General 2013 Fiat 500 = Passenger Seat Release Cable Failed

[Bondidan]

Hi,

I have right hand drive 2013 Fiat 500 POP.

When I lift the Release Handle on the Passenger Seat the seat folds forward but does not move forward on the tracks.

I 'opened' the front seat and removed the plastic shelf and revealed the cable.

I see the cable has failed.

Anyone know what this Cable is called and is there a video on how to replace this?

Thanks in advance !

Regards,

Dan

 

[chris3234]

@typecastboy you ever done one of these?

 

[typecastboy]

@typecastboy you ever done one of these?

Absolutely not. As I've taken quite a few seats apart these things are an absolute pig of a job. I wouldn't even attempt.

 

[porta]

I have attempted to do one on a Clio and a Cinq and, as @typecastboy says, they are an absolute pig and, by the end, I had more ‘second skin’ than my own skin as I was cut to ribbons.
Best get the whole seat out and remove as much of the fabric, padding and trim as you can and then see if you can actually thread anything through the steel tubes, on the cinq I was forcing the openings larger with a drift, on the Clio I gave up. If you can’t do that then there’s no way you’ll get the kinked cable end’s through.
I have the advantage of cable repair kit, (much like breakdown companies have, to make up ‘get me home cables’), so I went that route by passing the cable through and then crimping the connectors on in situ and I still bled like a vampire banquet

 

[typecastboy]

I usually try and source a seat and dismantle the old one for bits and dump the rest. It's not worth the grief.

 

[John202020]

Will the seat move for aft pulling up the bar at the front as you would normally sitting in the seat? If yes then use two hands one on the seat latch one on the front release?

 

[Bondidan]

Thanks everyone.

I can pull the lever at the front of seat and move it forward/backward so it is basically operational.

The cable frayed at the 90 degree corner - it runs from the actuating bracket, through 90 degree turn and in the middle of the seat the cable enters some sort of tube/casing.

On the weekend I will look at the tube/casing - maybe it is a junction point between two cables?

I will report my findings on Sunday.

Thanks again for your interest and help.

Dan

 

[John202020]

Do you think you could "repair" the cable using some bicycle brake cable? Shorten if possible the black covering running along the seat frame and add an extension piece also cutting down the other part not quite sure how to join the two ends maybe a bolt with a hole in it and nut to crimp? Assuming that the outer plays little part other than covering.
It's poor design a 90 degree bend like that, if Japanese it would at least been a nice curve or simply the other side so the cable went straight along in?

 

[Bondidan]

I had a look today - nothing is accessible.

I pulled the spring unit out and it can't be dis-assembled.

No use putting it back so I cut it out and threw in the bin.

We can still slide seat back and forward with handle at front = all good

Pics attached.

Regards,

Dan

 

[John202020]

I would still have tried shortening the flexible section after the spring assembly in order to access the snapped inner cable?