Tilt and slide seat?

G

grabeb

TJ Enthusiast
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Jun 29, 2021
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252
Location
Kansas
I just noticed our 01 TJ seat(s) tilt and then lift and go forward more yet. We've had about a month and just last night was the first time the drivers seat went forward like that. Passenger seat still won't, it just tilts but has same bracket it appears.

My guess is it hasn't been done in ages and is just sticky. I tried lifting on the bar to no avail and sprayed some white grease on the joint to try to brake it loose. Thought about using PB blaster, but it smells Soooo bad and it's my daughter's and she won't want that smell.

Any insight here?
 
It needs to be able to slide freely. When you lift the tilt lever, it activates the slide also.
Actually, it tilts, lifts, and slides all at the same time. The seat should also pull back up easily, but you will have to use the bar to slide it the rest of the way back.
The passenger side gives better access to the rear than the driver side due to the steering wheel.
 
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On my '01 the drivers side has a cloth pull tab on the upper side of the back rest that when pulled allows you to lift and tumble the seat forward. The passengers side does not have a cloth pull tab on the upper back rest like the drivers side; there is only a metal lever beneath the seat that you actuate to allow the exact same function as the drivers side.
 
CharlesHS said:
On my '01 the drivers side has a cloth pull tab on the upper side of the back rest that when pulled allows you to lift and tumble the seat forward. The passengers side does not have a cloth pull tab on the upper back rest like the drivers side; there is only a metal lever beneath the seat that you actuate to allow the exact same function as the drivers side.
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How would someone in the back be able to get out on the passenger side?
My '06 has levers on both of the upper outer side of the seat.
 
Not to be a smartass but i'd think the person getting out in front would let the person in back out since it's their seat in the way. Not sure if these were designed to be operated by a person in back but possibly if they knew how to work it.

Cable on my drivers seat broke years ago. Only way to tilt it is to reach underneath and push the bracket down while pulling side strap and pulling seat forward, which i've grown quite used to doing without any problems.

Edit, sorry this was regarding the passenger seat not having a pull tab.. didn't realize you were answering that question with that question lol
 
LONGJP2 said:
It needs to be able to slide freely. When you lift the tilt lever, it activates the slide also.
Actually, it tilts, lifts, and slides all at the same time. The seat should also pull back up easily, but you will have to use the bar to slide it the rest of the way back.
The passenger side gives better access to the rear than the driver side due to the steering wheel.
Click to expand...
I guess I'll have to go look again. Maybe a cable is unhooked or broken on passenger side. If you pull the lever under front of seat it slides fine, but if you pull the tab to tilt the seat it just tilts. No lift or side.

I'm also curious about the pull tab out of cloth. Can anyone post a pic of what that looks like? Can i order it or any ideas on what to putb in its place to make the lever easier to find. I believe they have a hole in them so maybe i can come up with something. Hmmmm
 
Found a few videos on this and the tab. I pulled the seat cover backs off and found the pull tabs, whomever installed the seat covers, prior to us, put the driver on the passenger and the passenger on the driver as far as back covers are concerned, which is why I never saw the tabs. They are both there. I just need to switch out the covers.

Found the levers under the seat that activate the tumble, at least that's what I think you guys are calling it. On the driver seat if i pull the lever behind the back, that the pull tab, goes to it tilts and then tumbles. Or I can reach way under the bottom and push on the lever down there and get it to tumble. I see a cable on drivers side.

On the passenger side I don't see a cable. If I pull the lever/tab on the back of seat, it tilts, but does not tumble. I have to reach under the seat and push the tumble lever and then the lever/tab on seat back to get the tilt. I'm guessing this is the seat that has the issue and the issue is lack of cable.
 
Fold & tumble seats weren't always on both sides. My '04 only has a fold & tumble on the passenger side. The cable is only for seats that have a release lever on the outside edge of the seat back.
 
Jerry Bransford said:
Fold & tumble seats weren't always on both sides. My '04 only has a fold & tumble on the passenger side. The cable is only for seats that have a release lever on the outside edge of the seat back.
Click to expand...
Both tumble both have the lever on seat back only one has cable and thus they operate differently.
 
grabeb said:
I'm also curious about the pull tab out of cloth. Can anyone post a pic of what that looks like? Can i order it or any ideas on what to putb in its place to make the lever easier to find. I believe they have a hole in them so maybe i can come up with something. Hmmmm
Click to expand...

I had checked a couple years back and the cables were still available, but were north of $50 if I recall. The cable was fine one one seat, but the other had lost the pull. I bought 3/4" nylon webbing off ebay (3ft for under $5) and had a local shoe repair place sew it on. I used a progressively thicker awl type tool to start a hole in the webbing, working the strands, opening it up until I could squeeze the cable end through, then relaxed/reshaped the webbing so the cable end couldn't pull back through.

20190218_172510.jpg



And, my passenger seat does not tumble unless I use the lever under the seat. Haven't torn it apart to see if something is not working properly. Also, the second passenger seat I put in (color change), works/doesn't work the same way. But it was the driver seat that needed the cable end strap replaced.
 
jeepins said:
Edit, sorry this was regarding the passenger seat not having a pull tab.. didn't realize you were answering that question with that question lol
Click to expand...
Maybe you're too young to remember when more cars were 2 door than 4 door. Most, if not all, had a seat release the rear passenger could operate. Maybe for safety, maybe just for convenience.
 
LONGJP2 said:
Maybe you're too young to remember when more cars were 2 door than 4 door. Most, if not all, had a seat release the rear passenger could operate. Maybe for safety, maybe just for convenience.
Click to expand...
For safety I would bet. I don’t want to have to rely on the front passenger but I think some rear seat doors on some extended cab pickups might be that way. Passenger door must be opened before smaller rear door will open.
 
Spent a considerable amount of time trying to get a replacement cable for my passenger (RHD 2001) seat earlier this year - mine is broken at the end where it should attach under the seat to the lever which operates the tilt mechanism. The part is no longer available (my local Chrysler dealer did work quite hard to try to get one for me).
 
grabeb said:
Found the levers under the seat that activate the tumble, at least that's what I think you guys are calling it. On the driver seat if i pull the lever behind the back, that the pull tab, goes to it tilts and then tumbles. Or I can reach way under the bottom and push on the lever down there and get it to tumble. I see a cable on drivers side.

On the passenger side I don't see a cable. If I pull the lever/tab on the back of seat, it tilts, but does not tumble. I have to reach under the seat and push the tumble lever and then the lever/tab on seat back to get the tilt. I'm guessing this is the seat that has the issue and the issue is lack of cable.
Click to expand...


I have a [loaded] 1998 "Sport" model. I looked under my seats, and only the driver's side has a cable. But both of my seats will tip, lift, and slide. I have a cloth pull strap (loop) on both upper seat backs in the front and a lower plastic tab on both upper seat backs in the back.

- The plastic tab in the back is there to tip the seat back forward.

- The cloth pull strap in the front is there to make it more convenient to lift and slide the seat completely forward once the seat is tipped forward. My strap does *nothing* unless the seat has been tipped forward first.


I think on the driver's side, the way it is intended to work is you are supposed to reach around the back of the seat and pull the lower plastic tab UP first. This will only tip the seat back forward. Then, you pull the cloth strap in the front of the seat to lift and slide the seat completely forward. (Some models do not have this feature.) Because of the steering wheel, it will only go so far.

The passenger's side works the same way. The cloth strap is only there to make it more convenient to lift and slide the seat completely forward once the seat back is tipped.

Alternately, you can look under the seat and locate the metal lever and push it down to manually lift the seat. Once it lifts, you have to pull the plastic tab on the back of the seat UP to get the seat to tip and slide completely forward.

If the cloth strap is torn or if you don't have one, you can simply push the seat back up and forward with your hand to get the seat to lift and slide completely forward once the seat back has been tipped.


Capiche?
 
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Here is a video I found that demonstrates the three seat levers better than the Owner's Manual did:




Alright now I am confused. I also found this video, but my passenger seat will NOT do this (0:45) using only the cloth pull strap. I have owned my Jeep since 1999, and it has never worked liked this. Should it?

 
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TJRick said:
- The cloth pull strap in the front is there to make it more convenient to lift and slide the seat completely forward once the seat is tipped forward. My strap does *nothing* unless the seat has been tipped forward first.


I think on the driver's side, the way it is intended to work is you are supposed to reach around the back of the seat and pull the lower plastic tab UP first. This will only tip the seat back forward. Then, you pull the cloth strap in the front of the seat to lift and slide the seat completely forward. (Some models do not have this feature.) Because of the steering wheel, it will only go so far.

The passenger's side works the same way. The cloth strap is only there to make it more convenient to lift and slide the seat completely forward once the seat back is tipped.
Click to expand...
Okay, so I was wrong. My own post made me think about it differently. I have had my Jeep since 1999, and I never used the pull strap properly. I never could get it to pull the seat forward unless I first used pulled the plastic tab UP in the back. I was thinking the pull strap would pull on a cable underneath the seat to make the magic happen. Then it dawned on me to look at the plastic tab on the back of the seat, since that has to happen first. And what did I find? A cable connected there. Of course. It was locked into place and I didn't pull the strap hard enough to pull the cable. It was very stiff, so I greased it up and worked it a bit until it freed up. After 22 years, it is finally working properly!

The pull strap is designed to pull the plastic tab on the back of the seat back UP via cable, which tips the seat forward. Then, the seat will continue to lift and slide completely forward as you pull the strap.

I love my Jeep even more now.
 
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