Manual passenger seat stuck

[skmattwell]

Glad you got the seats out, I hope my suggestion was helpful.

Don’t worry, the airbags won’t “go off” if you reconnect the battery, but you might get an airbag warning light. This is easy to reset if you have a decent code reader. Creator C310+ will do it, you just need to know where in the menu to look.

Hopefully, with the seat off, the outside rail is free to slide so you should be able to remove it. Now you have access to the inside rail, you must be able to see where it’s jamming, but if not you can drill access to the securing bolt. Don’t do anything to damage the floor of the car or you will have difficulty fitting your new seats. Unlike the fronts, the rear fixings are bolts, not nuts.

P.s. if you are tipping the seats, can I have dibs on your headrests please?

Can I comfirm you're saying the airbags wont go off with the seat fully disconnected?

Also I'm going to try my luck selling the driver's side, but anything you want from the seat I've cut off is yours free of charge

 

[Zedebee]

Can I comfirm you're saying the airbags wont go off with the seat fully disconnected?

Never in my experience. I’ve done several seat swaps now and I’ve not disconnected the battery on at least a couple of occasions. I have had the airbag warning light, but that is easily cleared. I have never read any forum report of an airbag going off as a result of disconnecting the seats. Generally it’s only an impact or direct tampering with the airbag itself that will set them off as far as I know.

Also I'm going to try my luck selling the driver's side, but anything you want from the seat I've cut off is yours free of charge

Cheers, happy to pay for postage.

 

[skmattwell]

Can I comfirm you're saying the airbags wont go off with the seat fully disconnected?

Never in my experience. I’ve done several seat swaps now and I’ve not disconnected the battery on at least a couple of occasions. I have had the airbag warning light, but that is easily cleared. I have never read any forum report of an airbag going off as a result of disconnecting the seats. Generally it’s only an impact or direct tampering with the airbag itself that will set them off as far as I know.

Also I'm going to try my luck selling the driver's side, but anything you want from the seat I've cut off is yours free of charge

Cheers, happy to pay for postage.

Will obviously try to install the new seats with the roof on but good to know I'm not screwed if I have to.

Don't worry about it, you've helped me plenty enough. Just pm me your address and I'll get it sent. Will be selling the drivers side for £50, you're welcome to first dibs on those if you like, even if you just want the headrest

 

[Zedebee]

Will obviously try to install the new seats with the roof on but good to know I'm not screwed if I have to.

One thing I can guarantee, is that it’s easier to change the seats with the roof down! Changing them in a coupe, by myself, is not something I ever want to do again. :roll:

 

[skmattwell]

**Time for your daily update** (you'll miss these one day )

The seat and the non-jammed rail are now fully out, leaving just the rail causing all the trouble. Ive had a good look in the runners and still can't see anything that may be obstructing it, other than this metal ball perhaps?



I'm guessing it's a bearing that is meant to be there, but either way it is stuck fast. No amount of hammering or levering is moving it.

This is the area immediately above the last remaining bolt holding the rail in. It seems a tricky area to drill out.



My strategy therefore is to cut the rail right through, around where I have drawn the red line. With any luck the blockage will be in an area of the rail that will have been sawn off, leaving just a small section of rail that should hopefully slide right off.



If that doesn't work, I think cutting through the bolt is the only option left. Unless anyone has any better ideas of course

 

[enuff_zed]

I am asking as I honestly cannot remember so ignore me if I'm talking squit.
Do the rear bolts project through under the car or are they fully enclosed? Just wondering if you could drill it out from underneath?

 

[skmattwell]

I am asking as I honestly cannot remember so ignore me if I'm talking squit.
Do the rear bolts project through under the car or are they fully enclosed? Just wondering if you could drill it out from underneath?

They are protected unfortunately. I could easily get this rail out if I saw through the bolt from under the rail, it will just leave me with the rest of the bolt stuck in the threads, which makes for more work. Do you think drilling the stuck bolt out of the thread would be simple enough?

 

[enuff_zed]

I am asking as I honestly cannot remember so ignore me if I'm talking squit.
Do the rear bolts project through under the car or are they fully enclosed? Just wondering if you could drill it out from underneath?

They are protected unfortunately. I could easily get this rail out if I saw through the bolt from under the rail, it will just leave me with the rest of the bolt stuck in the threads, which makes for more work. Do you think drilling the stuck bolt out of the thread would be simple enough?

I think you'd be ok with an Eezi-out kit. The bolts aren't usually too tight.

 

[skmattwell]

I am asking as I honestly cannot remember so ignore me if I'm talking squit.
Do the rear bolts project through under the car or are they fully enclosed? Just wondering if you could drill it out from underneath?

They are protected unfortunately. I could easily get this rail out if I saw through the bolt from under the rail, it will just leave me with the rest of the bolt stuck in the threads, which makes for more work. Do you think drilling the stuck bolt out of the thread would be simple enough?

I think you'd be ok with an Eezi-out kit. The bolts aren't usually too tight.

If the other bolt was anything to go by, It was pretty well seated in there. If Eezi-out doesn't work, would it be a case of drilling it out?

 

[enuff_zed]

They are protected unfortunately. I could easily get this rail out if I saw through the bolt from under the rail, it will just leave me with the rest of the bolt stuck in the threads, which makes for more work. Do you think drilling the stuck bolt out of the thread would be simple enough?

I think you'd be ok with an Eezi-out kit. The bolts aren't usually too tight.

If the other bolt was anything to go by, It was pretty well seated in there. If Eezi-out doesn't work, would it be a case of drilling it out?

Well you need to drill a hole first to fit the extractor into. Then if that doesn't work it's slowly open it out until it comes loose, without damaging the threads.
Sometimes the heat from drilling is enough to help loosen it a little.

 

[grannyknot]

If that doesn't work, I think cutting through the bolt is the only option left. Unless anyone has any better ideas of course

Just read through this thread, tough situation, I would remove that seat belt receiver/ explosive belt tightener and get it out of the way while it is still in good shape.
You may have to go caveman on the rail and you don't want the charge going off.
If you can't get that rail to move by hitting alternately on both ends then you'll have to get a sawsall with a metal cutting blade between the carpet and the rail, then drill out the rusty bolt.
Either way you probably won't be able to use that rail again.

That yellow zinc flange that goes over the top of the spring I think is the lock mechanism that holds the rail in place, the problem is most likely there.
Have you tried getting that moving? Or perhaps you could drill out the studs hold that flange.

 

[Zedebee]

There is a lot of rust there, it could be the inner and outer rail have simply fused together. Have you tried giving the inner rail a whack in the backwards direction to break the fuse, obviously making sure the locking mechanism is unlatched. You really want to uncover that bolt and extract it normally if you can.

 

[skmattwell]

If that doesn't work, I think cutting through the bolt is the only option left. Unless anyone has any better ideas of course

Just read through this thread, tough situation, I would remove that seat belt receiver/ explosive belt tightener and get it out of the way while it is still in good shape.
You may have to go caveman on the rail and you don't want the charge going off.
If you can't get that rail to move by hitting alternately on both ends then you'll have to get a sawsall with a metal cutting blade between the carpet and the rail, then drill out the rusty bolt.
Either way you probably won't be able to use that rail again.

That yellow zinc flange that goes over the top of the spring I think is the lock mechanism that holds the rail in place, the problem is most likely there.
Have you tried getting that moving? Or perhaps you could drill out the studs hold that flange.

Hi mate, thanks for giving it a read, I'm at the final hurdle now!

I've looked through the rail and verified the locking pin is releasing as it should, so I think that's been ruled out as the culprit.

Another forum member is coming round with a recip and angle grinder to help me out tomorrow, so hopefully we can get it cut through once and for all. The rail and seat is going to the skip, so I have no qualms destroying it I have the tools to cut through the bolt, but don't want the headache of trying to remove it from the threads, so it's a last resort.

There is a lot of rust there, it could be the inner and outer rail have simply fused together. Have you tried giving the inner rail a whack in the backwards direction to break the fuse, obviously making sure the locking mechanism is unlatched. You really want to uncover that bolt and extract it normally if you can.

Will give it another go tonight, but have hammered away in both directions without an inch of movement I agree that the rails are so rusty I think they've fused together. If we manage to cut the rail in two near where the bolt is, hopefully it will remove the blockage

 

[skmattwell]

IT'S OUT!!
Finally after hours of trying, the stubborn seat rail has finally been removed, all without cutting through the bolt. Fellow forum member chemical.equal (thanks again) got his angle grinder out and cut out the rail above the bolt



And here it is, my kryptonite...



Between us we used an angle grinder, and oscillating multi tool for more tricky cuts, to expose the bolt. It was really in there, but managed to finally wrench it out.

My final update will come over the weekend when I get to put in my new seats!! Thanks everyone for your help again, every suggestion (even if it might not have directly worked) contributed to getting this thing out

 

[DMike]

Having the rail out from the car, did you find out why it got stuck?

 

[skmattwell]

Having the rail out from the car, did you find out why it got stuck?

Nope, we both inspected the rail and are baffled. We removed the locking pin completely to verify it wasn't that and looking through the rail shows no blockages. We've put it down to rust fusing itself together very, very well

 

[Usel]

Even your hand shows the trauma this has been

Well done on getting it out!!

 

[Mr Tidy]

Congratulations to you both on finally getting there.

 

[grannyknot]

YEA!!! Good work.

 

[Zedebee]

Glad you got that out. Great photo, and glad to see [ref]chemical.equal277[/ref] wearing the appropriate PPE.