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How to Fix the Play in Power Seat Tracks

48K views 15 replies 12 participants last post by  SD Warrior 
#1 ·
If you read my other post you know I followed someone else write up on how to do this. It was definitely helpful, but had some unnecessary steps.

Excuse the condition of the carpet. While the seats were out I cleaned the whole truck and shampooed the carpet. It's now spotless.

First remove the seat.
Front bolts are 15mm.


Rear bolts are 11mm


Then take the seat and turn it upside down leaving it plugged in so you can move the track back & forth. I supported the head rest with a step stool.


In the write up I got from another site it said to grind off the so called seat stops. I did it on the first one, but tried it without grinding on the second one and it worked fine so this isn't necessary
So called seat stops. I don't think they are seat stop. My seat still stops in the same spot without them.
Before grinding


After grinding


Next slide the track all the way forward and remove the bolt that hold the screw drive in place. It's 10mm on top & 15mm nut on bottom. On one side you can get the nut from the rear. On the other side you have to go through a hole on the side of the track. Sorry I didn't take a picture of the side access, but it's pretty easy to see.


Then remove the two 8mm bolts that attach the slide to the seat track.


Then pull the slide rod assembly out. You will have to slide the seat track back at the same time because it doesn't clear some of the protruding bolt on the track. One of them I had to use a mallet to get it to move far enough. The rest slide easily by hand. You will see plastic ball bearings on each side of the track. They are in the front & rear. Make sure you don't slide it back too far so they don't come out. If they do come out they are easily reinstalled as long as you don't loose them.


Here is the slide rod assembly after removal. See the gap where the old bushing deteriorated?


The write up I was going by used washers to fill the gap where the factory bushing was. That was my original plan. I have a lot accumulated a lot of stuff over the past 20 years in my house. While searching for some washers to use I came across some old hard plastic ATV A-Arm bushings and decided to use them instead. I had to cut it down and enlarge the whole a little. They worked out perfectly.
Before I cut it up




Here is the bushing ready to install.




Here is the slider with bushing installed.


Here is the pair ready for reassembly. Not the position of where the slider is. This was the best position when reinstalled. Make sure they are equal so the track is straight.


I used a pair of needle nose pliers to slightly rotate the slide bolt to get it to line back up with the cable that drives it. It's driven by something similar to a speedo cable.


Next bolt the slide rod assembly back in place with the 11mm bolt & 15mm nut. Then slide the seat tracks to line up with the sled block and install the two 8mm bolts.
That's it you just fixed the play in your seats.
 
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#4 ·
I had this same problem on my 2000 Sierra. A guy on Ebay is selling replacement bushings with instructions for $15. Took me about 4 hours to do both seats and eliminated all the slop in the track. You can find it by typing in GM Power Seat Unwanted Movement/Play Repair kit on Ebay. Hope that helps-
 
#5 ·
Is this a progressive issue? I've got slop in both the front seats, but it doesn't really bother me enough to fix it. It feels like it moves about half to one inch. If it does get worse, I may have to tackle it...
 
#12 ·
There is an aerospace engineer that has a video on youtube "GM Seat Repair" that is very detailed. He also has custom injection molded parts on Ebay "GM Seat Repair Parts". There are some jerks selling nylon washers but the engineer tells you why you shouldn't use them. The jerks are telling everyone on their Ebay site that the engineer is selling the same part that wore out - they are lying. Don't believe them, the improved rubber part is the right part to use.
 
#14 ·
Great write up and thanks for taking the time to post it. I think i buy the kit listed above rather than make the bushings, but want to pass along that a good material to make them out of. If you know a counter top shop and can get some corian countertop scraps, it is easy to tool and is very durable.
 
#15 ·
Here a link to the video of the easiest method to repair these. The other video is 2 parts and about 1 1/2 hours long, lol, this ones about 10 minutes and makes a lot more sense.

Here the kit I used a few years ago and is still holding up to this day, the other one offered through the other video uses rubber again, the same thing that failed the first time.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/290881948530?ss ... 1555.l2649
 
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