Seat Removal

[Meka]

I need to pull the front power seats out of my 84 Carrera. Can some one direct me to a thread with detail information on this. Pictures and what not would be great. I'm sure I could get them out. But I am a bit concerned about getting them back in and working properly.

[175K911]

It's actually pretty straightforward. There are 6 allen head bolts that hold each seat in place. If I recall correctly, there is one at the front of each seat reail, and 2 at the back of each rail (or the other way around.) But it's a 6mm allen that you need to take them out. The "nuts" on the back are actually just threaded alloy blocks. Don't need a wrench on the bottom, because the shape prevents them from spinning.

One tool that makes it a breeze to get them out is a ball headed 6mm allen that's a 3/8 drive to put on your ratchet. But it can be done with a traditional allen wrench too. Trick is to remove the front ones first because they have a small L-shaped bracket uner them that limits how far forward the sean can slide. Pull the front 2 out, then slide the seat far enough forward to get the back ones out. As you loosen the bolts, you can either let the block-nuts drop out or I hold my finger under there to catch them so I don't have to go fishing for them later.

Once all the bolts are out, carefully tilt the seat over to get to the plugs underneath. Then remove the seat from the car. If you've never done it before, start with the passenger side since you don't have to contend with the steering wheel. Just gives a bit more working room for the first attempt.

FWIW- I can pull both seats in about 5 minutes.

[Meka]

Originally Posted by 175K911

It's actually pretty straightforward. There are 6 allen head bolts that hold each seat in place. If I recall correctly, there is one at the front of each seat reail, and 2 at the back of each rail (or the other way around.) But it's a 6mm allen that you need to take them out. The "nuts" on the back are actually just threaded alloy blocks. Don't need a wrench on the bottom, because the shape prevents them from spinning.

One tool that makes it a breeze to get them out is a ball headed 6mm allen that's a 3/8 drive to put on your ratchet. But it can be done with a traditional allen wrench too. Trick is to remove the front ones first because they have a small L-shaped bracket uner them that limits how far forward the sean can slide. Pull the front 2 out, then slide the seat far enough forward to get the back ones out. As you loosen the bolts, you can either let the block-nuts drop out or I hold my finger under there to catch them so I don't have to go fishing for them later.

Once all the bolts are out, carefully tilt the seat over to get to the plugs underneath. Then remove the seat from the car. If you've never done it before, start with the passenger side since you don't have to contend with the steering wheel. Just gives a bit more working room for the first attempt.

FWIW- I can pull both seats in about 5 minutes.

So no real worry about screwing up gears or aligning gear mesh with reinstall?
Thanks for the help. Sounds simple enough.

[jtfreels]

All the power mechanics are in the seat, removing the seat as described doesn't effect that.

Jay

[emac]

Meka
175K911 gave a great description of what to do. Should take no more then five minutes, the TRICK is make sure you do the front bolts first.

[bkreigsr]

+1 write-up.

geeze, I wish I had that tool last April rather than messing with every combination of universals and extensions for 1/4" drive in my toolbox.

Bill K

[defcon65]

Get a can of spray foam carpet cleaner and hit the carpets under the seat while it's out. Also a good time to vacuum the underside of the seat for any spider webs, and look for all the small pieces of hardware that have rolled under the seats over the years. You might want to disconnect the ground at the battery before undoing the power seat harness, they can short out.

[Trog]

Every time I remove my seat (about 6-time per year), I find tons of cash. It's a profitable exercise.

[sig_a]

When removing and reinstalling seats, it's wise to cover/protect the paint in and around the door opening. And remember that the rails attached to the bottom of the seat "gravity extend" exposing the door opening to scratch damage as you rotate it in and out of the car. You can't hardly over pad the area, as the rails are stamped steel and can easily scratch thru paint. This caution is outlined in the Bentley manual.

[MIK911]

"just' removing 6 bolt sound easier than it was for me, namely because my 6 bolts had 20+ yrs of stubborness holding them down.
If nothing else, spray some penetrating oil around the bolts the night before.
As with most of my projects (eg shift bushing change, steering wheel change, etc), the hard part is getting the bolts off.

Hey, what's with the ball rachet socket pictured above--how's it work?

[Meka]

If ever I need your guys help it is now. I'm just about at my wits end. The last step in reinstalling my interior was the front seats. I got the passenger side in everything seemed great. Then I realized I had no power to the seat. (Zero.) I checked all connections. All looks fine. I am assuming......hoping I just popped a fuse. I checked the euro fuses red, blue, white, yellow all good. Is there a fuse I am not aware of? In the seat? Or maybe one of those larger fuses up top of the fuse box? Please! Give me some help.

[Meka]

I probably should have made this clear from the start. The seats are not original to the car. They are Recaro seats. Don't know year but I believe they would be referred to as 12X power.

[Markus33]

Great write-up 175K911. A question...

My seats had an incorrect set of hex-head bolts installed instead of the proper 6mm allen head bolts. I have now sourced a set of 6mm allen bolts but am wondering if washers would have been originally installed as well? If so, what type of washers?

Thanks,

Markus
'80 SC Targa

[defcon65]

I would guess these would be ordinary split-ring lockwashers. You might try the stainless steel versions as seat bolts have a tendency to corrode from moisture coming through the bottom of the pan and from carpet cleaners, spilled beverages, snowy, wet feet, etc. I have applied a little grease to the threads when reinstalling bolts in this location to keep them from seizing up.

Hope that helps!

[arbita1]

Originally Posted by Meka

I probably should have made this clear from the start. The seats are not original to the car. They are Recaro seats. Don't know year but I believe they would be referred to as 12X power.

84's didn't have power seats. If you had power seats in there, someone must have rigged something up. You may need to provide more info for help on this one.

[Oracle]

The 8 rear bolts are broken loose and ready for removal but the 4 fronts.. I couldn't.. The bolt head got rounded and I tried a screw extractor and with all my might they didn't break loose.. so I guess I'll cut them.. but what kind of cut will facilitate the removal? (I mean they're in those sliders/channels)

Any help is appreciated.

Thanks!

[kidrock]

Originally Posted by Meka

I need to pull the front power seats out of my 84 Carrera. Can some one direct me to a thread with detail information on this. Pictures and what not would be great. I'm sure I could get them out. But I am a bit concerned about getting them back in and working properly.

Meka,

found this thread about a week ago doing a search about the electric seat switches. I think this may be just what the doctor ordered...

Electric Seat Switch replacement.

Is this what you're asking for?

kidrock out.