Seat rail lubricant

[buddy]

I am in the process of getting my front seats reupholstered and before I reinstall them I would like to know the proper lubricant for the seat rails.

[Pinecone]

The seats run on rollers.  So the roller axle needs to be lubed.   If you really want to lube the rail, I suggest a dry lube to avoid collecting dust.

If the seats are hard to move, replace the rollers with Delrin ones.  I think mine came from @DonMuncy

One caution, the first time I went to move the sear back with the Delrin bushings, I still all the way back NOW.

 

[Utah20Gflyer]

As previously stated I don’t think there is any reason to lube the rails.  With the rollers in good condition it already slides like it is running on glass.  If it doesn’t feel super smooth your rollers are worn and will need to be replaced.   This will cost about 100 bucks to replace all of them and takes maybe 30 minutes to do.  

[PT20J]

Just lube the rollers every annual when everything else gets lubed. Don’t forget to lube the main and baggage door hinges and the hinge on the aux power door (keeps the soring from rusting out) as these often get overlooked.

[Z W]

If your plane is like mine, you may need to clean the seat rails.  They can collect some gunk over the years.  A bit of time with a scrub brush, some WD-40, and then some brake cleaner got them looking shiny and new and the seats moving much smoother.  I don't believe I lubed them after the cleaning.  If I did I would probably use Tri-Flow and wipe off all the excess.  But I agree with the others that the rollers would be the better place to lube.

[47U]

4 hours ago, Z W said:

If your plane is like mine, you may need to clean the seat rails. 

If you’ve never done this, take a scribe or thin awl and insert it into each locking hole in the seat rail and use a ‘stirring’ motion.  Then vacuum out the plugs of dirt, upholstery fibers, hair, and whatever else has accumulated over the years from stuff that floats around the floor in your airplane.  Your seat pins will once again lock into the seat rail with full travel.

[M20F-1968]

23 hours ago, 47U said:

If you’ve never done this, take a scribe or thin awl and insert it into each locking hole in the seat rail and use a ‘stirring’ motion.  Then vacuum out the plugs of dirt, upholstery fibers, hair, and whatever else has accumulated over the years from stuff that floats around the floor in your airplane.  Your seat pins will once again lock into the seat rail with full travel.

You can use a drill that is the same size as the hole turned slowly in a drill to clean out the holes.  You can also use a modified version (with edge of slot milled or filed slightly larger) of the Safe-Stop designed for Cessna seat rails to guard against seat sliding loose unexpectedly.

John Breda

 

 

 

htly