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Broken Power Seat Recliner Fix
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I'm sure everyone has come across, whether personally or not, the infamous power seat recliner failure. This seems to happen all the time on these cars, I am judging about ~7 years after the model year. Anyway, the only information I could find online basically said you either need a new transmission (expensive) or seat core (really expensive). I am a poor kid, so this was not an option for me. I figured out how to get the transmission out and at least change the position of the seat to a more comfortable position than it was previously in. Here's how I did it:
First, what's needed:
1. Remove seat from car. There are two bolts on the front tracks of the seat, and two on the back. All four need to come out. Then, disconnect the wires connecting to the seat - three in my case. (NOTE: I found it easier to lift the seat off the bolts and tilt it sideways to get a better grip on these. ALSO, you probably want to disconnect the battery so as not to turn on the SRS light.).
2. Remove back plastic cover peice - 1 screw. This will expose the motors and gearbox.
3. Prop seat so that it is facing perpendicular to the way it would normally face - ie the back portion of the seat is facing the ground. I used a couple of beer boxes to keep the seat standing up, but you can position it so that it balances itself on the tracks if you do it right (you'll see what I mean...)
4. Now, you'll need to remove the two motors connected to the gearbox. Remove the two screws holding each of the motors on. 3 of these are at an angle you can get to with a torx screwdriver, 1 you will need an allen wrench to get out. Start with the upper motor first, as one of the second motor's screws are behind the first. Tug hard, they are screwed on pretty tight. Once the screws are removed, just pull the motors away from the transmission and they should come right off.
5. Now, it's time to remove the transmission plate. There are 5 screws holding the plate onto the transmission. You should be able to get to four of these with the screwdriver, one may need the allen wrench. Unscrew these, and remember where they go, since the back two are much longer than the others.
6. Once the screws are out, hit the plate from the side a few times, and use a flathead screwdriver to pry it off. Inside, you will see the gears and mechanisms. On the top left, you will see the broken gear peice. Alleviate pressure off the seatback, and gently pry that gear out. You will likely find many broken peices of white plastic gear.
Gear that came out:
7. Now that the gear is out, the seatback can be moved. Move it to the position you desire. What I did to get the right position was set my driver's seat to a comfortable position and measure the distance between the end of the bottom seat cushion (by the steering wheel) to the top of the headrest. Then, I had someone hold the measuring tape and adjusted the passenger's seat to the same length.
8. Now, push that gear back in. You may have to wiggle it around a little to get the metal piece in. I also ended up putting back in some of the larger gear shards just to make sure that the seatback didn't move. This probably wasn't necessary, but what the heck. Now, just reassemble the transmission and seat in reverse order. Note: the gear in the empty spot below may have some trouble going back in. If that is the case, seperate the gear into the two or three peices, and put them in one at a time, jiggling them around to situate them correctly. This may take a few tries, but it WILL go back in. Note 2: I have been told that you can also switch the bad gear with the good gear (one with the pink end) from the forward-back motor that slides the seat - you will regain reclining functionality, but lose forward-backward motion. I didn't try this, so I can't confirm.
9. You're done! Now get the seat off those beer boxes and crack one open! (A cold one, of course) While you're at it, you'll probably want to open that box of band-aids and cover up all the cuts you got on your hands. Or, maybe you were smart enough to wear gloves
Merry Christmas everyone! Be safe!
Dan
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Click on the thumbnails to see larger images.
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E36 Seat Belt Latch Replacement
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Model : |
BMW, 3 - Series (E36) 1991-99
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Category : |
Interior - Seats
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... sensor. Once the wires are disconnected, tip the seat forward. Fold the seat back forward to make it more compact. Carefully remove the seat from the car, they are HEAVY (~70lbs... even non-powered Vaders!). NOTE:Later build dates have a "arming" cable attached from the latch to the seat base. Pry up the plastic catch with a screwdriver to remove it. Then unhook the cable's end from the ...
(more)
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Posted : |
26 October 2004
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Author : |
Chris
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Leather Treatment
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Model : |
BMW, 5 - Series (E34) 1989-96
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Category : |
Interior - Seats
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... or with a soft Terry Cloth towel and massage out the dirt. 5. Using 300 grit, lightly wet sand the leather to smooth out any cracks and hangnails in the surface, and to remove the surface of the old dye and as much of the old dye that is loose and worn from age. Do not attempt to cover over damaged dye. 6. Apply another coat of Rejuvenator as the seats will absorb it right away. 7. Apply the ...
(more)
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Posted : |
3 December 2004
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Author : |
George
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BMW E36 Power Seat Switch Replacement
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Model : |
BMW, 3 - Series (E36) 1991-99
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Category : |
Interior - Seats
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... (says to do this in my TIS). Step 2: Tilt seat back and rest against backseat. Disconnect the three large connectors and one or two small connectors under the seat. Indicate which connector goes in what plug by marking it with tape. All the other connectors are unique. The seat is now free, remove it from the car. Step 3: Deactivate the seat belt tensioner. Turn the screw clockwise to ...
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Posted : |
18 May 2005
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Removing the front seats and fixing squeaky seats
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Model : |
BMW, 3 - Series (E36) 1991-99
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Category : |
Interior - Seats
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... are held in place by 2 nuts and 2 bolts, slide the seat forwards and prise the black plastic covers off the nuts and undo them, then slide the seat backwards and undo the two bolts. Once this is done carefully lift out the seat but bear in mind it is surprisingly heavy. If you only need to remove the seat to stop it squeaking you don't need to release the seat-belt as you can move the ...
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Posted : |
18 May 2005
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E30 Rear Seat Removal
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Model : |
BMW, 3 - Series (E30) 1983-93
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Category : |
Interior - Seats
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... lip approximately where the red arrows point in the pic above and pull straight up. It shouldn't take much force. The clip looks like this: 2. Pivot the front edge of the seat cushion upwards a bit and pull the cushion out. 3. Most E30's have two 10mm bolts holding the seat back in place. These bolts are usually located on the very ends of the seat back near the bottom left and right seatbelt ...
(more)
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Posted : |
24 May 2005
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