need help: seat electrical problems

[rjrandalls]

Hello. I have a 1987 928 S4 and just encoutered electrical problems with the driver front seat. Interesting the front button with four switches all work. The rear button with four switches, however, only works to put the seat back down. Now I can't get it back up!

Is there a manual override to return the seat back to vertical? I'd like to drive again with a pillow behind me!

Where is the electrical problem likely to be?

Interestingly the lumbar up and down switches on the rear four switch button also are not working, just the seat back recline button!

Please help! Thanks.

[Maleficio]

Can you move the switch from the passenger side just to verify that your motors are working properly? On my 82, the switches are plug and play, not sure about the later cars.

[JK McDonald]

Hey rjrandalls, I have worked on a number of the earlier cars (80 - midyear 85) with similar seat adjustment problems and they have all had dirty or contaminated switch contacts. On these cars there were three interchangeable rocker switches - one for height, one for the forward position and then one for the seat back. You could easily pop out the plastic center rocker of each switch, clean the electrical contact points and then successfully put them all back together. On the 87, I think you have the newer single multi-combination type switch so the disassembly and cleaning procedure may be different.

As Maleficio had suggested, the best thing to do is to try and swap out the malfunctioning switch between the passenger seat for troubleshooting. Once you know if the problem is in the switch, roll the dice and try for a repair. You might be able to use a small screwdriver in removing the center rocker and clean the inner contacts with 400 grit sandpaper. Watch out for small copper parts during disassembly.

One precaution though - an owner who had tried spraying contact cleaner up into the switch turned his whole assembly into silly putty. Evidently some electrical contact cleaning chemicals do not react well with plastic.....

Good Luck, Michael

[nuc]

I had this same problem when I bought my '87.

Take apart the switch. I was able to do it insitu.

Main thing to remember is that, when you pop off the round cover that you push to adjust the seat, don't lose the tiny ball bearings that will want to fly out. BTDT

Use some emery cloth/wet/dry sand paper and polish up the contacts. Put the ball bearings back in and voila! you'll have functioning seats again.


'84 Euro 5 spd.