Removing an electric seat

[mantianak]

My local scrappie has a R75 with front electric seats that I want. I went to remove them today but I couldn't figure out how! The bolts which hold the seat rail to the chassis is being covered by the seat. Normally on a manual seat I'd just move the seat backwards/forwards but I can't figure out how to do that on the electric seat.

Is there some kind of manual way of moving it?

[GeoffWW]

Hi,

I thought there was a "How to" for this on this forum, but can't find it. It must be on the other side's "How to's".

I have just looked on the Mg-Rover forum's list of common questions and N0 59 deals with the deactivation of the Hi Line sat nav system giving the reason for the 30 minute wait after disconnecting the battery Please see the main methodology below.

Briefly

Preparation

Firstly, at a scrap yard it is not the same as doing it at home.

You need to have the car at ground level, and be able to open the four doors fully to be able to gain access to the bolts and get the seats out.

Try to get the car on to a proper concrete base, not a muddy/oil soaked "field".

The seats are heavy and arkward to hold/manouvre out of the car, especially the driver's seat.

Part way through, you will need to disconnect the battery and leave for 30 minutes to allow the air bags' systems to be deactivated. Don't forget this or the bags may activate.

Try to get a friend to help.
--------------------------
You need to get a charged battery connected up in it's normal position.

Set the steering wheel adjustment as high up and as far forwards as adjustment allows.

You will need a T50 sized TX-star bit, socket, extension bar and ratchet to
release and undo them. They will be tight.

The doing -

Tilt the seat back rearwards to give enough clearance to remove the head restraint. Then restore the seat back to it's normal position

Then with the forward/reverse 'button, move the seat forward all the way to give you access to the rear mounting bolts - recessed star type. Undo and remove these. At this stage, you should know whether nearly all the electrical controls are working correctly.

Then, with the F/R switch, move the seat on it's carriage all the way rearwards to give access to the front mounting bolts.

DISCONNECT THE BATTERY AND WAIT AT LEAST 30 MINUTES TO ALLOW THE AIRBAGS TO BE DEACTIVATED.

Then undo the front track securing bolts. A long extension bar will be usefull in removing the bolt next to the transmission tunnel.

Pivot the seat forward on the front edges of the tracks and support with suitable wooden blocks under the rear, raised ends of the tracks.

Unclip the cable connected to rear outer corner of the seat base linked to the seat belt system.

Release the three (if full electric/memory/heated) connectors. from the seat frame and undo(split) them.

You should now be able to lift the seat out.

Once the seat is out, do you need the power cables / 'car side' of the connectors? Collect all the electrical bits you are likely to need.

Don't forget the head restraints.
Will you need to remove the "seat belt cable"? Are they already in the receptor car?

Best of luck.

[mantianak]

Thanks for that. looks like the only way is with a battery. The engine bay has already been stripped and wires cut so if I do use a battery I'll need to power it closer to the motor. I wouldn't need to worry about airbags, by the looks of it they've all gone. I guess the seats didn't have airbags in them.

It does slightly annoy me in scrap yards. I know they are scrap but people will break things to get to what they need. Total waste of spare parts. Some guy was tackling a few 75's and other rovers while I was there. He was taking the easy to snip stuff. I saw a few KV6 manifold in tact. If only he knew about those he might make a bit more cash.

[suffolk boy]

look up how to retro fit the seats without the loom.this will tell you the colour of the wires ie live etc then connect them to a battery.you can allways snip the wiring the other side of the connector to expose the wires unless you need the loom as well

[mantianak]

Cheers. Will have a look at that tomorrow. Just hope the seat is still in tact when i go again. The other 75's had been savaged!

[Devilish]

All you need to do is take a good battery, connect it up and away you go.
If this is not possible, and not knowing what has been butchered. Take some wire and a jump lead as well.

Take out the glovebox and footwell fusebox panel cover.

Connect the - from your battery to the earth strap with a jump lead, if you cannot open the bonnet clip it to the door stay.

Fuses 51 and 53 supply the seats

Fuse 9 supplies memory seat ECU

they just need 12v

If the fusebox is gone the wires are

thick orange/green
thick orange/yellow
thin purple/slate (memory seat ECU)

If the heated seat switches are there take them, and cut off the plugs, if the switche are gone and the plugs are there take them, most people sell the switches without the plugs.

When the seats are out lift the carpet and take enough of the loom (aibag plugs too, as there are two sizes, and the ones on your seats may be a diferent size to the ones you are removing, you may have to swap the seat airbag plus or the loom airbag plugs) to reach the handbrake lever

I have come across several rounded mounting bolts so take care when removing them, if you are using a 3/8" drive torx use a 1/22 drive convertor and 1/2" drive ratchet.

Head on collision may not have set off the seat airbags.

Check the pre tensioners, if they have fired you will need to replace them, £20 - £40 a pair, this should be reflected in the price of the seats.

I have several pairs of pre tensioners.

[mantianak]

Thanks. Very useful that. Not sure what was left inside. Engine was gone but looked like most other bits were there still. Hopefully next week it will still be there for me to dismantle.

[Devilish]

If you can get the carpet up you can cut off as much of the loom as you can, as close to the centre console as possible. then just power the seats with the loom wires.
I forgot it may well be a mkI, if the drivers seat has memory buttons the wires to power the memory seat ECU will have to be connected up, some seats have a yellow relay that has to be powered so I will simplfy things
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Passenger seat
Cut the loom and strip the ends of these thick wires, twist them together and connect to 12v
orange/green
orange/yellow

Strip the thick black and earth it

The thick yellow is earth for heater elements leave this wire alone

The seat motors will now work
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Drivers seat
Do exactly the same as you did to the passenger seat

If the drivers seat has memory buttons you must power this ECU under the seat for any of the motor functions to work,

If it does do the foolowing also
Strip the thin slate/grey(may look like black/grey) wire and twist it with the black earth wire (this will earth the seat ECU

There will be either a thin brown/pink or slate/purple(may look black/purple) twist this with the orange/green and orange yellow wires (this will power the seat ECU

The seat motors will work

Do not forget to check all motor operations, there could be worm gear, switch or motor faults.

It would be a good idea to connect a fuse somewhere along the wire you use as the live from the battery, you can just twist it to the pins of a blade fuse and tape up, take a spare fuse in case.

Oh and FYI the wires are the same for the ZT