowing the inner part to slide back into the motor or transmisson side.

Hi, I understand the concept here but what did you use to heat the end caps? I dont see any burn marks on the seat in the pictures. What did you use to generate that much heat but not cook anything around it?
 
B
#35 ·
I just did mine. Instructions were accurate.

I ended up using a Bic lighter to heat the plastic part of the cable ends where it meets the metal ends rather than just the metal ends themselves. It's thermoplastic so it's really soft when hot and fairly rigid when cold so once a little heat is on it its easy to mash down and make shorter. Don't use too much heat directly on the plastic - it gets soft very quickly!

I also used zip strips to replace any cutoff metal clips and that seems OK.
 
S
#36 ·
QUOTE (Tech @ Sep 10 2008, 06:03 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>The outer part of the cable stretches over time.
By heating and pushing it in more shortens the outer part allowing the inner part to slide back into the motor or transmisson side.

I turned the heat very low on the torch and when the plasic inside the metal sleeve bubbled, then I pushed the cable in the sleeve. It went in a lot and the seat works. But......It now goes from semi-reclined to "lounge chair" and won't sit up right.

SO where are the travel stops I need to adjust now?
 
#38 ·
QUOTE (chax @ Mar 23 2010, 07:00 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>Tech: regarding avoiding accidental deployment of air bag: would disconnecting the battery prevent deployment? Thanks. chax
No the air bag is not connected to power. It is kind of set up like a bullet.

To sky if you tap the button one tap at a time you should be able to work it foward. Keep it going till you get it as far as you can then recline it all the way back and it should reset itself.
 
T
#41 ·
Hey, thanks for posting this. I tried this fix today on my 1994 Volovo 850 but had no luck. I heated the metal at the end of the cable with a butane torch (until the plastic bubbled) and tried to push the cable in but it didn't seem to go in any further. I'm not too sure anymore that the cable was ever the problem. It looked like Tech's "after" pics before I even started trying to work with it.

So now I don't know what to try next. My motor is making noise and the cable is vibrating while I press the button in either direction. What else can I try? Is the transmission likely broken? Anyone know what my next step should be or how I can know definitively what the problem is?

Thanks in advance
Shane
 
M
#44 ·
A big thank you for instructions. I tried it before a trip and I had a lot of time and could not get there quite well, as I was apparently missing a few steps you have mentioned that I do not know. I'll give this a try soon in hopes of finally getting my passenger seat back to work again.
 
L
#45 ·
Hi, thanks for the instructions on this problem. My seat back just quit working. I called a few reputable Volvo repair shops and they all quoted between $250 and $380 just for labor. Yikes! I'm going to try your repair, but have one question. Does the seat switch panel just pull off, or is there something that needs to be unscrewed? I don't want to break anything. Thanks a lot for any help you can give.
 
E
#46 ·
Hello Tech, if you are still around. Your instructions for fixing the seatback were posted over 3 years ago, but I read through all the postings regarding that thread twice and then attempted the repair. I completed it and put everything back into place in less than 90 minutes. The additional time was spent trying to put rings back into the leather rods, so I gave up on that part. I will attempt that at a later date so for now the leather isn't totally tight. The cable did not look damaged or out of place, but I heated both ends up anyway as instructed and pushed them in farther. I was quite amazed when I flicked the switch and the seat moved! Your instructions were superb! THANK YOU! I joined this site just to say that.
 
J
#50 ·
Back in the 90's when we had our '94 850 wagon, it came with Coumba wheels and 205/50/16's. This was the correct aspect ratio for true mileage on the odometer, but then people started having a lot of issues with bent rims from bad roads. Volvo changed their official size after this to the 55's and recommended people switch to the larger size. If I recall, there was a time that Volvo offered to pay owners for either repairs or upgrades to the larger tire size due to this issue. I like the look of 50's too but if your roads are bad and you are using alum alloy wheels I'd stay away from the thinner tires.
 
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