Only One Side Of My Driver Seat Goes Down. Plz Hel

chronozenki · September 13, 2005

I own a 1990 ls 400

Only the left side of my driver's back tilts with the adjustor. I searched through the forum for the solution and there is no definite answer to the problem. Can someone be very kind to answer in more details? I opened the seat cover and didn't know which tube/rod to move and how to fix it. Any answer/solution is appreciated. Thx

ColinBarber · September 13, 2005

I would advise you ask your question on the US forums as there are many more LS owners there than in the UK.

http://us.lexusownersclub.com/forums/

davepruce · September 13, 2005

The bar that goes from left to right at the bottom of the seat back is the one that turns when the button is pushed. If it does not then you have a different problem to mine!

On mine, the left hand spline is shot meaning only the right side goes up and down.

Advice I've had on here is to just araldite the spline. I tried once but it failed - I think because I didnt clean it thoroughly (oil n stuff), I will at some time do it again after cleaning with a solvent.

Good luck

reincheque · September 13, 2005

I own a 1990 ls 400
Only the left side of my driver's back tilts with the adjustor. I searched through the forum for the solution and there is no definite answer to the problem. Can someone be very kind to answer in more details? I opened the seat cover and didn't know which tube/rod to move and how to fix it. Any answer/solution is appreciated. Thx

←

I had a similar problem (I think) with my 1991 LS. The back of the seat looked like it was twisted or crooked when I tried to move it. Never bothered to fix it. It looks more than it feels.

djp

robert_ashfield · September 13, 2005

Not sure that this is relevant but the left side (near centre armrest) of my drivers seat was not moving and I managed to fix it with Araldite Metal glue.

I thought of drilling and pinning, but you will find that the outer shaft is aluminium, which is easy to get through, but the spline is rock hard and not drillable - this is why the problem occurs in the first place, the spline strips off the grooves in the outer shaft.

To fix, do the following:

1. There are two screws at the bottom of the seat back cover holding it on. Undo these and take the cover off - it is held in by clips at the top.

2. You will be able to see a rod running from the seat back motor on the bottom right side to the left side seat mechanism - if unsure, try adjusting the seat and you will soon see it. This rod has a spline on it which goes into a shaft that adjusts the left side of the seat - this is what you want to glue together.

3. Unclip all of the leather and cloth that you can from the area to create some working space.

4. Make sure that the seat is not twisted, but is square with the steering wheel. I measured from the centre of the wheel to the same point on both sides of the seat - make sure that the distances are the same - didn't do a bad job but still slightly twisted, so I'm sure I could have done better. Worth taking your time as afterwards you are literally stuck with it!

5.Now glue the rod in place using metal glue. If you want added strength I would drill through the outer shaft in two or three places until you hit the spline - that way the glue can go through the holes and makes good contact with the shaft and spline. Use a generous amount - I found that any leather/cloth that was accidently glued could easily be cut free with no damage to the seat.

Make sure you leave the glue to cure as per the instructions. I was too impatient first time and thought I would try it out early - the glue didn't stick and I was back to square one. Second time I was patient and it worked a treat.

I wouldn't trust the fix if you want to adjust daily (e.g for two drivers) but seems to be holding up with occassional use.

Hope this makes sense and helps with your problem.

chronozenki · September 18, 2005

:) Thanks everyone,

Although I fixed it before everyone posted here, but I would say my method is very similar to Robert's. Bascically it happens that the place where the shaft connected to the metal motor has worn out. I use the glue they use to hold up the wall when building a house. It takes about 8 hours beofre it is fully fixed. After all is done, put it back and it should work like a charm.