Seat Broke

The quality of the pull mechanism is laughable - there is a wire which goes into a cheap plastic box and engages into a plastic slider inside. From the other end of the slider there are two wires coming out. The problem is that the wires engage into the slider by a push fit, and wear causes them to pop out. I cut the a hatch into the plastic box , made a slider out of a bit of scrap metal properly folding it over all 3 wires so that the wires could move within it, but not leaving enough room for the end stops to pop out. Then I closed the hatch that I had cut, and braced the plastic box with a bit of sheet metal which I secured with cable ties. It has lasted 3.5 years so far, which is longer than the original did.

Since I don't have access to scrap metal, I don't think this is going to work for me, but I did see your write up on it following Bill's links. Thanks for the info!

As always, Bill, thanks for the links. Guess I'll give it one shot before heading to the junk yard for a new seat. I'd really like some cloth seats from an '02 -- I hear both the driver AND passenger seats tumble forward. Not to mention my vinyl ones are getting torn up already.

Eric

I was able to get it to tumble forward -- found the right lever under the seat frame. Also found a loose cable, but once it disappears into the seat bottom (from underneath) I can't follow it. Need to pull the seat out, but for now I can just flip the back of the seat forward, then reach under the seat to press the lever and allow it to tumble forward...

For now..

I ended up replacing my cable with a bicycle brake cable. Loop the cable through the holes in the lever, secure firmly, and secure the cable housing to the seat frame.

Why do manufacturers feel a need to change a working design? The old latch was very sturdy and didn't need to be changed.

I wish they'd 'redesign' Jeeps by fixing known bugs, not by adding 'features'.

They could have just taken the old CJ and added a galvanized body, better heat, coil-spring suspension, and fuel-injection. What else really needed to be messed with?

How many parts on a TJ are interchangeable with a CJ? Not many, I'd guess.

Lots of them in the 17 years the XJ was being built

Your point is valid, but that's what makes Jeeps unique. They're very utilitarian, and aren't sold based on glitter and novelty.

At most dealerships, they try to make extra profit by selling you rust-coating and alloy wheels. At a Jeep dealership they try to sell you *doors*.

In case you missed it, I was replying to this question:

Two different models built over a decade apart. Who would realistically expect them to share ANY parts?

Wake up man... "Utilitarian" went out the window when Jeep started losing market share to eye candy. Or did you forget the Liberty replaced the Cherokee?

Meanwhile, back in the real world, show me a Jeep that doesn't come with doors.