Power Seat problem

[JDunmyer]

2001 Ram w/ 6-way(?) power seats.

I ran the front of the seat "up" a ways and it won't go back down. Naturally, in playing with it, I got it even further "up", to the point that I had to run it forward so I could easily reach the clutch pedal. Unfortunately, I was on the road, a couple hundred miles from home, mulling this problem, when the NV5600 transmission locked up, causing the rear wheels to actually slide as I came to a stop alongside the road. That part is being taken care of, I should have a re-manned Jasper transmission installed in the next week or so. However, I'm not looking forward to driving home with the seat jacked up in front. From reading some threads, it appears as though the seat mechanism is problematic, but is there any way to get it cranked back down, considering that I'm away from my shop?

Thanks in advance!! <<Jim>>

 

[BigPapa]

To get you home, you can remove the seat pad where you can see the motor, remove that motor and manually crank it back down, then put the motor back on.

 

[JDunmyer]

What does it take to remove the seat pad?

 

[BigPapa]

Four 6mm bolts, 10mm head. The rear ones can go in two or three different holes. Take note of which ones they’re in. You may get by just removing the two in the front, reclining the seat back, and lifting the seat bottom up without removing the rear bolts.

 

[JDunmyer]

Scott,
Thanks! I have nearly every tool known to man (<<grin>>), but will be 200 miles from home and my shop. I'll take an assortment of stuff with me when my cousin takes me to the truck, including a 10mm wrench and socket. Hopefully, I'll have enough.

I might call the transmission shop and see if he can crank the seat down, he'll have the tools and the charge can't be THAT much on top of the bill for the transmission.

Thanks again for the help!!

 

[brucejohnson]

I had a similar issue with my 98.5 and 02. In both cases it was the seat switch that cured the problem.
If you could get ahold of a wiring diagram you could figure which wires to jump to see if you can reposition the seat...or just try a new switch.

 

[JDunmyer]

I'll see what I can find as far as a wiring diagram. My problem is that I hate working "in the field". It seems that nearly every job I do proves the rule of "the face-down roller cabinet". IE: might as well dump the entire roller cabinet onto the floor, because that's where all the tools will wind up eventually. Even supposedly "simple" jobs turn out that way.

 

[BigPapa]

 

[BigPapa]

OR.....

 

[brucejohnson]

Thanks Scott!

Questions for JDunmyer:

1. Does the rear of the seat go up and down?
2. Does the front of the seat only go up?
3. How does the seat work using the UP and DOWN switches - the one that controls the whole seat, not just the front or rear tilt features?

If the main UP/DOWN switch has no effect try:
Unscrew the seat trim which holds the switch
Remove the electrical connector from the switch pack
To lower the front of the seat jump cavity B (-) to cavity M for ground, and cavity A (+) to cavity N for power...switch M and N to reverse direction.

DO NOT attempt to do any jumping while leaving the switch connected as all the switches are grounded in their normally closed positions which will cause all the smelly, magic smoke that the engineers designed into the wiring harness to rapidly leak out, sometimes with a light show and a big bang...or a blown fuse or popped circuit breaker, if lucky.

 

[JDunmyer]

I'll try to print out this entire thread and take it along.

I didn't test all functions, just the F/R to run the seat forward so I could easily operate the pedals. If worse comes to worst, I can drive it the way it is, as I already drove it 100 or so miles after the seat failure, before the transmission puked its guts. Will see how easy it is to fix 'in the field", if it's a real job, I'll just drive 'er 250 miles home.

Thanks again, fellas!!

 

[BigPapa]

Well, what did you end up finding?

 

[JDunmyer]

Didn't get a chance to really look at it. Got to the transmission shop Friday afternoon, drove the truck and requested the owner to replace the Jasper transmission. The shift lever was "sticky", IE: wouldn't self-center, had lots of friction. So, I left the truck and am hoping to pick it up on 10/1. Only problem with that is that Oct. 1 is a "religious holiday" for the shop owner, IE first day of Deer Season. Am not sure if he'll accommodate me or not.

He knew there was a problem and had no argument, he had even driven the truck 30 miles to see if it'd loosen up. Sooo.....

 

[BigPapa]

Well, I have resisted till now, but I would not have gone with the Jasper. A stock rebuild with a few Goerend parts, a valve body, and torque converter would be my recommendation. Mine has served me very well for the past 200K miles. Hope you get a good one.

 

[JDunmyer]

Scott,
It's a 6-speed manual, NV5600, so no valve body. The truck is at a transmission shop 200 miles from home, so I'm kinda at the mercy of the shop; fortunately, local folks who I know give high marks to the guy. The Jasper also has a 3-year, 100,000 mile warranty, although I'll never see it; I drove the truck about 2500 miles in the last 3 years.

 

[BigPapa]

Ahh...

For some reason I thought it was an auto.....

 

[Matt42]

Ahh...

For some reason I thought it was an auto.....

I admit also giving that a double-take and a re-read. I had thought at first that Jasper only did automatics.

 

[JDunmyer]

Got the truck home and am working on the seat. On the way home, I hit the front "Down" switch and the seat went down. (!) ONCE; it would work again. When I began fooling with it at home, i found that the Front, Rear, and Lumbar switches all would go "Up", but none would go "Down". The F/R switch works normally. I finally got the plug off the switch pack and checked it out with the continuity function of my DVM. they seem OK. BUT! switching to the resistance function shows a low resistance, 1.5 ohms or so in the Down position, .9 ohms in the Up position. I tried getting some Corrosion-X into the thing, but no help; I've had very good luck with that stuff on bad electrical connections.

Did the junpering as suggested above and lo and behold, the up/down works, both front and rear! That seems to indicate that the switch is bad. Called my local NAPA store and they can supposedly get the switch for the NON-heated seat, but not the heated one (which I have). Dunno what the difference would be for the seat position switch, but.... Will call the local dealers on Monday to see if I can locate a new switch.

 

[JDunmyer]

Update: I ordered a switch from Geno's Garage; they had no choice between one for heated seats or non-heated seats. Having a few extra minutes today, I drilled 2 small holes in the bottom of the switch assembly and squirted in some Corrosion-X. Let it sit upside-down for a few minutes and worked all the switches, then plugged it for a test.

Everything works! I'll probably keep the new switch, maybe even install it, but I sure wish I'd tried the C-X first. I HAD squirted some on the back side, hoping that it would find its way into the switch, but that was unsuccessful, shoulda drilled the holes first thing.

FWIW: I bought a gallon of Corrosion-X years ago, and have been using it ever since. My original purchase was because of a recommendation from a fella who worked on outboard motors, specifically ones used in salt water, Back in about 2001, I had a 1994 Dodge CTD 2WD that had a pulsating brake pedal. After trowing parts at it, the thing finally lit the "Brake" light on the dash and the code indicated speed sensor on the differential. It turned out that the previous owner had dislodged some of the under-bed wiring when installing a gooseneck hitch and one of the plug connectors was hanging down where road grime could hit it. I unplugged the connector, squirted in some C-X and all was well. (!) The pulsation was the anti-skid mechanism used on 2WD p/u's at the time, no pump, just a valve arrangement on the rear axle brakes

Unlike WD-40, Corrosion-X is a lubricant. I often use it where a very light viscosity lube is called for, plus general use as a penetrating oil. Yes, I know that the discussion of penetrating oil is a religious issue, and I do also use other products for that purpose. I have no financial interest in the company that produces C-X and have only purchased that single gallon, probably 20 years ago. Gave a quart each to a couple of friends and still have a bit left, likely enough to last me until the end. Just did a quick search and found that a gallon costs a bit over $100.00; IIRC, I paid about $90.00 20 years ago. I put it in a small squeeze bottle for use.

Thanks again for the expert help!

 

[fest3er]

Another reason the power seat might not work. On my '98, the wires to the motor(s) had chafed against the seat frame and shorted to it. Easy way to tell if the wires are shorted: wet your finger and briefly touch the relay in the fuse block in the side of the dash. If it's hot, you likely have a short circuit.

As to the switch, I'll have to try some contact cleaner or some such. Maybe that'll make the up/down controls work properly again.