Think this seat was a little bit twisted?

[Bill R.]

http://www.bimmernut.com/%7Ebillr/images/seattwist.jpg

[mike wong]

take off the back cover.
towards the bottom of each side, there is a piece of metal about 3-4 inches long with a notch/slot cut in it. I believe what happened was that the piece's notch slipped off of what it was sitting on. - I know this description isn't clear as I did this 3 years ago; but compare one side to the other side to see what the notch was latched onto.

you push/slide it back onto the latch - may require another set of hands to help work the latch as you push. I struggled with it by myself. after you're done, you will think how simple it was.

[Bill R.]

did the usual, remove the e14 torx bolts holding the seat track down in the back of the floor, tilt the seat up 20 degrees from the back and slide it forward off the hooks in front, then tilt the front of the seat up and lay the back of the seat down on the back seat so I can get under the seat to the drive motors. The second motor back from the front controls the recline mechanisim. I unbolted the cable from the passenger side, hooked a drill up to the cable and spun it until the seat was even. Then i pulled the cable out of the housing, pulled the end off the housing and cut just under a 1/2 off the housing length, put it back together so now the drive cable sticks out of the housing further and reassemble. Seat now works fine...





take off the back cover.
towards the bottom of each side, there is a piece of metal about 3-4 inches long with a notch/slot cut in it. I believe what happened was that the piece's notch slipped off of what it was sitting on. - I know this description isn't clear as I did this 3 years ago; but compare one side to the other side to see what the notch was latched onto.

you push/slide it back onto the latch - may require another set of hands to help work the latch as you push. I struggled with it by myself. after you're done, you will think how simple it was.

[Jr ///M5]

Er, umm......Bill, isthatyourcar? =)

[winfred]

i like your customers, mine don't bring em in till the seat is a totally unuseable block of ****, we get a few fixable seats but the owners don't seem to know the meaning of no, about half need to be worked on the just get em out of the car, that hook thing sucks

[Bill R.]

this one is that pale blue color, mine's bronzit beige.... but his paints in better shape than mine... also his is a 525 m20 and mines a 535.... I'll stick with mine.... See the blue on the door edge....





Er, umm......Bill, isthatyourcar? =)

[Jr ///M5]

I was bein' a little onery, actually Quentin made me do it...=)

[Rory]

... i pulled the cable out of the housing, pulled the end off the housing and cut just under a 1/2 off the housing length, put it back together so now the drive cable sticks out of the housing further and reassemble. Seat now works fine...
Bill,

What does cutting the 1/2" do? I understand that the cable is not engaging the motor, but don't understand how shortening the cable will allow it to engage? I had my seat apart last week to fix a twist but don't understand the cutting. Do you just cut the outer black cable and not touch the inner metal twisty thing?

Thanks for the help.

Best,
Rory

[Bill R.]

twisted cable and I think its twisting tighter when you hit the end of travel, over time i think it twist tight enough that it gets shorter, then not as much sticks out of each end of the outer jacket, which doesn't leave enough sticking out to engage in the socket in the motor or the socket in the other end , take your pick... I have heard other theories that the material used for the black outer jacket swells as it ages , lengthening causeing the same result... Either way by pulling the inner cable out, then pulling the little steel end off the jacket and cutting the jacket shorter then putting the cable back in ,,etc etc.. End result more cable sticks out of the jacket engaging in the drive sockets in the motor and gearbox end...




Bill,

What does cutting the 1/2" do? I understand that the cable is not engaging the motor, but don't understand how shortening the cable will allow it to engage? I had my seat apart last week to fix a twist but don't understand the cutting. Do you just cut the outer black cable and not touch the inner metal twisty thing?

Thanks for the help.

Best,
Rory

[Geoff Hoad]

Its true, its ALL Quentin's fault. Everything! :)

Geoff

[pong]

my prob is that one side does not move at all... only one side reclines therefore a really twisted seat... it doesnt go down at all...

how do u remove the back cover of the seat? is there some sort of lock?

[shogun]

Thanks Bill, I 'borrowed' the pic and your comment for the German 7er.com tips and tricks page.
Yes, of course, and it's always Q's fault :-)

Pong:

some more info (http://www.nmia.com/~dgnrg/page_11.htm)

and here, hope you have the same seat back (http://www.nmia.com/~dgnrg/page_32.htm)

[Kalevera]

Lol...My DS is twisted...gotta fix that after I get done with the other mechanical priorities of the moment :(

[Paul in NZ]

one thing is for sure Lowell by the time you have finished you will know more about e34's than most of us,except bill winfred and er quentin

[Scott H]

How is the body of that car....and is it cirrusblau? I may be looking to buy a nice E34 body to swap all my crap to in a couple years when my car finally eats itself away. Can you stay friends with that guy so I can buy his car to use the body? :D


this one is that pale blue color

[Bill R.]

wife says she will keep it until it absolutely drops... They've had it about 10 years so far...








How is the body of that car....and is it cirrusblau? I may be looking to buy a nice E34 body to swap all my crap to in a couple years when my car finally eats itself away. Can you stay friends with that guy so I can buy his car to use the body? :D

[Kalevera]

Lol....Paul, I can only hope ;) Frankly, everywhere I look on this car, I see a project. I guess that's what happens when you buy an e34 that sat in a field for two years. It very quickly went from being an investment...to an expensive (and VERY fun) hobby. Fritz will kick major butt once I get him somewhat restored.

Seriously, though, I'm surprised you guys put up with me...I wouldn't have gotten anywhere without the wonderful people who make up this community....just wait until I start knocking out all of the dents, doing the door seals, and the repaint ;)

In other news: I finally found Hylomar today! I almost took a picture of it and posted it on the board...hahaha.

best, whit

[Paul in NZ]

about the only people who get flamed are the people who ask about changing out the capacitors or pulling the steering wheel ,get told to disconnet the battery,then complain about having to reset the srs light at the stealers cos they didnt.

[Scott H]

oh well.......we'll revist this idea in two years.....thanks for the reply!


wife says she will keep it until it absolutely drops... They've had it about 10 years so far...

[granit_silber]

did the usual, remove the e14 torx bolts holding the seat track down in the back of the floor, tilt the seat up 20 degrees from the back and slide it forward off the hooks in front, then tilt the front of the seat up and lay the back of the seat down on the back seat so I can get under the seat to the drive motors. The second motor back from the front controls the recline mechanisim. I unbolted the cable from the passenger side, hooked a drill up to the cable and spun it until the seat was even. Then i pulled the cable out of the housing, pulled the end off the housing and cut just under a 1/2 off the housing length, put it back together so now the drive cable sticks out of the housing further and reassemble. Seat now works fine...

I've got a question about that twisted seat.

When the seat is twisted does the seat stay in that twisted-ness through it's motion? Will the seat recline as it is or does one side of the seat freeze and not move?

The reason I ask is my driver's seat is twisted like that, but the center-most side of the side doesn't move at all. So the only way to make the seat "normal" is to have the seat back WAY reclined.
Thanks,
ashley

[632 Regal]

Pong, you dont want to remove the back of the seat, nothing in there. You want to shorten the cable jacket for the motor that doesnt seem to make the seat move, IE motor works but no action happening. You will have to pull the drivers seat out in order to get to the bottom and perform the cable circumcision, then level the seat, straighten it and pop the cable back on, test it and put back in the car.