4200 Reluctant Seat Tilt.

[Sparks]

Hi my passenger seat often seem reluctant to tilt. Pulling up on the release lever seems to do nothing.
Then after a couple of tries, it works perfectly.
Is there a technique, is is it just one of those things?

 

[conaero]

Try the seat reset first, then if not you have either a motor on its way out or a failing microswitch:

Unlock the car
Open the door and then immediately flick the seat base switch fore and aft, for and aft (twice)
put the seat back forward
The seat should cycle twice fully forward and fully back then beep (if not you did not flick the seat base switch quickly enough of opening the door)
Put the seat recline back and reset the seat and memory
Repeat for the other front seat.

Basically the seat travel memory gets lost over time and needs resetting.

If your seat motor is gone, search on here as the Porsche one fits and is about £30 instead of the Maserati stupid price which I think includes the entire seat base (ill leave you to make up your own guess price)

 

[Wack61]

Try the seat reset first, then if not you have either a motor on its way out or a failing microswitch:

If your seat motor is gone, search on here as the Porsche one fits and is about £30 instead of the Maserati stupid price which I think includes the entire seat base (ill leave you to make up your own guess price)

It's that kind of BS that makes older Maserati's so worthless , imagine taking your 4200 into a main dealer for a seat motor and coming away with a 3k bill

 

[conaero]

Indeed and one that you could fix for £35 yourself in under an hour.

 

[Wanderer]

Try the seat reset first, then if not you have either a motor on its way out or a failing microswitch:

Unlock the car
Open the door and then immediately flick the seat base switch fore and aft, for and aft (twice)
put the seat back forward
The seat should cycle twice fully forward and fully back then beep (if not you did not flick the seat base switch quickly enough of opening the door)
Put the seat recline back and reset the seat and memory
Repeat for the other front seat.

Basically the seat travel memory gets lost over time and needs resetting.

If your seat motor is gone, search on here as the Porsche one fits and is about £30 instead of the Maserati stupid price which I think includes the entire seat base (ill leave you to make up your own guess price)

Does this method apply to QP5 too, mine won’t memorise..

 

[CatmanV2]

Does this method apply to QP5 too, mine won’t memorise..

Probably it works on the GT

Although I read the OP that the *tilt* does not work, i.e. that you pull the lever and can't move the seat back into the forward position. Which will have nothing to do with the motor or the reset, but I was rather hoping he'd come back and validate after Matt's response.

C

 

[Sparks]

Hi Guys

Thanks for the replies, I have been a bit busy since the original post.

The issue is the tilting of the seat back. it's as though the lever doesn't release whatever catch is holding the seat back in the upright position.
I haven't had a chance to try the reset yet, but it feels more like a mechanical issue to me.

S

 

[CatmanV2]

It will be. Just needs a bit of a wiggle. You may have some wear inside as well.

Not sure there's a fix for that

C

 

[Sparks]

That's cool, cheers c'man.

I'm used to wiggling things to make them work, I have an Alfa and a VW camper!! The Camper won't even leave the drive with out a wiggle or three.

 

[CatmanV2]

That's cool, cheers c'man.

I'm used to wiggling things to make them work, I have an Alfa and a VW camper!! The Camper won't even leave the drive with out a wiggle or three.

Strange the things we go through

C