Standard seat recline mechanism

[Florence the Komet]

Update#2: 8mm Allen key has removed the only obviously removable aspect of the side plate.
Also, as one side’s bolt was loose, before I did this I tightened up both sides first in case this fixed the wobble problem - it didn’t. It seems whilst the bolt helps hold the upper and lower parts of the seat together, this is not the pivot point.
So, next issue is that removing said bolt has not removed side plate, which appears to be attached elsewhere. It looks like it MAY be an integral part of the lower seat base. That or I need to knock it off with a hammer. So I still can’t get at the actual tilt mechanism.
If the side plate is integral to lower seat frame how do I get to the mechanism behind it?
And if the plate is not integral how do I release it?
Any further guidance before I start randomly hitting it?!



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[Aidan]

looking at the parts catalogue the base of the seat and the back are attached with the allen head bolts and a special pin pin that looks suspiciously like a special rivet but maybe not it connects the tube that spans the base and which has the notched mechanism on tube, and how the spring bar connects isn't at all clear spring bar
But the procedure for removing the back is detailed in Bentley manual 72.2, the spring bar end needs prying out and then can be withdrawn, unbolt the seat rails from the bottom and the back comes off
once apart you should be able to work out what is bodged, looks like the non original bolt is doing the job of the special pin

[Florence the Komet]

Amazing answer, thanks Aidan!

Though ‘hitting it with a hammer’ would have been a bit easier. I shall reflect on all this and decide whether it’s worth trying to sort or whether I just live with a wobbly and mostly-unadjustable backrest.


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[Florence the Komet]

Update #3:
Thanks to Aidan’s post and the Bentley manual I’ve decided to take the seat apart. I thought I’d update as there’s very few pics of the mechanism on the internet that I could find…

So you need to pry this spring bar out, as well as undoing the big Allen bolt either side, and the two small Allen bolts on either runner underneath…

Which then pulls out like this, out of interest:


The side plate is actually attached to the runner, who’d have thought?!

So the recline mechanism is indeed attached to the bar as per Aidan’s link above:


With the spring catch that slots into it being on the back of the side plate:

Mine was all gunked up, and so wasn’t travelling the full movement. This most likely is actually the culprit for both my problems - not fully engaging and (I suspect) the wobbly back (if the teeth were only half engaged). So I’ve given it a good lithium grease. I suspect I could have done this without taking it apart. But it’s interesting to see how it works. I’ll give it a good clean whilst apart. Also I’ve ordered two replacement pins, to see if I can get rid of those two non-original bolts. But I don’t know how that will go, or if indeed they are causing a problem…


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[Florence the Komet]

Update #4:
Ok so I’ve received the two replacement pins, to try swap out the two non-original bolts. Out of interest they look like this

Does anyone have any experience of these? Is there another half to ‘receive’ it?
As it just sits in the gap like this:

It may be that the metal has worn loose and it used to be a tight fit? But I suspect it will quickly work loose as is…


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[multisi]

The small end of the pin should fit tight into the inner hole , maybe it was drilled out to put the bolt through.

[Florence the Komet]

Multisi thank you for clarifying.

That makes sense. Ok, well I’ll be sticking with the existing bolts then. I’ll reassemble and see how helpful my lubrication actually has been!


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[davidoft1]

I think it’s a rivet that needs peening over

[Aidan]

I don't have any original seats or I'd take one apart and investigate for you.......

[multisi]

Multisi thank you for clarifying.

That makes sense. Ok, well I’ll be sticking with the existing bolts then. I’ll reassemble and see how helpful my lubrication actually has been!


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It needs to have the factory pins installed, that part of the mechanism should be able to move easily, having that bolt head sticking out isnt good, look how thin the wide end of those new pins are !  get some one to weld the inner hole edge then file it to make a tight fit.