W108 front seat removal

[Dweezil]

Hi Team,

Can anyone give any advice on getting the front driver’s seat out?

The front bolts are partially obscured by the seat rail and the rear bolts seem completely inaccessible.

Many thanks.

Dweezil

[ibast]

There's a ride height adjustment. It can be sticky. get in and force it all the way back and down for the front ones and all the way up and forward for the rear ones.

The rear ones won't show until it's all the way up and forward.

You may need to spray some WD40 inthe mechanism and the spring underneath may be dislodged. That makes it even harder.

There is a video on the interwebs by the man in the trenchcoat. It's a 116 or 113 from memory, but it's the same problem.

[Dweezil]

Thanks, ibast.

Yes, I took a look at Kent's video. The problem may be that the seat height doesn't seem to adjust, whereas backwards and forwards looks fine. So, am I right in thinking that the back bolt:

W108_seat_bolt_rear.jpg

should reveal itself when the seat is at its full height, and same with the front?

W108_seat_bolt_front.jpg

Thanks

Dweezil

[Dweezil]

Oh, and I should point out that I removed the spring as per another article that I saw on seat removal. Given that Kent doesn't mention it, should I put the damned thing back on? Not sure that the seat was moving upwards before in any event.

Thanks

Dweezil

[ibast]

Just went and had a look and the front bolt reveals itself with the forward/aft adjustment and the rear with the height adjustment.

Here's where it gets complicated. My drivers seat is out and it looks like my passenger seat doesn't have height adjustment.

And it'sparked in on the passenger side. So I'm wondering how I get the passenger seat out myself now.

The height adjustment is on the side and forward/after on the front towards the centre.

I'll see if I can move a few things to get a better look tomorrow.

I too the drivers seat out not long ago. one set is nuts on a stud and the other is bolts. I can't remember which is which.

[ibast]

Had another look. Looks like it's 4 bolts.

With the non adjustable passenger side there is a plastic fascia to reveal the bolts.

But you noted drivers side in the OP. The adjustment on the side of the seat towards the front is the height adjustment. Pull it an adjust the seat all the way up and forward.

[Dweezil]

Thanks ibast.

I've slid forwards and upwards with all my might, but to no avail. Oddly enough, I managed to get the passenger seat out ages ago, but it was so long ago that I can't remember what I did.

I'll try and take some shots tomorrow.

It's going to the scrapper's shortly, so I really need to figure this out.

If anyone else has any bright ideas on this one, I'm all ears.

Thanks

Dweezil

[CraigB]

I just did an 'unwilling' W116 yesterday with the same 'difficult' height adjustment complication. I did need to get the seat all the way back and down and opposite of that, to get to the bolts. I think they are pretty similar. If you can see under the seat, there is a series of square holes that are the locking bit for the height adjustment - that will tell you if the seat is right down or up or in between and so you know which way you are trying to move it. Those height rails were really stiff on mine. I tried squirting stuff in there but it is stiff old grease and corrosion and brute force was the final solution. I got my son in the seat with the slider right forward and holding the height adjuster lever up. Then i got in the back seat with my hands on the top of seat and boots against the lower part and just pushed. Then i got in the seat with feet on the firewall and height lever up and just pushed backwards and kept cycling that, getting more and more movement. When it came to later dismantling, I had to move these sliders again to get them off the frame once out of the car and a small pry bar and also a hammer and brass drift were also useful in moving them. You could probably also use these with the seat bolted in. Passenger side without the height adjustment is not a problem...... they obviously just felt the need to complicate things on the drivers side!!

Also with them off, using a scraper on dried grease and brake cleaner I have started to get them moving better but I can't see you can easily disassemble to get to all the tracks. There are 2 large rollers putting the upward force on the track, sitting in the middle. Then there are ball rollers in tracks that are impossible to get to and clean properly.

Good luck and hope that helps!

[Dweezil]

Hi Craig,

yes, that post did indeed spur me on to try again. A few squirts of Inox, then this jury rig to get the slider bars up:

W108_front_seat_holder.jpg

And just going backwards and forwards with brute force, as you say.

W108_front_seat_rear_bolt_reveal.jpg

Thanks!

Dweezil

[Dweezil]

Hi Team,

just trying this again on Karl-Heinz, the SEL.

I've exposed the nuts at front and back with relative ease, but the rear nuts are starting to round-off, and if they go, all bets are off. Has anyone got any particular tools or techniques they use here to try and prevent that?

Thanks

Dweezil

[matthewz108]

What tool are you using to round the bolt heads off?

[Dweezil]

10mm socket or ring spanner just aren’t seating very well with a short nut and restricted space in there.

[CraigB]

1/4" drive socket? It is hard to get in there but the smaller ones make it easier. Also if you are starting to round off, and not using one already, sometimes a 6pt and not 12pt will help. Its usually the cheapie ones that are 6 pt but I always have them on hand - worth buying a whole cheap kit of $20 or so just for that sort of thing, just don't use it all the time. And you have probably worked out, make sure you get it lined up and push hard down, if rounded it is probably mostly at the top of the hex not the base. And probably rust an issue - have you inoxed from below too (can't remember if exposed to underfloor on rear ones) And once you get it to move, another spray and wind it back in, then out, back and forth trying to clear that rust out of it. Also some people swear by trans fluid and diesel - I have used it once in desperation and didnt make a difference, but anything worth a try when your struggling!

[Dweezil]

I’m moving house at the moment, so just using whatever I have to hand, which is a 3/8.

Will hunt down a 1/4 and 6-point.

Thanks!

[Dweezil]

Turns out in my moving-house haste I was just being a nong in trying to remove the wrong nut!

When I went back and looked at my own post of how I got the seat out of Gustav, it all made perfect sense and they (the correct bolts) were out in 5 mins...

Deeeerrrrweezil

[tsharkey]

Your not the only one to get confused like that - story of my coupe restoration .....