HOWTO: Replace Motor in Power Seat Rack (Warning: Image-Heavy)

HOWTO: Replace Motor in Power Seat Rack (Warning: Image-Heavy)

Ever have the motor on your power seat die? The track is good, but it won't move anymore. But you can't remove the motor, so you gotta buy a new track for $100 If you're lucky. After reading this, you won't have to anymore. I've never seen this posted anywhere, and I've never been able to figure out how to do it. Until tonight. And I have the photos to prove it. As everything really is, it's easy once you know how.<br><br>

<img src="http://www.firstlight.net/~chythar/stangnet/power_seat_motor/seat_track_01.jpg" width="320" height="240" border="0"><br>
Here's the power seat track, with the motor. This track is good, but with a bad motor. Let's pull it.<br><br>


<img src="http://www.firstlight.net/~chythar/stangnet/power_seat_motor/seat_track_02.jpg" width="320" height="240" border="0"><br>
A closeup of the bad motor. See the two screws to the right of the motor? If not...<br><br>


<img src="http://www.firstlight.net/~chythar/stangnet/power_seat_motor/seat_track_03.jpg" width="320" height="240" border="0"><br>
...here's a shot of the screws nearly out. Remove both screws, of course.<br><br>


<img src="http://www.firstlight.net/~chythar/stangnet/power_seat_motor/seat_track_04.jpg" width="320" height="240" border="0"><br>
There's a piece of plastic (circled) clipped onto each side, on the "transmission" of the rack. (hey, it's Ford's terms, not mine) The clips just pop loose with a small screwdriver or a fingernail. Careful not to break 'em, the plastic's likely to be brittle.<br><br>


<img src="http://www.firstlight.net/~chythar/stangnet/power_seat_motor/seat_track_05.jpg" width="320" height="240" border="0"><br>
Here's a shot of the plastic clip popped loose. Don't try to pull them all the way off, they won't. Pull both clips off.<br><br>


<img src="http://www.firstlight.net/~chythar/stangnet/power_seat_motor/seat_track_06.jpg" width="320" height="240" border="0"><br>
Now that everything's loose, just pull on one side and the motor drive should just come out. If you're having trouble, use a pair of pliers to grab the metal bar inside the plastic. The motor should now be completely free of the rack.<br><br>


<img src="http://www.firstlight.net/~chythar/stangnet/power_seat_motor/seat_track_07.jpg" width="320" height="240" border="0"><br>
Well, except for the power connector. I'm sure some of you have already cut the wire and spliced in the new motor. There's really no need to. The rest of these instructions show how to unplug the wires from the connector.<br><br>


<img src="http://www.firstlight.net/~chythar/stangnet/power_seat_motor/seat_track_08.jpg" width="320" height="240" border="0"><br>
See the little red spot on the plug? Push on it with a screwdriver, down and away from the wires. It should easily pop loose.<br><br>


<img src="http://www.firstlight.net/~chythar/stangnet/power_seat_motor/seat_track_09.jpg" width="320" height="240" border="0"><br>
Next, grab the red piece with a pair of pliers, and remove it from the connector.<br><br>


<img src="http://www.firstlight.net/~chythar/stangnet/power_seat_motor/seat_track_10.jpg" width="320" height="240" border="0"><br>
This is hard to see, but pretty clear when you're looking at it yourself. There's a plastic clip holding each wire in place. Use a small screwdriver to pry on it, towards the other wire. Once the plastic is far enough away, you'll be able to pull the wire out from the back. In this photo, the motor wires are the two on the right.<br><br>


<img src="http://www.firstlight.net/~chythar/stangnet/power_seat_motor/seat_track_11.jpg" width="320" height="240" border="0"><br>
Wires removed. The colors go back in the same order. If you reverse 'em, the motor should just move in the opposite direction than you're used to.<br><br>

I had a good motor (and a broken seat track) lying around, so I just installed the good motor on the track. Just plug the wires into the connector, push the red piece back in (it only goes one way), push the metal bars back in (rotate them until they slide in), push the clips on, and screw in the two screws. You're done!<br><br>


<img src="http://www.firstlight.net/~chythar/stangnet/power_seat_motor/seat_track_12.jpg" width="320" height="240" border="0"><br>
For future reference, here's my old motor with the two drive "axles" removed. They just slide out, nothing's holding them in place.<br><br>