mully62

Hi All, this is my first post, so I'm crossing my fingers...

The passenger seat recliner has stopped working. It may have something to do with a coffee cup getting stuck under the seat recently - or not.

Forward/back and headrest functions work fine. Seat recliner does not operate using memory functions. I've checked and replaced the fuses in the trunk panel and also checked the one under the hood (#17 I think). All fuses are and were good. When I activate the switch on the door I don't hear any clicking, whirring or anything at all. Visual inspection under the seat shows no loose or broken wires.
I'm thinking that my next step will be to disconnect all wires under the seay, spray with contact cleaner and reattach, but I'm first hoping that there might be something simple that I'm overlooking. Can anyone help with knowledge of this ailment? Thanks!

mguerrero

sounds like a motor - just a tip - if you do disconnect it make sure the car is off and the key is OUT of ignition otherwise you may get an airbag error

mully62

Thank you mguerrero. I'm just wondering if there would be any value in first cleaning the electrical connections under the seat with contact cleaner, and if so, which connections activate the motor for the recline function? Also, do you happen to know which of the 3 motors operates the recline? In your opinion, is a motor replacement something that a regular person (with some mechanical aptitude) could tackle?
Your comments are greatly appreciated.

MarcusF

There are three motors under the seat; forward/aft, up/down, and what you hope is the recliner. I don’t think it’s the center motor, because I’m pretty sure that moves it fore/aft. If it were me, I would press the fore/aft switch while watching the motors, then press the up/down button while watching the motors. Lastly, I’d press the recline button while watching the motors. The motor that didn’t move, it's guilty by association. If it comes out like the fore/aft motor, you’ll need a T25 driver to remove the bolts. If you don’t own a T25, Sears and many other tool stores have them. Or order one on Amazon for $4 and it’ll probably arrive before the motor.

Swapping a motor is about a 30 minute job. Although someone may chime in, call me a slow moving old man, and say it’s a 15 minute job. Others may say they tried all weekend and couldn't get the motor out or back in. It all depends. That's why I can't say whether you personally can swap a motor. Some can, some can't

Nope. I don't know the part number. When you pull it and confirm it died due to being clubbed with a coffee mug you'll have the number. Please post the number because the next guy who's date somehow wedges her heel under the seat and fries the motor may want to know.

mully62

Thanks for this strategy, and the picture of the fancy shoes. I just did a quick check of the price for the motor alone and if I'm not mistaken it was over $500 U.S. I think that the seat may not be reclining any time soon... I've been throwing a lot of cash at this car lately (tires/brakes/air flow and crankshaft position sensors), and since traffic in Vancouver never, ever moves faster than 20 miles an hour I'm starting to rethink the merits of this fast, but severely underutilized vehicle. Anyone need a 2002 clk55 with 74,000km (44,000 miles)?

jkiddd33

I got my seat motor for a couple hundred from the dealer

MarcusF

A 12 year old car that's expensive to maintain, gets lousy fuel economy, the seat is busted, and the car has seen snow (some of us in So Cal use that to drive the price down) . . . . . . . . hmmmm . . . . . . . . I'm almost tempted to "help you out" with some outrageous low ball offer.

In all seriousness, it's probably an inexpensive fix. The under seat motors were in the $125 range when I last looked. There is a motor "in the seat" that costs $500, but I don't know if that's the one you're referring to. If it's that one, buy a seat from a recycler and pull the motor.

If you sell it, would you really be as happy with whatever the replacement turns out to be? I know girl who was perfectly happy with her mode of transportation until she took a ride in a couple of cars with me. A short while later, she decided to dump her Honda. There was nothing wrong with her Honda, its just that she noticed the dash was made of some ultra cheap plastic, the hi fi was cheap, the seats were cheap, the door panels were cheap, the paint was cheap, the steering wheel was cheap, the HVAC was cheap, in fact, everything in the car looked like a high school project whose sole intent was to save money. She replaced it with a Benz. We can always buy something cheaper.

mully62

Here's the latest on my seat problem (sort of). I took the Mercedes into my local mazda dealership to see what its trade value is and the answer: $10,500. Here in Vancouver there is so much foreign money inflowing that all anyone wants is a brand new Mercedes. Anything older is practically worthless. For all of you out there looking for a deal, Vancouver Canada is THE place to buy a used Mercedes! So, this is actually really good news for me. It is a lot easier to roll up my sleeves, unlock the tool chest and get working on a $10,000 car than it would be on a $25,000 car. Did I metion that the local dealerships' shop rate is $360/hour!! So, I'm buying a friend's Xterra this week which will be my backup ride for when I've got the Merc apart, and I'll post the resolution for the seat fix as I get to it. Weird psychology, though, that I like this CLK55 a lot more now that I know its not worth all that much. Hmmm...

gottspd

360/hour??? WOW! That's stunning. Good luck with the fix!