Pass. seat switch/removal (turkey patrol)

tiorio · 01-03-2003, 12:55 PM

Two questions:

Passenger seat back reclines but does not go up. Tried to remove the seat (see second question) but ended up taking the lead to the seat back motor and when connected to 12v it will work both ways. When the switch to go forward is pushed, nothing (except I happened to have the FM on and when I push the switch I get a bunch of static, interesting...) so I'm guessing it's the switch, no? Any other ideas or possible culprits?

Question 2:

The 6mm allen heads at the back of the seat rails have been TURKEYED by the P.O.s brilliant stereo guy. You know, the guy who yanked out the factory radio to put that power-amp under the seat? Anyway, the guy obviously 'don't got no freakin metric tools dude', so he proceeds to strip the hell out of the 4 rear bolts. My question, dear reader, is how the hell do I get them out now? Remember, they sit down in the seat rail so vice-grips, etc. are out AND the seat itself, even full forward is in the way of getting an easy-out anywhere near it (although...what if I remove the front bolts? Will the seat travel farther on the rails?)

Anyway, there it is! Help appreciated, 8 days of ownership and already taking things apart!

Cheers!

magilla · 01-03-2003, 01:01 PM

I had a similar issue removing the seats on my SC. The brains here suggested I cut a notch in the head of the bolt with a dremel or like cutter wheel and then just turn it out with a big honkin screwdriver (one of the short stubby ones with a wide blade). I went through a few cutter wheels, but it worked like a charm.

Replace them with new when you get them out. Allen heads work best, as long as you have metric allen wrenches.

Good Luck! It's not that bad.

APKhaos · 01-03-2003, 01:04 PM

Todd,
Congrats on the new car, and welcome to the board. Post pics as soon as you can - we all like to ogle the newbies rides, and have a point of comparison for the 'before/after' when you get into mods, upgrades etc.

Now, your seat back drive problem is most likely the switch, since you have confirmed that the motor drives fine both ways. Do a search for 'seat + switch' and you will find some threads that discuss the care and feeding of this switch in some detail. They are tricky little buggers, so it may be best to prove that the switch is bad by swapping the switch from the pass side.

The seat rail bolt graunch is typical - get a gorilla in there with the wrong tools and its bound to happen. Best bet is to try a T40 torx bit. This can get the damaged bolts most times. If that fails, you are in Dremel land - either cutting a slot in the head, or cutting the head off. New bolts are easy to get.

Good luck with this fix, and remember that the guys on this board have seen most things many times.

dhoward · dhoward's Garage

Drill the heads off. Using a left-hand twist drill may have the added benefit of screwing them out for you. Once the heads are off, remove the seat and twist out the shank. I had to do the same thing, it's not too bad...

Rot 911 · 01-03-2003, 01:12 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by dhoward
Drill the heads off. Using a left-hand twist drill may have the added benefit of screwing them out for you. Once the heads are off, remove the seat and twist out the shank. I had to do the same thing, it's not too bad...

I would only do this as a last gasp measure. First try the torx bit. Get one that you actually have to hammer into the hole on the bolt head. That should work. If not then try cutting the slot for a flat tip screwdriver. If no joy, then drill the heads off.

old_skul · 01-03-2003, 01:19 PM

The proper procedure for removing the seats is to move the seats all the way back, remove the front bolts, and now slide the seats all the way forward. With the front bolts removed, the seats slide far further forward and the rear bolts become accessible.

Use the right size allen key, and the bolts should come right out - if that fails, use the next size up Imperial key, and hammer it in. A good soaking with WD-40 helps, too.

john walker's workshop · 01-03-2003, 01:22 PM

personally, i'd leave the seat in and just replace the switch. 99% of the time, it's a switch problem. it can be replaced easily enough by just splicing the 4 wires , or resoldering the old wires onto the new switch. if you splice, cut the old wires right at the switch so they are left long, then cut the new wires 1" or so from the new switch and match the colors. beats R+R and seat teardown.

widebody911 · widebody911's Garage

Another trick for removing stripped allen bolts is to hammer a screwdriver into the remains. Pick one that's just slightly wider than the inside of the head.