Dumb question about seats. I acquired a new interior cheap. my old drivers seat was broken down and leaning to the left when i bought the jeep and have just been dealing with it. came across a cheap interior (free) that has been completely re-upholstered. looks new only problem is there is no lever on the side to tilt the seat back. doesnt matter much to me but the wife likes to lean the seat back. did jeep put in seats that do not tilt or did they just cover up the spot where the lever goes when they recovered the seats? just curious before i start cutting to find the lever spot.

 

What year XJ did the new seats come out of. In either 93 or 94 the floor pan was changed and the seat mounts will not interchange.

 

Before you start slicing upholstery, feel and press through the side where the lever would be. See if you can feel a post or cavity under there.

It could be you have gotten some base model seats that did not have the optional recliners built in.

 

the seats are from an 85 i believe. its the same base as what i have now.

 

i have never seen one with out that lever.
question: is your seat broken just were you sit or is it
the back rest?

 

Since they were reupholstered, the shop may have removed the lever and never got around to reinstalling it after the job.

Thats why I suggested feeling around for it.

 

Just where you sit. i think the frame is broken. i havent investigated to see if it could be fixed or not.

 

thats a common break for xj seats. its just the metal cup that holds
the seat foam. you can just unbolt that part from the chair frame and pull off the cover and replace the metal foam cup with a different one, its really easy.

 

its the metal rails on the underside of the seat that bolt to the bracket. had the same problem with mine

 

so how did you fix yours.