Help! Seats moving by themselves!

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Rooster - 11 Nov 2007 06:34 GMT

I'm new to this group. I just bought a 1984 300sd this
week in very good condition except for one thing.
When driving last night, the drivers seat started moving
all by itself. All the way back, then scrunching me toward
the steering wheel. I was able to override the problem
by manually using the switches on the door.

Also, my dash lights seem dim.

I'll start to look for a short tomorrow.

In the meantime, where is the fuse for the seat
so that I can remove and disable the problem?
It's unsafe to drive right now.

Is there a likely place to start looking for the short?

Thanks in advance,
Jeff

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The Spanish Inquisition - 11 Nov 2007 15:52 GMT

> I'm new to this group. I just bought a 1984 300sd this
> week in very good condition except for one thing.
[quoted text clipped - 12 lines]
>
> Is there a likely place to start looking for the short?

I'd get rid of her, quickly... ;)

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0085333/

Ximinez

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Our three weapons are fear, surprise, and ruthless efficiency...
and an almost fanatical devotion to the Pope....
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runbiodiesel - 12 Nov 2007 08:20 GMT

> I'm new to this group. I just bought a 1984 300sd this
> week in very good condition except for one thing.
[quoted text clipped - 15 lines]
> Thanks in advance,
> Jeff

I have no answer and I realize the problem is real, but this is the
funniest problem I've read about here. Something about the image of
having the seat moving back and forth on it's own sounds like a gag
set up. I might keep it as is for the entertainment value. Just loan
it out a lot and watch the fun!

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Dori A Schmetterling - 12 Nov 2007 15:50 GMT

Rotating knob to change brightness? (Probably two knobs; this could be on
left.)

DAS

For direct replies replace nospam with schmetterling
---
[...]

> Also, my dash lights seem dim.

[...]

> Jeff

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Kurt Steinhauser - 12 Nov 2007 18:04 GMT

> I'm new to this group. I just bought a 1984 300sd this week in very
> good condition except for one thing. When driving last night, the
[quoted text clipped - 3 lines]
>
> Also, my dash lights seem dim.

Hi Rooster,
I'm sorry to say that I don't have a clue about the mysterious seat
adventure.

However, the dash light dimness is most likely old age. If the rheostat
on the left side of the dash panel doesn't brighten or dim it, you
probalby will want to replace the bulbs. There are instructions at
http://articles.mbz.org/instrument/renew/ that pertain to renewing the
dash cluster that will be your best resource.

HtH,

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Cheers, Kurt

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weelliott@gmail.com - 14 Nov 2007 12:56 GMT

If you think they look dim, then you probably have them at maximum
brightness. If you think that they are not working, then they are
probably weak. They are just really dim by design. People have tried
LEDs with success, but if you do make sure you know how to wire them
properly.

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tballx - 29 Nov 2007 13:45 GMT

Truly I am stunned. I also have a 1984 300SD and after bringing i
back from the repair shop for a few minor repairs THE EXACT SAM
THING HAPPENED. Remove fuse number 15 to stop the seat. You'll los
trunk light, dash warning light, courtesy cabin light, antenn
raise/lower and a few other non critical items. If you find out wha
it is let me know. I am sure my shop goofed up and did something bu
I am stumped as to what could've happened
FixExpert.com - Automotive Repair Wiki
http://www.FixExpert.com

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Rooster - 01 Dec 2007 16:34 GMT

On Nov 29, 5:45 am, tsb...@gmail-dot-com.no-spam.invalid (tballx)
wrote:

> Truly I am stunned. I also have a 1984 300SD and after bringing it
> back from the repair shop for a few minor repairs THE EXACT SAME
[quoted text clipped - 4 lines]
> I am stumped as to what could've happened.
> FixExpert.com - Automotive Repair Wikihttp://www.FixExpert.com

Hi,
What I did to fix the problem was to get into the driver's door panel
and to unplug the seat preset buttons (1/2). My guess was that the
seat was somehow trying to find a preset position and there was a
short somewhere. My problem happened when it was raining.

I also replaced the old plastic covering inside the door panel with
new
plastic sheeting and put some silicone here and there to try and
waterproof the inside. The problem hasn't come back, but I'm
still waiting for it to rain to see if it's fixed. Thanks for the tip
on
the fuse. Now I'll know which one to pull out if I get caught in a
rainstorm and Christine raises her ugly head again!!

Jeff

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