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Stock XJ Cherokee Tech. All XJ Non-modified/stock questions go hereXJ (84-01)
All OEM related XJ specific tech. Examples, no start, general maintenance or anything that's stock.
Will post a picture soon. Just looking at the front of mine where it meets the floor looks different than everything there. Maybe I have too much crud and fuzz on the floor, but I can't even find any bolt heads attaching it to the floor.
Well they could be.
Had a '96 about 8 years ago but never messed with the seats.
What I think I know is from seat swap threads I have read over the years.
Where they fail like mine did, and how to bend it back and weld it. Also, in a couple of other videos, looks like the fancy-pants Grand Cherokee seats can bolt in too.
Now to figure out how to reinforce some junkyard seats without welding, if I find them.
Do the Grand Cherokee seats bust all their welds as easily as the XJ seats, or are they more durable? They have a compatible hole pattern in the base to XJ seats.
No, they break just as often. Although, because some of them have a "dead pedal" to rest your left foot against and steady yourself, it happens less often. I think all jeep seats mount on the same 4 studs in the same pattern as well. I have an XJ driver's seat in my WJ and it bolted right to my seat base perfectly. The deal with that one was the door-side thigh bolster broke from sitting on it to get in and out. Driver's and passenger's seat bolt pattern is offset so the won't swap side.
No, they break just as often. Although, because some of them have a "dead pedal" to rest your left foot against and steady yourself, it happens less often. I think all jeep seats mount on the same 4 studs in the same pattern as well. I have an XJ driver's seat in my WJ and it bolted right to my seat base perfectly. The deal with that one was the door-side thigh bolster broke from sitting on it to get in and out. Driver's and passenger's seat bolt pattern is offset so the won't swap side.
In one of the videos I shared here, I have the same weld breaks that he welded up. In another of those videos, it showed the Grand Cherokee seats having an extra plate across the bottom. The images cruiser54 posted don't look like the seats I have. Mine look like the ones in the seat swap video with springs across the bottom.
Guess when I look over seats at Pull-A-Part the only thing I can do is pull them back and forth and see if I can find one without anything broken yet. If that doesn't work, guess I need to peel mine open and take it to a welder.
Pictures to come soon. At the Knoxville Pull-A-Part, found a pretty nice electric vinyl/leather seat in a Grand Cherokee about 2001 vintage I think. Got it out, just the seat none of the other stuff below it. Ended up having to cut the wires to the switches with mini-Leatherman scissors. Underside is really nice just some surface rust. Getting my hands in there to loosen the four nuts was probably the biggest problem, and I used a 1/4" drive ratchet with a 13mm regular height socket. Scrubbed that up with Simple Green and water at the house, let it dry all day in the sun.
This AM I dug into getting my seat out. It was held on by two nuts, the seat had ripped clear of the rest and one was almost ripped clear. Lots of twisted and torn steel under there. No way this is getting welded back together. Had to use 13mm deep well socket, because the stud head sits that much prouder of the nuts on mine than a newer one. Saw signs of blue Locktite on the studs after I got the nuts off.
Good thing I kept the nuts from the new seat, they have a wider shoulder and grab a better perch. If I can find some even wider hardened steel washers I will add those. Maybe that little bit is the difference, because there are no signs of deformation of the frame in that seat. Bonus: They had a seat sale so it was 50% off, returns are for replacement only no store credit. Cost $22, including a breather tube and some intake hose clamps.
After I get the big plastic side piece off with the switches in it, will clean out the grime of 23 years under there and mount this one. Wondering if there is some actual good vinyl/leather repair goop out there to skookum this up a bit.
Pictures to come soon. At the Knoxville Pull-A-Part, found a pretty nice electric vinyl/leather seat in a Grand Cherokee about 2001 vintage I think. Got it out, just the seat none of the other stuff below it. Ended up having to cut the wires to the switches with mini-Leatherman scissors. Underside is really nice just some surface rust. Getting my hands in there to loosen the four nuts was probably the biggest problem, and I used a 1/4" drive ratchet with a 13mm regular height socket. Scrubbed that up with Simple Green and water at the house, let it dry all day in the sun.
This AM I dug into getting my seat out. It was held on by two nuts, the seat had ripped clear of the rest and one was almost ripped clear. Lots of twisted and torn steel under there. No way this is getting welded back together. Had to use 13mm deep well socket, because the stud head sits that much prouder of the nuts on mine than a newer one. Saw signs of blue Locktite on the studs after I got the nuts off.
Good thing I kept the nuts from the new seat, they have a wider shoulder and grab a better perch. If I can find some even wider hardened steel washers I will add those. Maybe that little bit is the difference, because there are no signs of deformation of the frame in that seat. Bonus: They had a seat sale so it was 50% off, returns are for replacement only no store credit. Cost $22, including a breather tube and some intake hose clamps.
After I get the big plastic side piece off with the switches in it, will clean out the grime of 23 years under there and mount this one. Wondering if there is some actual good vinyl/leather repair goop out there to skookum this up a bit.
Been there trying to get them nuts off so you can separate the seat from the base. Had to do the same once with the seat still in the Jeep too.
Ratcheting wrenches helped for me.
Saddlesoap and neetsfoot oil used on leather harnesses and saddles work great. Rub the neetsfoot oil in real well, then buff it to get the excess off. It worked real well on my 62 Chrysler 300 seats.
Ralph77, ended up having to get my first set of box end ratcheting wrenches to get this stuff tightened down proper. The 13mm Craftsman sockets I have are too shallow for the studs in my Jeep, and too tall for the fancy-pants Grande Cherokee seat. Harbor Freight 20something bucks, and another free LED flashlight.
Leaving the big plastic door-side guard with the switches on, it covers up the hardware for the reclining back of seat.
Saw some guy's video where he said the hole and stud pattern was 11.5" square. Nope. 11" wide, 14" front to back. And getting this seat on all four studs at the same time was the longest, most annoying bit of everything. After finally setting it on all four studs proper, had to keep holding it from tipping over and coming off a console-side stud. First time I set it and tightened the front two nuts, the seat wasn't even over those holes.
After driving it over to HF, and hopefully settling the seat in, tightened all four nuts again with the box end. Right rear, closest to console, was a good 1/4"+ away from fully tight. That's the **** fer dolly. 13mm swivel head ratcheting box end wrench from Harbor Freight. Nuts from my Jeep on top row, nuts from the donor Grand Cherokee below. Used the bottom row for install. Old seat. Seems beyond welding to me.
