Forum Discussion

BurbMan's avatar
BurbMan
Explorer II
May 01, 2019

Moving a Broken Power Seat?

I know we have a lot of talented techs and resourceful DIYers on the forum here, so thought this would be a good place to ask this question....

A few months ago, I lost the power functions on the driver's seat. Passenger seat is fine, driver's won't move. I replaced the switch, didn't fix the problem.

Last night I got out the test light and multimeter and found the problem: the power/ground connector came unplugged from the power seat module under the seat. In the process of trying to reconnect it, the connector broke off of the circuit board on the module.

I tried jumpering power directly to the seat switch and no dice...it must come through the module.

Here's the dilemma: I need to remove the seat to change the module. The factory service manual says there are 4 bolts holding the seat, remove the front 2 then move the seat all the way forward and remove the rear 2. The problem is, the seat won't move without the module connected, and there is no way to get to the rear bolts without moving the seat forward.

I have Googled this till I was cross-eyed and have not found a workaround for this. Is there a way to change the module without removing the seat? Any GM techs here?
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  • mrgrim007's avatar
    mrgrim007
    Explorer
    May 01, 2019
    Could you some how connect a different module (junkyard?) temporarily to get the seat to move? I haven’t looked at my seat to see exactly what you’re talking about...just throwing out an idea.
  • mich800's avatar
    mich800
    Explorer
    May 01, 2019
    Have you tried to put 12 volt directly to the motor? I would bypass the switch entirely and run a power lead directly to the motor.

    That is assuming you can get close enough.
  • BurbMan's avatar
    BurbMan
    Explorer II
    May 01, 2019
    The problem is this is an 8-way power seat and there are multiple motors and linkages and NO room for your hands under the seat. There are other connectors that go from the module to the motors that I can't reach to unplug.

    Same reason I haven't applied the 12v to the motor, the leads are on the back side of it and I can't even see them much less reach them.

    Mrgrim, go look under your seat and you'll see what I mean...
  • wnjj's avatar
    wnjj
    Explorer II
    May 01, 2019
    BurbMan wrote:
    The problem is this is an 8-way power seat and there are multiple motors and linkages and NO room for your hands under the seat. There are other connectors that go from the module to the motors that I can't reach to unplug.

    Same reason I haven't applied the 12v to the motor, the leads are on the back side of it and I can't even see them much less reach them.

    Mrgrim, go look under your seat and you'll see what I mean...


    This guy (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cRLRjnU7thA) pulls a connector off from the back. Is yours harder to get to than his? Skip to about 3:15 in the video. He powers his rearward but said there's another pin for forward.
  • mich800's avatar
    mich800
    Explorer
    May 01, 2019
    BurbMan wrote:
    The problem is this is an 8-way power seat and there are multiple motors and linkages and NO room for your hands under the seat. There are other connectors that go from the module to the motors that I can't reach to unplug.

    Same reason I haven't applied the 12v to the motor, the leads are on the back side of it and I can't even see them much less reach them.

    Mrgrim, go look under your seat and you'll see what I mean...


    If you cannot get to the plug this probably will not help. They picked up a pigtail at a junkyard and used a jumpbox. youtube

    But if you don't have any working room not sure what the first step would be.
  • Krusty's avatar
    Krusty
    Nomad II
    May 01, 2019
    If you have a wiring diagram, you should be able to apply power and ground to the connector at the module that feeds the horizontal motor. As long as you have room to access the module connector.
  • BurbMan's avatar
    BurbMan
    Explorer II
    May 01, 2019
    Krusty wrote:
    If you have a wiring diagram, you should be able to apply power and ground to the connector at the module that feeds the horizontal motor. As long as you have room to access the module connector.


    The connector that supplies power and ground to the module is what came unplugged....The harness connector is fine, but it plugs into two pins on the circuit board of the module and one of the pins broke off.
  • Krusty's avatar
    Krusty
    Nomad II
    May 01, 2019
    I assume there would be more than one connector on the module? If that one supplies power and ground TO the module, there should be one or more that would supply power and ground to each motor as commanded. If you can find the two wires that feed the horizontal module, you should be able to apply power and ground to them, to move the track
  • Sport45's avatar
    Sport45
    Explorer II
    May 01, 2019
    I’d try to attack it from underneath. Maybe center punch and drill the seat bolts out or grind a slot in the end and run them up with a big screwdriver.
  • BurbMan's avatar
    BurbMan
    Explorer II
    May 03, 2019
    Guys thanks for the good ideas. Applying power direct to the motor must be the solution. I keep thinking that if I took it to the dealership they would fix it, so there must be a way. There are 3 motors under the seat, and none of them match the color wires that are shown on the schematic in the service manual, so no way to tell which motors moves the seat front and back.

    An additional wrinkle is that the seat module is listed as a discontinued part....so even if I got the seat out so I could replace the module, I don't have a replacement module.

    I'm leaving it alone for now...at least the seat is stuck in the right position for driving, although my wife needs a pillow behind her... I'll start scouting for a replacement module and continuing to research, and I'll get back into this fix when I get some time.

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