Lubricating Seat rails

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I owned my last car for 23 years and never touched the seat rails. Are there signs of lubrication need or is this a compulsive thing?
 
Originally Posted By: skyactiv
https://www.amazon.com/DuPont-Non-Stick-...ywords=dry+lube


Probably good stuff, but I dunno if I'd buy it just for that job.

The seat rails aren't very exposed, so I wonder if the dry film aspect is essential.

If not, conventional bearing or chassis grease might be ok, or vaseline, or WD40 etc if you want less messy alternatives.

If yes, perhaps a rub with a candle, or wax polish, would be good enough.

What do they come with from the factory?
 
Every car Ive ever looked at the seat rail or power mechanism seems to have a tan colored grease.
 
Originally Posted By: DBMaster
I owned my last car for 23 years and never touched the seat rails. Are there signs of lubrication need or is this a compulsive thing?


I own a car with manually-adjusted seats that needed some lube in order for the catch to lock the seat into place once adjusted. One side locked into place, the other side didn't. But, I ended up taking the seat out of the vehicle before I figured out where to put the lube. It's hard to tell where to lube the catch with it in the car.
 
Was one catch operated by a wire connected to the one you actuated with the lever? Old Saabs were like that.

You released one directly and a wire on that one pulled the other one.
 
I found this black spray-on grease, forget the name... but its advertised as waterproof and being suitable for a wide range of applications including fifth wheels. Well, don't use that on seat rails. It does polymerize but it also runs and drips first. Into carpet. Ask me how I know.
 
Shin-Etsu®, sold at your Toyota dealer, made in Japan. Expensive, but goes a long way. Stays in place, good at all temperatures. Generally spec'd by Japanese OEMs for the window mechanism inside your door. However you may not prefer the white colour, so if that's the case, a wax-based lube (Fluid Film®, etc) or perhaps some of the others suggested here might be more to your liking.

Your locksmith will sell you dry graphite powder for $3 that is excellent if you need cold weather performance, as it doesn't increase in viscosity as temperatures fall like petroleum based lubes will, but that is strictly for dry applications ... you would have to remove any grease or other viscous lube first for it to be effective.

I wouldn't discount the old "run a wax candle along the slides" home remedy either.
 
Originally Posted By: Kira
Was one catch operated by a wire connected to the one you actuated with the lever? Old Saabs were like that.

You released one directly and a wire on that one pulled the other one.


Yup. Wire pulled one catch, and a spring pushed the catch back into place, after it was lubed.
The other catch was operated directly by the driver with a handle under the front of the seat.
 
Originally Posted By: spackard
Originally Posted By: DBMaster
I owned my last car for 23 years and never touched the seat rails. Are there signs of lubrication need or is this a compulsive thing?


I own a car with manually-adjusted seats that needed some lube in order for the catch to lock the seat into place once adjusted. One side locked into place, the other side didn't. But, I ended up taking the seat out of the vehicle before I figured out where to put the lube. It's hard to tell where to lube the catch with it in the car.


I guess I've been lucky, even with my 72 Catalina with the big front bench seat. If mine needed lube I would remove it from the car, clean as much of the old grease off as I could, and then use something like lithium grease or the spray moly chain lube I use for my door hinges.
 
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