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2000 Wrangler TJ Passenger Seat Slide and Tip Cable Repair

RE: 2000 Wrangler TJ Passenger Seat Slide and Tip Cable Repair

The steel cable that runs from the release lever on the back of the seat to an out of sight lever beneath the seat has broken. Symptom - I can pull out the metal cable from the black cable housing from where it hooks into the seat bottom lever. And the cable end is frayed.

The result is that the seat won't slide forward and tip toward the dash without a) reaching under the seat and finding the correct metal lever the cable was attached to, and b) manually depressing it, while c) pushing the seat toward the dash. Not handy at all.

I have the seat out and have generally loosened the seat covers (back and seat) and traced the route of the cable housing. Generally. It's a circuitous route at best that seems to take nearly a full lap around the seat bottom before heading into the seat back (somewhere) and then connecting to the seat back release lever. It appears that I will have to unbolt the back of the seat from the seat bottom to even get to all of the cable route.

Unbolting the seat back looks simple enough on the left side with only one bolt. The right side is a little more complicated and I'm worried that parts of the gears and release lever will fall out if I start unbolting the right side. Also, I'm just a little worried that I'll never get it all back together. (Although it does give extra room for storage with the passenger seat out...)

Anyone with experience here? Please reply ALL to get to my snipped-for-privacy@cox.net address too.

Marc Masnor

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Masnor
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Reply to
L.W.(ßill) Hughes III

I decided to let an upholstery shop do the replacement. The part was in the $25 to $30 range, labor will be about $45. That is with the seat out. (Even I can unbolt four bolts.)

I am more than a little put out by the Jeep Dealer. I called Chris Nickles in Tulsa for an estimate. It took over six hours for a return call, then after describing the problem, I get something like this...

Service Rep, "Oh, that cables pretty expensive. I'd say that's about $280.00 to do the replacement. "

I say, "But I have the seat out and it's just a two to three foot steel cable in a plastic sheath. "

He says, "We'd prefer to have it in the vehicle."

I couldn't help but ask, "Why? "

He says, "Because we don't have any place to put a seat. We have a parking lot for cars, but no place to put a seat."

Two days later, I regret not saying outloud where I though he should put the seat.

Fortunately I thought of an upholstrey shop, and a friend suggested one on my way to work. They are happy to see me, are eager to get the work, and are too busy to give me any crap.

I should have probably done the work myself. But, I now have a place to fix my soft top that a mouse got to and for seat covers in an old chevy.

I get the seat tomorrow.

Masnor

BTW, seeing how easy it is to remove the seats, I'll probably do that for the annual (ish) steam cleaning. They will dry much beter out (of the hardtop) and in the sun.

Reply to
Masnor
280. Unbelievable.

Dave Milne, Scotland '91 Grand Wagoneer, '99 TJ

snipped-for-privacy@cox.net

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Dave Milne

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