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Twingo 1 seat back adjustment

972 views 44 replies 5 participants last post by  ronenfe  
#1 ·
Hi everyone - I have a mark 1 (1994) Twingo, the original kind which wasn't sold in the UK.

The driver's seatback angle adjustment lever is not fitted (though I have it) because there appears to be a missing part. The lever has a square hole, but the rod coming out of the seat is round (and splined). From research on this site it appears that there is supposed to be a kind of peg which slides over the splined rod and is square in shape. The lever then clips onto this peg.

It seems that the same mechanism is used in the Clio mk2, possibly the Clio mk1, and maybe the mk 1 Kangoo and Megane.

I have been searching online for months for this part but can't find it. Is the only solution a seat from a scrapyard (and if so can anyone confirm which other Renaults might use this arrangement, as I'm clearly not going to find a mk 1 Twingo in a scrapyard here!)

Many thanks!
 
#3 ·
thanks for your reply.
I've got the adjustment lever, but it has a square hole. The rod coming out of the seat is round, so the peg which i am missing converts from one shape to the other...
As far as I can tell, none of the adjustment levers for sale also includes this conversion piece. I suspect it is probably part of the seat assembly.
 
#4 ·
Any chance you could post a picture of the rod sticking out of the seat?, You may be able to find a replacement. I did notice that many were square, but some had other shapes. may even be possible to get a new one moulded with the correct peg
 
#6 ·
Posting:
1. The adjustment lever with square hole
2. The splined rod coming out of the seat
3. A picture (from another forum) of a seat with the peg (which I'm missing).

This thread: https://www.renaultforums.co.uk/threads/seat-adjustment-lever-fitting.610322/ suggests the same part is found in 1990s Clios. Good suggestion above to see if someone can make one, though otherwise I think I will have to see whether someone's breaking a mk 2 Clio or another Renault of the same era.
 

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#5 ·
If your having a problem sourcing the part. I'm sure a local machine shop/blacksmith type place can make you one for not too much cash.
 
#8 ·
Thanks - it's definitely not that type. I have the lever (the green piece in the photo above). What's missing is the a peg which is square so fits the hole in the lever and then fits over the splined rod that comes out of the seat.
 
#13 ·
OK
Am asking now
as something does not make sense
Have worked on Renault a lot of years

Did you buy this car and THE HANDLE worked


Looking at the last picture you have shown
IS THAT your seat or a picture from somewhere else
 
#14 ·
OK
Am asking now
as something does not make sense
Have worked on Renault a lot of years

Did you buy this car and THE HANDLE worked


Looking at the last picture you have shown
IS THAT your seat or a picture from somewhere else
Thanks for your continued help with this.

The handle has not been fitted in my ownership. When I bought the car, the handle was supplied loose. The previous owner had not fitted it as the square hole in the handle does not fit the round splined rod coming out of the seat. It matches the intact handle on the passenger side of the car and is the standard Twingo mark 1 phase 1 design, the green colour is correct for 1993-94.

The Twingo mark 1 phase 1 lever design was shared with some late mk 1 Clios.

From 1998 the Twingo moved to a different design of lever shared with the Clio mk 2.

The photo is from a French Twingo forum and shows the missing piece which converts from square to round. Going by another thread on this site (https://www.renaultforums.co.uk/threads/seat-adjustment-lever-fitting.610322/) the same piece appears to be used in some Clios even though the visible handle design is different. In that thread, the poster describes pushing the handle onto the square rod.
 
#15 ·
Going to say now that handle the Previous provided is wrong
So now Get inside your car
AND take NEW pictures of what seat you have showing the place the handle fits,
Dont Point to what you have already posted , post a new picture
I will amend/delete other pictures if needed to stop any more confusion on this thread

Also post a picture of your oval plate if you have 1
 
#16 ·
Going to say now that handle the Previous provided is wrong
So now Get inside your car
AND take NEW pictures of what seat you have showing the place the handle fits,
Dont Point to what you have already posted , post a new picture
I will amend/delete other pictures if needed to stop any more confusion on this thread

Also post a picture of your oval plate if you have 1
Car is currently away for its MOT so the photos will take a couple of days, but the handle provided by the seller is definitely not wrong as it matches the passenger seat and is correct for a mark 1 phase 1 Twingo!

Once the car is back I'll post pictures.
 
#17 · (Edited)
OK, here we go:
1. Passenger side lever (intact and working), in place
Image


2. Passenger side lever, with small cap removed to expose the square peg
Image


3. Driver's side lever, front side
Image


4. Driver's side lever, rear side
Image


5. Round splined rod sticking out of driver's seat
Image


6. Page from Autocar, 1993, showing that these handles are correct for this period of Twingo
Image




My research suggests that, regardless of the appearance of the lever, the same square peg conversion piece is used in other Renaults - at least some Clio mk 1 and 2, and possibly other models. At this stage I'd be grateful for any insights into which models might have it, so that I can approach scrapyards with the longest list of possible targets...

Thanks!
 
#19 ·
I have searched high and low on the internet for the piece you need for this handle to work, came up empty, my only option if I were you would be to purchase another handle that fits over the splined spindle on the seat and carefully cut the handle away leaving just a square of the handle left on the spindle, then push your original handle on and the grip fill the thing in place and put the cap back over it, or just scrap the car and buy something else LOL. I can't imagine any handle would come with the bit you need and the odds of finding a scrap yard with either a 1994 Twingo MK1 or other matching seat with the same handle on, would be extremely high. I'd be very tempted to fabricate it from a donor handle
 
#28 ·
Thanks both for your replies, I appreciate your continued engagement with this conundrum.

Like @FlokiDoki I had understood the black peg to be separate from the lever (i.e. not part of 7701204522 which I thought consisted only of the lever, rubber gasket and cap). I thought it was either part of the seat frame or a separate part. But I am very willing to be proved wrong about this.

I think my next step has to be either a scrapyard with a Clio or someone breaking mk2 Clios on Ebay. I might just buy a complete seat (frame) and see what I get! I will report back in due course...
 
#30 ·
Thanks for the advice, I'll definitely ask about this (assuming they can still get such an old part for a car not sold in the UK).

I've just found this online however and can see the elusive peg: eBay. Obviously I'm not going to buy at that price but it does make me wonder.
 
#34 ·
am on about his ebay link,


I have the parts diagram in front of me, and also the repair manual and if any other parts are associated with the handle then another link opens up for me to click on
 
#41 ·
I think I can help with it as I have a Twingo like yours for 18 years. The seat rod is molded over with a hard black cover of rubber and plastic. You can't buy it separately. You need a new seat frame. Anyway, your seat is broken and stuck. That's why it's missing this coating, someone tried to use a plier to operate it and worn out the coating. You can you a pry bar underneath to change the angle. Using a glue will not be enough to make the plastic handle operate it. I'm telling you this based on my experience with my car. I need a passenger seat in my case. See my video:
youtube.com/watch?v=sm43xQq_zDc&pp=0gcJCa0JAYcqIYzv
 
#42 · (Edited)
Thanks! I promised a reply when I had a solution, so just in case someone in future has this problem.

First, I bought a Clio mk 2 front seat (bargain at £20). The Clio seatback adjustment lever fits onto a peg of the same design as what should be in my Twingo, so I was optimistic I could transfer the peg, but it turned out that the Clio peg fits onto the seat mechanism in a different way, so it wasn't possible to reuse it in the Twingo.

I therefore went to a fabrication shop, as several people here suggested, and had a new splined peg made up. This has been fitted and the seatback adjustment now works.

I had also come to the same conclusion as Ronenfe has suggested, i.e. the peg was probably missing due to a previous owner's difficulties adjusting the seat. While waiting for the new peg to arrive I removed the seat cushions and cleaned the mechanism thoroughly as it was full of grease and fluff, and then treated it to multiple applications of Plusgas. To stay on the safe side, I'm avoiding using the adjustment, but at least I have the green seat lever back in place so cosmetically it all looks fine, and, with care, it can be used if needed.