Trying to get the passenger seat out but the electrics have been disconnected and the drive spindles removed - the motor is intact so is there anything else I can use to move the seat forward so I can remove the rear bolts? Thanks.
Removing a Stuck Seat
- Thread starter RickyBobby
- Start date
Think I am right in saying that the electrics are the last thing to disconect. Geoff
To be honest Geoff I was after some advice rather than a statement of the bleeding obvious - no offence intended.
Appreciate all these cars come with history and in respect toT86 KJF the disconnected passenger seat with no ability to recline was simply that. For now I've given up on trying to remove and on the occasion someone wants to join me on a run out they have to accept the fixed driving position
Still hopefull someone will come along with a miracle cure so to speak but I always was the eternal optimist despite my beer glass always being half empty.
Appreciate all these cars come with history and in respect toT86 KJF the disconnected passenger seat with no ability to recline was simply that. For now I've given up on trying to remove and on the occasion someone wants to join me on a run out they have to accept the fixed driving position
Still hopefull someone will come along with a miracle cure so to speak but I always was the eternal optimist despite my beer glass always being half empty.
Can you use the spindles out of the drivers side? Not sure if you saw my article on removing seats using the spindles. Careful though if you are down to just the drivers ones...
https://zroadster.org/articles/bmw-z3-stuck-seat-motor-seat-removal.21/
- Joined
- Feb 18, 2016
- Points
- 231
- Model of Z
- Z3M Imola and Z4 (e89)
I'm sorry but that made me laugh
TBH @RickyBobby we have all probably been guilty of this at some point.
Like it will give that a go - from you experience is there a high probability I could damage the spindle sufficient so I wouldn't be able to replace it? Irrespective I guess I could always source some replacement spindles via a breaker.
I hear that brother and to be honest that was the only intention in my comment - as I said no intention to offend but I'm never one to miss an opportunity for a laugh especially if it's not at my expenseI'm sorry but that made me laugh
If you put too much torque through the spindle it will likely buckle, so take it easy paying attention to the direction of winding.
As for getting hold of spindles, you’d need to find a breaker who is stripping the seats apart. That only tends to happen to really whipped sets, as selling the spindles makes the seat unusable.
Hello - I agree with the reply above, take one of the spindles from the driver side seat, no matter what side and then try inserting it and rotate it slowly on the passenger seat rails with the other end attached to a drill, you will see immediately if the seat would move or not, try both sides see how it goes. if you can't move it with the drill with low / medium force (the spindle will bend/twist slightly) then your only option would be to remove the seat from the lower frame (tricky but doable and then after that use an angle grinder or something similar from above to cut the frame and access the rear bolts.
When i had to remove my passenger seat without electric i manage to power the motor to lift the seat up made access a little easier, undo the two front nuts then in seat runner theres a square flexible rod at the front which goes to the little box things mounted on the rails either side, if you can attach a drill to the rod and wind out each side at a time the seats got to come forward quite a way to reach the bolts underneath, or if you can get the flexible rod out and cut a long piece of metal and cut it to the square size of the flexible rod and attach that to a drill. The fitter in my works made me one out of an alan key.
Job done but at the expense of one of my spindles - now need to source another one so hopefully someone is breaking a seat.
Attachments
If none are here mrsalex Posted up this useful link in another seat related thread worth sending a message and asking. https://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/m.html?_...m=R40&_trksid=m570.l1313&_nkw=bmw+z3&_sacat=0
deniskapliy
Newbie
- Joined
- May 14, 2022
- Points
- 1
Hi Mario! I've been struggling to get the driver seat out for a few days now. The right track (the one closer to the center panel) moves using the manual "drill + spindle" method, but the left track is siezed. I upgraded my technique to the milquakee SQ1 bit to be able to transfer more torque to the tiny differential that moves the rail but still no luck (I discovered that there is another spring which then moves the rail. I can feel with my finger that once I start applying force, that second spring starts to twist which leads me to think the rail is siezed for some reason).
You mentioned above that the only other option is to remove the seat from the lower frame. Do you think you could explain the method? I am at a point where I am almost ready to cut the floor from underneath to release the seat.