Need to remove driver seat stuck all the way back

[davidjay]

I recently won a 96 z3 off a car auction. everything seemed fine with it except the seller said the seat adjustment doesn't work. When the car arrived I could see that it was missing the seat motor. Instead of getting just a new motor, I was able to score a new driver seat off Facebook, so now I just need to remove the old seat. Unfortunately the driver seat is pushed all the way back and I am unable to access 2 of the screws in order to remove it. I found the spindle for the seat motor in the trunk and was able to attach it to a drill and use it to move one side of the seat up (the one by the gear box) but when I try to use it on the side by the driver door, nothing happens and I hear a light clicking noise.

Is there anything I can do? Is my only option to destroy the current seat without damaging the car, and swap in my new seat?

 

[IainP]

When you say ‘up’, do you mean the rail or the height adjustment?

Assuming the rail, you have to do each side in stages of about 1”/25mm, otherwise the rail you haven’t done jams. Been there, got the T shirt, it’s a slow process. If it is the rail, move it back a bit and it should allow the other side to move.
Be aware, one of the causes of motor failure is water under the seat, moisture vapour causes internal corrosion. When you get the seat out, slide your hand under the carpet, the foam is really thick and can hold a huge amount of water.

 

[davidjay]

yes, it is the rail adjustment.

I tried moving the workable rail back to be lined up with the other one, but no matter what I cant get any movement out of the rail by the drivers door. Is there any other way to get the rail to move?

 

[D R Oldfield]

I have the same problem on my 1.9 it failed its MOT on drivers seat adjustment and still havent sorted it i have tried the electric drill on the flexible shafts but its solid i have just bought a endoscope to have a look at the runners

 

[IainP]

Coins can get stuck in the runners.
The motor spindles run these little gearboxes,

The gearbox converts the rotational movement through 90 degrees, helpfully (not), it’s bolted on from underneath. One of mine had something jammed in it, so I had to smack it off with a sharp chisel. It’s alloy, so it will come off without distorting the rail, at least mine did.
Removing it shows another little flexi spindle which turns the rail.

The motor spindles are too large. You can’t get a drill in to utilise the little flexi.
I removed it and ground a driver bit to match, it’s square profile, either 3 or 3.5mm, I’ll try and find it tomorrow. Long flexi driver extension, either by hand, or drill, moves the rail directly. I did it by hand, it’s not that bad, and it lets you know when to stop as the effort increases, swap to however you’re operating the other side.
Obviously you need to replace the little begger, I have one spare, a left I think.

 

[davidjay]

Coins can get stuck in the runners.
The motor spindles run these little gearboxes,
View attachment 249277
The gearbox converts the rotational movement through 90 degrees, helpfully (not), it’s bolted on from underneath. One of mine had something jammed in it, so I had to smack it off with a sharp chisel. It’s alloy, so it will come off without distorting the rail, at least mine did.
Removing it shows another little flexi spindle which turns the rail.
View attachment 249279
The motor spindles are too large. You can’t get a drill in to utilise the little flexi.
I removed it and ground a driver bit to match, it’s square profile, either 3 or 3.5mm, I’ll try and find it tomorrow. Long flexi driver extension, either by hand, or drill, moves the rail directly. I did it by hand, it’s not that bad, and it lets you know when to stop as the effort increases, swap to however you’re operating the other side.
Obviously you need to replace the little begger, I have one spare, a left I think.

Thanks, I will give this a shot. Where exactly did you hit the gearbox with the chisel? In the area I circled?

 

[IainP]

I hit the entry spigot first, I knew there was something jammed in there. I hoped I’d get access to turn the worm gear in some way. Didn’t work it was wrecked.
I then placed the edge of the chisel between the steel frame and the gearbox, just in line with the rivet. Acted like a lever, one good smack and it split at the rear.
I was using a lump hammer, wasn’t going to get much of a swing.
I reckon if you lever it up from the front with a heavy screwdriver the alloy will snap.

 

[IainP]

I can’t find the little driver but I modified, or the spare gearbox bit, my garage is a complete mess as I reorganise it, will get another look this weekend.
Whilst you have the seats out, you may both want to consider lifting the front of the seat 25mm, various threads on here. I found it much more comfortable than standard.

 

[davidjay]

I can’t find the little driver but I modified, or the spare gearbox bit, my garage is a complete mess as I reorganise it, will get another look this weekend.
Whilst you have the seats out, you may both want to consider lifting the front of the seat 25mm, various threads on here. I found it much more comfortable than standard.

Thanks for all the help. I finally got around to fixing this. I used a heavy flat head screwdriver to pop out the seats gear box. I then used an extra long square drive bit to reach the seat gear directly. Worked like a charm