News:

Due to a technical issue, some recently uploaded pictures have been lost. We are investigating why this happened but the issue has been resolved so that future uploads should be safe.  You can also Modify your post (MORE...) and re-upload the pictures in your post.

Main Menu

1981 eldorado drivers seat doesn't move

Started by Jonathan Johnson, March 31, 2023, 11:20:26 PM

Previous topic - Next topic

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Jonathan Johnson

Any one have the similar issues just wondering what's more common, motor or masterswitch thanks guys
1981 eldorado 6.0
2007 dts
4.9 liter v8 anything
Deville
Seville
Sts
Sls

"Cadillac Kid" Greg Surfas 15364

What is happening? Can you hear the motor run when you move the switch, and can you hear the transmission clicking" when you try the different directions on the switch?, And, is there power to the switch? (check the circuit breaker).
Greg Surfas
Cadillac Kid-Greg Surfas
Director Modified Chapter CLC
CLC #15364
66 Coupe deVille (now gone to the UK)
72 Eldo Cpe  (now cruising the sands in Quatar)
73 Coupe deVille
75 Coupe deElegance
76 Coupe deVille
79 Coupe de ville with "Paris" (pick up) option and 472 motor
514 inch motor now in '73-

James Landi

Greg asks a key question... if the motor runs, and certain functions aren't working, the entire motor/transmission plastic case is likely cracking and falling apart! Apparently, those plastic casing (motor/transmissiion) assemblies have a "service life," and I recall sometime about a decade ago, my '83 Eldo seat power assembly began to split apart. I used caution, got the seat where I wanted it, and unplugged the motor.  When my wife and I decided to re upholster the seats, we could observe in full view just how brittle the entire assembly had become-- large cracks not fixable. THe passenger side  held together... why, who knows... and one more comment:  I was able to get the seat to move by wire tying the  assembly together and staying out the car and off the seat to accomplish movement, but the last thing you want to do is to get it to move and then completely self destruct in an uncomfortably awkwark position.  Hope this helps you, James

79 Eldorado

I will "third" what Greg and James already wrote...not enough information regarding what's happening. I can say that there was a recent topic on CadillacForums where someone else had exactly the issue as James described with the cracked housing. That's not the only thing which could have happened though. It might be as simple as electrical switch contacts.

I would also add one more caution. Removing a seat requires accessing the fasteners. If you move the seat too far in one direction you lose access to removing fasteners. If that wasn't already implied or obvious based on what James wrote be very careful.

I do suspect those cracked housings would be a great 3D printed project but it may take a lot of work CAD modelling. I don't recall the design well enough to know how complicated it is and how precise the geometry needs to be.

Scott

Gene Beaird

Quote from: James Landi on April 01, 2023, 07:24:27 AM<SNIP> When my wife and I decided to re upholster the seats, we could observe in full view just how brittle the entire assembly had become-- large cracks not fixable. THe passenger side  held together... why, who knows... <SNIP>

Like remodeling a house, one of the best ways to test a relationship is to redo a car's upholstery together.   :)

Not sure if you did it yourself, or farmed it out, but my wife and I did the upholstery on our 86 SVO, and it was 'trying times'.  I'm sure bench seats are MUCH easier than thick-bolster buckets, but man what a chore.  My wife said she'll never do something like that again.

But to the OP:  can you hear just a click when you hit the switch, or hear the motor run?  We replaced the transmission on the driver's seat of our 79 Seville recently.  The hardest part was getting the seat out of and back into the car.  Like others have said, the OEM transmission case had just shattered.  Gears and bits inside were in great shape, but the case was done. 
Gene Beaird,
1968 Calais
1979 Seville
Pearland, Texas
CLC Member No. 29873