How to remove bracket from rear seat?

[geekyrocketguy]

Hi All,

I removed the driver-side rear seat from my 2022 JLUR. When I put it back in, I mis-read a torque spec and broke a bolt on the bracket that holds the seat to the vehicle floor. So I bought a new bracket, which is part 68281222AD (#11 here). I went to replace the broken bracket with the new one, and this involves removing the bracket from the passenger-side rear seat. The seat unzips to reveal two bolts (see the photo below). These bolts thread into nuts inside a rectangular tube (see the second photo). The nuts are not held in place; they spin when I try to remove the bolts. The only access hole is through the end of the tube. Clearance is extremely tight and access is poor. I can hardly see what I'm doing.

Does anyone have information on how to hold these nuts in place while removing the bolts? What size are they? The bolt has a 15mm head. I've tried 15, 16, and 17mm wrenches and couldn't get a good grip. My 18mm wrench doesn't fit into the tube.The nut has 8 sides, so it's not a standard 6-side nut.

This is the worst part access I've ever seen.

Thanks in advance for the help.

Sponsored

 

[ParadigmDawg]

It sure seems like the nuts are supposed to be welded in. I don't have a suggestion on how to get them out. Do you have a custom Jeep shop around? When I rn into things like this, I run it over to my shop and ask them how to do it. If what they suggest seems doable, I will go back home and try it. If not, they will normally pull it in and do it for me real quick.

 

[gm920]

Wedge a flat blade screwdriver between the nut and the side of the tube.

 

[JLeco2022]

i've had my rear seats out like 20 times, what did you use to break the floor bolt? real talk

 

[geekyrocketguy]

Thanks for the input. By the way, I fixed the photo in the first post, since it didn't embed right.

It sure seems like the nuts are supposed to be welded in. I don't have a suggestion on how to get them out. Do you have a custom Jeep shop around? When I rn into things like this, I run it over to my shop and ask them how to do it. If what they suggest seems doable, I will go back home and try it. If not, they will normally pull it in and do it for me real quick.

Probably, though I don't have a relationship with any actual mechanics, so I worry I would just be annoying asking how to fix something.

Wedge a flat blade screwdriver between the nut and the side of the tube.

I tried that, though I think that may be the best bet for how to proceed. I might not have had a good angle on it.

i've had my rear seats out like 20 times, what did you use to break the floor bolt? real talk

Ha, it's not the floor bolt that I broke. It's the annoying small (6 mm?) pivot nut that wants 19 ft-lbs, and I applied 45.

 

[JLeco2022]

Thanks for the input. By the way, I fixed the photo in the first post, since it didn't embed right.


Probably, though I don't have a relationship with any actual mechanics, so I worry I would just be annoying asking how to fix something.

I tried that, though I think that may be the best bet for how to proceed. I might not have had a good angle on it.

Ha, it's not the floor bolt that I broke. It's the annoying small (6 mm?) pivot nut that wants 19 ft-lbs, and I applied 45.

if you are near the OC i have enough tools to get it out, if not i have a plasma

 

[geekyrocketguy]

if you are near the OC i have enough tools to get it out, if not i have a plasma

Thanks for the offer! I actually am, and I'll be in Huntington Beach next weekend. What's your inclination for how to hold the nut in place inside the tube?

 

[Deleted User 38384]

Thanks for the offer! I actually am, and I'll be in Huntington Beach next weekend. What's your inclination for how to hold the nut in place inside the tube?

Needle nose plyers. Works just fine for me in even tighter spaces than that.

 

[JLeco2022]

Thanks for the offer! I actually am, and I'll be in Huntington Beach next weekend. What's your inclination for how to hold the nut in place inside the tube?

needle nose vise gripes, you can try with pliers but would be easier with something that locks

 

[JLeco2022]

or shave down a harbor freight wrench

 

[geekyrocketguy]

Update: success!

I ground about 2 mm off the side of an 18mm wrench. This was then able to fit into the tube and grip the weird 8-sided nut. I had to pound the wrench into the nut using a hammer because the nut had deformed a bit from my earlier attempts. The bolt had a lot of loctite on it, so it required a good bit of force to remove. The second bolt came out more easily than the first one. I successfully swapped the brackets!

Shaved 18mm wrench:

The new bracket on the seat. I'm holding the old one. You can see the pivot bolt I broke just above my hand.

Thanks for the help, everyone.

Sponsored