How To Manually Move A Power Seat – Easy Steps (2024)

In order to solve a car’s power seat problem, you will need to maintain some procedures. Don’t worry, It’s as simple as a piece of cake. And, I’m assuring you that the question on how to manually move a power seat will be answered within a few minutes. Just keep reading the article. You can easily take it as a DIY task and do it without costing a single penny.

Nowadays, most of the vehicles come with power seats. Although, once the power seats were only found in luxury cars. 

In general, the power seats are of two types. One is the four-way and the other one is a six-way power seat. That is to say, as a car owner, I, myself should be able to move my car in the position that I desire. Here, you need the power seats. It is a great trick to let you redirect the position of your seat in the place you want. Accordingly,  you will be able to broaden your hand-and-feet coordination.

However, your vehicle’s power seat may fail after a time span. There are several reasons why your power seat can fail. It can be for a faulty switch, or for any problems in the whole system. Therefore, if you are lagging behind with such a situation, you should try your DIY skills. No doubt, it’s simple. Surely, you will be able to make things right as it was before.

As said earlier, we are going to let you know some solutions as you can manually move a power seat without any cost.

Take a look at the table of contents, and you will get to know how to perform it at ease. 

How To Manually Move A Power Seat [Quick]

To manually move a power seat, locate the manual override lever or handle under the seat. Use it to adjust the seat to the desired position. If the seat is stuck, try wiggling the lever or using a rubber mallet to tap the seat rail to loosen it gently. Do not use excessive force or try to force the seat beyond its normal range of motion.

How To Manually Move A Power Seat [Step by Step Guide]

Let us start the step by step guide as follows:

First of all, I would like to take your attention to take the essential instruments that you will need. 

Suppose, you are trying over and over to move your car’s power seat. But, the seat doesn’t look like it is moving. Now, you have to prepare yourself to use the specified tools to ensure that other aspects of the vehicle seat are operating.

1. Automotive Meter

Automotive Meter is used in order to check the voltage output that is received from the power source by your seat.

Check my recommended Automotive Meter from Amazon.com

2. A Cordless Drill Battery pack

This Battery Pack is remarkably important for hot wiring the power seat machines while diagnosing it.

You can choose a cordless drill battery pack from Amazon’s top chart.

3. Car Battery

Here, you will need a Car Battery to empower voltage. Especially while reviewing the power seat motors and the relay switches.

4. Allen-Key, Pliers, and Spanners

These tools are vital for unlocking tight bolts. And also, you need these tools to open control panels while you are using the powers seat wiring.

Check my recommended Allen-Key, Pliers and Spanners from Amazon.com

Step by Step Procedures To Maintain:

Step 1: Contact Diagnosis

Bad contacts may guide a power seat to electrical transmission failure keeping your seat unmoved. Make sure that the seat switch mechanism comes with decent contacts. Accordingly, it will be able to make sufficient contact with several connecting points. Thus, it will ensure that the seat is powered appropriately.

Step 2: Switch Motor Connectors

In general, every seat motor connector comes with similar connectors. Therefore, you can move the power seat by rolling the middle connector to the front motor connector. Thus, your car’s power seat will move forward. In this way, by moving the middle motor, you can make the seat move forward. If it moves backward, then it means that there is an issue with the front motor connector. 

However, there is an alternative clue. That is, you can hotwire the front motor off the seat to a 12 volts battery. And then notice whether you can activate a forward seat movement or not. You can do the same thing for the back and middle motors for backward and sideway movements as well.

Step 3: Scan the Engine Control Unit Battery 

As you can see many cars carry an engine control unit battery that is hidden on the left front seat. The abbreviation for Engine Control Unit is ECU. It includes its own battery which can stock the seat position memory and other several parts like mirrors. 

If the Engine Control Unit battery expires, your car’s power seat might be clasped in one position to move.

Plus, there might be some unprecedented results. For instance, the mirror button is shifting the power seats. Similarly, the power seat button is shifting the mirrors. 

Then, if you want to move the power seat manually, you will have to discard the small battery as you can free all memory. As this is done, you need to manually move your power seat to a safe position.  And at last purchase another battery.

Step 4: Keep your Power Seat Down and Shift it

This is a very simple process. All you need to do is just drag the seat downwards with significant pressure. Simply do it by shifting the seat forward or backward relying on the stance you like to push your seat. In a similar way, one can follow the process for the side movements.

However, this process can be done differently as well. You can easily do it by holding on to the button as well as shift the seat in the right direction. Finally, provided that it does not function, one may require to repair the whole seat motor.

Step 5: Re-adjust the Transmission Cables

Take a look below the seat. There, you can get three cables to connect to the power seat transmission. The cables will also scan whether the seats are connected or not. The most common issue of this phase is that one cable might get disconnected somehow. Therefore, you will need to drag the cable back to its place. Luckily, you can do it by just clicking to be set in the right position. On some occasions,  when the cables are tuckered out as there is a  trap between the seat and rail. So, you might have to rebuild those

Step 6: Plugging Memory Seats

In order to perform hotplugging in Memory Seats, you should take the help of an experienced mechanic. (If you don’t feel confident enough) A mechanic will do-

• Get in touch with the battery pack to the fuse block. Keep the positive-electrode attached to the fuse. Then, connect the negative electrode to the brake master cylinder. 
• Fix the coded wires as well as set the detection of your seat movement. One should direct the wires as given below:
• The seat comes forward while fixing the violet wire.
• Your seat moves backward by the blue wire.
• Raise the power seats by using the white-colored wire.
• A black wire can drop off the seat.

Step 7: Keep the Seat Bolts loose

Again, the power seat may get stuck because of the built-up tension between your seat and the bolts attaching it to the rails. 

In this case, if you loosen the Seat Bolts, it will help your power seat to maneuver space.

Frequently Asked Questions

Let’s Wrap Up!

Overall, this was all about how you can manually move a power seat. Following all the above step by step procedures, you will definitely be able to solve this problem. 

Best wishes.