Drivers Lumbar Adjuster Repair & Modification

[firefighter_2000]

So I replaced the lumbar support in the mega cab today and made a bit of a modification to it in the process. The part number for the adjuster is: 5166079AA and cost me 51 & change. Here's what I did.



Removed the headrest & the two shafts they fit down into. They just pull out once the headrest is removed.

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Remove the adjustment wheel by just pulling out. If you try to "unscrew" it out you may break the teeth on the wheel.

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Remove the cup behind the wheel. Two phillips head screws hold it in place.

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Then the inner cup, held in with two screws as well comes out. You can wait till you pull the cover off but I did it here:

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There's a plastic "clip" channel at the bottom rear of the seat that has to be un clipped. It was a pain in the @$$ and by far the most difficult part of the whole job. Once you get it apart just start peeling the seat cover up & out of the way. Its best to just remove it all the way.

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Rear view of the broken adjuster.

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Once the cover is off, remove the padding from the frame of the chair. Lift up at the top to get around the head rest tubes, and the side to clear the adjuster.

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Use a pair of channel locks to twist each end out of the socket. Each end has "ears" that go in the right slot.

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Once installed it looks like this when there is no tension or support.

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When the adjuster is turned for more support it tightens up and looks like this. Basically pushing the foam forward.

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More below.

 

[firefighter_2000]

The Mod.

Now for the modification.



You cant tell it from the photos, but when the seat foam was re-installed, and the adjuster relaxed there was about a 2-3 inch gap in between the foam and the front face of the adjuster. This left only about a third of the travel in the adjuster useful. Here's what I did to remedy that.



Used an old foam pillow and cut the end off of it to fit down into the slot at the bottom where the adjuster goes.

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Cut off all the fingers & trimmed the piece to fit down in the spot.

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Put the seat foam with new "filler pad" installed and it takes up the space nicely.

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It filled in the empty space very nicely and allowed probably 80-90% travel on the adjuster. If your adjuster doesnt adjust much. This is probably what you need to do. You can just pull the back of the seat cushion up to get some material inside to fill the gap.



Hope someone can use this soon.

Craig







Here's a shot of the broken parts next to the new part.

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[butchb]

very nice write up now i feel confident enough to do this thanks butch

 

[Wertles]

Were you having problems of not enough travel or the support not staying in place? When I adjust mine it is great for about 10 miles and then feels like it unscrews itself. It has done it since new. I never use the darn thing until my back can't stand it anymore.

 

[firefighter_2000]

Mine was broken

My lumbar support adjuster was completely broken. Didnt matter which way you turned it, it didn't adjust. Turns out (as seen in the photo above) the insides of the adjuster were broken (cheap plastic crap). Before I finished this I didnt have ANY adjustment. After I put the new adjuster in and was testing it out, I noticed that there was no movement for about the first 1/2 to 2/3 of turning due to the gap. Thats when I decided to put the pillow piece in the channel and see what happened. Turns out it works great and now has adjustment almost all the way through turning the knob.

Craig

 

[Grunt]

Very good write up!!

 

[houseoffire8]

Part #s 5166079AA Driver side, 5166078AA Passenger side.

Great write up! Wish I had read this 3 days ago! I will now try adding the foam pad!

Thanks! PLASTIC JUNK! MAYBE SOMEONE HERE CAN MAKE A BETTER MOUSE TRAP!

Just a thought.

 

[LBARTLETT]

Great write up, thanks for sharing

 

[BCarterCTD]

Lumbar Adjuster Repair

Thanks very much for a great post!

Job was very easy as result of pictures and details you provided.

My wife was actually at her local fabric shop today so I had her have foam cut for the modification you suggested and it works perfectly.

 

[Kry226]

Now as soon as I write this, I'll start having issues, but my adjuster is still going strong. One thing I always do, though, is during adjustment, I always lean forward and ensure that I am not putting any of my own weight on the adjuster.



I crank, then lean back to see if it's the support I'm looking for at the time. Rinse, lather, repeat.

 

[JDiehl]

Great post and pics to boot!



Thanks FF 2000

 

[Dave04]

Nice. Thanks

 

[MChrist]

Did yours "snap!" when it broke? Mine snapped and hasn't worked since. I actually forgot it was broken until I read this post!

 

[Dave04]

LOL its been over two years. I dont remember. I'm going to check the teeth first.

 

[Sandflea]

Glad I found this again. Mine snapped a couple of weeks ago, and since I had read this post when it started, I knew immediately what happened. Now to start pulling the seat apart when the snow melts. Thanks for the great write-up.

 

[LBARTLETT]

mine broke 2 weeks ago in my wife's megacab, now I know the part to order and how to fix it, thanks and this type of post is what makes tdr so great

 

[MZahn]

Thank you! Great info! Mine has been broke for about 4 years. Went to dealer soon after for parts and said forget it after they told me the price. Bookmarked for later.