- Joined
- Aug 25, 2019
- Messages
- 6
- Reaction score
- 5
- Points
- 3
- Location
- Madison, Indiana
- Vehicle Year
- 2000
- Make / Model
- Mazda B3000
- Engine Type
- 3.0 V6
- Transmission
- Automatic
- 2WD / 4WD
- 4WD
So I had an issue with the recline in my 60/40 drivers seat in my 2000 B3000. For a few years this has been an issue and I'm getting the truck back from my dad again(we've passed it back and forth several times since he bought it new back in 2000.) The recline issue was the standard broken bolt issue that everyone seems to have and I repaired it by disassembling the seat and replacing the bolt with a high grade(12.9) M6 bolt from Lowes.
While I had the seat out, I pulled off the upper upholstery, because the back of the seat had been blown out for years. Lack of any lower back support makes the vehicle very uncomfortable to drive longer distances. Here is what I found. The two vertical support rods had broken at the base of the upper seat.
After thinking about it for a while I bought a $7 clothesline kit from Walmart and a $1 pool noodle, and with the help of a few wire ties I had lying around, I fixed the seat and it is super comfortable now. I ripped the original bars out, put the clothesline in their place and clamped them tight, then wrapped with parts of the pool noodle I cut and wire tied so they would stay in place. The only reason for the pool noodles is that over time, the original rods had worn through the foam, and I wanted a little extra protection. They also gave a little more padding, and since they are behind the foam, they don't push the seat out any and only add to the stability of the back. I put the upholstery back on the seat and you can't tell it's not the factory design at all.
Hopefully this will help someone that needs a quick fix for this very problem. I assume it affects a lot of Rangers and Explorers as well.
While I had the seat out, I pulled off the upper upholstery, because the back of the seat had been blown out for years. Lack of any lower back support makes the vehicle very uncomfortable to drive longer distances. Here is what I found. The two vertical support rods had broken at the base of the upper seat.
After thinking about it for a while I bought a $7 clothesline kit from Walmart and a $1 pool noodle, and with the help of a few wire ties I had lying around, I fixed the seat and it is super comfortable now. I ripped the original bars out, put the clothesline in their place and clamped them tight, then wrapped with parts of the pool noodle I cut and wire tied so they would stay in place. The only reason for the pool noodles is that over time, the original rods had worn through the foam, and I wanted a little extra protection. They also gave a little more padding, and since they are behind the foam, they don't push the seat out any and only add to the stability of the back. I put the upholstery back on the seat and you can't tell it's not the factory design at all.
Hopefully this will help someone that needs a quick fix for this very problem. I assume it affects a lot of Rangers and Explorers as well.
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