Drivers side power seat will not move forward or back

[zablalbaz]

Hey All,

I have a 2006 Ford Expedition Ltd and I love it! I've had it for 8 years now, and I plan on driving it until it dies. But my driver side power seat just stopped moving forward and back. Everything else still works. Lumbar, tilt, etc. It's just the moving closer to and away from the steering wheel that is broke. When I use the switch on the seat to try and move it forward or back, all I get is a one-time soft "click" sound and no movement.

Dealer just quoted me $2000 to fix it. I think they said it needs a whole new seat track assembly? I'm calling bs on that and I think it can probably be fixed with just a new "Seat Back Motor." But I'm not exactly sure which motor to get. When I go to fordparts, I see about a dozen different "Seat Back Motor" parts listed. All part numbers seem to be a variant of "14547A" or "14547C" but I can't really tell which I need.

Does anyone know how I can tell which part I need to purchase? I've seen a few videos on youtube now, and I think this is a fairly easy thing to replace. But I really want to make sure I get the right part.

Thanks!

 

[zablalbaz]

Just got back from picking up my Expedition from the dealer. Here is what the diagnostic write up says:

"Performed diagnostics and found that power was going to the Forward/aft seat track motor, however the motor would not run the track. The motor is only available with the track (and vice versa) which in turn only comes with the seat frame assembly."

The seat frame assembly is quoted as part# AS1331.201331.20 - $1,331.20

Then there is the dealer labor PLUS they have to send the vehicle to another shop for Upholstery repair/install afterwards. Apparently there is going to be some sort of damage to the leather upholstery or there will be a need for some special tools to get the leather back on the seat correctly.

So, all told, about $2,000 to get this fixed by the dealer.

I'm wondering if I can take the seat out, and check out the track myself? If the motor is getting power, but not running the track per the diagnostic write up, that might suggest that there could be something wrong with the track? Could it be bent or maybe have something lodged in it to keep it from working?

I asked the dealer this question, and they told me that they would have to remove the seat to investigate that. So I'm guessing that after they deduced the motor was getting juice, they stopped troubleshooting and decided that they would have to replace the whole thing?

Anyone else ever deal with anything similar to this situation?

Thanks!

 

[stamp11127]

I looked at the wiring diagrams for the driver seat. It uses a "standard" dc motor instead of a dc stepper motor. That means you may be a to disassemble and clean the brushes & commutator once you have access to it. Plus depending on how it is mounted, a junk yard motor be be a viable alternative to buying new.

 

[zablalbaz]

The motor really isn't all that expensive to buy new. I've seen it listed on several sites now for less then $200. And the dealer tested it yesterday and said it was working - or at least getting power and trying to work. I'm going to take the seat out of the car and see if I can take a closer look. My hope is the track is bent or there is something in it that is keeping the motor from moving it.

 

[stamp11127]

Think what you want but these are designed to hold "big ol boys/girls". The track is made of a heavy gauge steel - not going to bend unless in an accident.

I doubt they pulled pulled the connector on the motor and tested it....since they said it gets power, what about the ground? A bad ground will stop it in its tracks. Did they test the ground?

 

[zablalbaz]

Yeah... I have the seat off now, and see what you mean. There is nothing bent, and nothing in the tracks. I can see the three motors. Two at the sides which I believe are the tilt and raise/lower motors. Then one at the front which is in the middle and has a bar that connects to each track. I can see that bar try move and "flex" a little when I engage the switch. You think the motor could be bad and I could try replacing it? I'm going to try taking it off next and see how hard that is. So far, none of this has been too difficult, but the seat is heavy and kind of tough to man handle around.

 

[zablalbaz]

Motor up at the front is definitely the one that does the work. When I unplug that one on the passenger seat, it stops moving forward or backword.

The motor on the driver side seat that isn't working gets hot to the touch too after I try using it a couple times. I'm going to try taking it out now and see if I can do something with it. If nothing else, maybe I can yank the motor from the passenger side and use it.

 

[zablalbaz]

Okay. More information here. Hopefully this helps someone who reads this later!

The motor that moves the seat back and forward is a small, black cylinder, and is mounted to a bar under the front middle of the seat. On either side of the motor are two flexible, square "rods" that look a little like springs. These rods are in sleeves that keep them from getting dirty I assume. But they go from either side of the motor to two little metal boxes labeled "IMS GEAR" that sit in the tracks that allow the seat to move forward and back. The IMS GEAR boxes sit on top of two very long screws that I also assume are rotated by the gears to move the seat back or forwards depending on which direction I push the switch.

When I remove the motor from the mount, and pull these rods out of the IMS GEAR boxes and turn on the power, the rods spin around very rapidly for about 2 seconds and then the motor shuts off by itself. They will rotate both forward and back depending on which direction I push the switch on the seat. But they only spin for 2 seconds, then the motor shuts off. I have to push the switch again to get the motor to turn back on. I am not sure if this is by design or if it means the motor is burnt out.

By comparison, if I push the switch on the passenger seat, the motor will continue to move the seat forward or back until I release the switch. It does not cut off after two seconds by itself.

Furthermore, when I mount the driver side seat motor back onto its bracket, and put the rods back into the IMS GEAR boxes, the motor "sticks" when I turn on the switch. I can see the flexible rods "bend" a little in their housing when I push the switch, but they are obviously unable to make the seat move on the track.

Unfortunately, I don't know what all this means yet. Could the motor be burnt out and maybe not be generating enough torque to allow the gear boxes to turn the screws under the seat? Could one or both of the IMS gears be frozen somehow? I don't know how to test them. I'll try to find an Allen wrench that is small enough to stick in the hole of a gear box. Maybe I can use that to see if they are turning correctly.

More to follow!

 

[zablalbaz]

I've uploaded a picture of the bottom of my seat in case anyone is interested. In this picture, the motor that moves the seat forward and back is at the top in the middle. Not sure if this will work though.

 

[stamp11127]

The motor is worn out, time for another or if the passenger motor is the same use it until you can replace it.

 

[zablalbaz]

I agree. I took the motor apart and it was full of rust and dust. Very simple electromagnet type motor and easy to work on. I blew it out with canned air and put it back together and it started moving the seat again. Still only get 2 seconds though before it shuts off. I'm going to order a new motor and replace it before it stops working altogether.

I'm really upset at the dealer for trying to sell me a whole new seat frame for this. Seems like with a little more effort - probably a lot less effort then I had to go through - they could have easily figured this out. Nobody goes the extra mile anymore to take care of their customers. It's a shame too, because this dealer has always been very reliable. Guess I may have to look elsewhere for my service needs if I am going to drive my Expedition into the dirt like I plan to.

Thanks for pointing me in the right direction - great advice!

 

[razrback]

Hi, I just replaced the motor in my 2003, not difficult. Do a search for Ford TSB 05-18-14. Not exactly for your car, but should give you an idea where to start.

 

[fdoval]

It sounds crazy...but it works: My 2003 Expedition seat was doing the same thing and somewhere I read that jumping up and down on the seat 4-5 times fixes the problem...I thought it was a joke but I tried it and it works!! It still stops working about once every 3 months but 5 jumps is a lot cheaper than $2K!!! try it...

 

[zablalbaz]

fdoval,

I bet when you jump up and down on the seat that you are jolting the motor and moving the accumulated dust around in the motor that I referred to in my last update. When I took my motor apart, and blew the dust out with canned air, it started moving my seat again. My problem is that the motor only gives me about two seconds of work before it shuts down. I also took the motor out from under the passenger seat and used it under the driver seat as a test. Works perfectly. So I believe that the motor under the driver seat is failing. I got confirmation from the dealer today that the following part# on fordparts.com is the correct replacement:

14547A - Seat Back Motor. Horizontal Adjustment, Motor and Bracket, Service kit.

Cost is $360 so I may just wait for the old motor to die completely before I buy the replacement.