Encountering a stuck car seat, especially a power seat, can be a frustrating experience. Whether you’re dealing with a faulty motor or a damaged adjuster, removing the seat becomes essential for repair or replacement. This guide provides a step-by-step approach to manually operate your power seat and remove it, even when it’s jammed. While specialized winder tools for car seats exist, this method utilizes common tools you might already have, like drills, to serve as improvised winder tools for car seat mechanisms.
Tools You’ll Need:
- Two drills (corded or cordless)
- Drill bit kit (for removing stripped bolts if necessary)
- Phillips head screwdriver
- 6mm Allen wrench (hex key)
- 18mm wrench (for leverage)
- Small torch (butane or propane, for heating bolts – use with caution)
Step-by-Step Guide to Manually Wind and Remove Your Car Seat:
-
Access the Seat Base: Begin by removing the front plastic panel that covers the base of your car seat. This will expose the motor and drive mechanisms.
-
Disconnect the Motor Clip: Locate the “paperclip” style retainer that secures the motor top and sides around the black tubes containing the driveshafts. Remove this clip.
-
Detach the Driveshaft Clip: Identify the clip behind the left-side driveshaft tube (black tube). This clip, similar to a circlip, needs to be pushed back to release. Once removed, you can pull the driveshaft out of the motor gearbox. Gently pull to the right until it disengages.
-
Remove the Left Driveshaft: Now, pull the left driveshaft out of the motor gearbox in the same manner.
-
Reposition Driveshaft Tubes: Carefully pull both driveshaft tubes forward and away from the seat. The driveshafts themselves should remain within the tubes. The goal is to move the tubes to create enough space in the footwell to operate the drills.
-
Prepare Your Drills as Winder Tools: Insert approximately 1/4 inch of the square end of one driveshaft into the chuck of each drill. These drills will act as your improvised winder tools for car seat adjustment.
-
Manually Wind the Seat Backwards (Initial Movement): Set one drill to forward and the other to reverse. Position yourself comfortably and VERY SLOWLY begin rotating each drill, while gently pushing towards the seat to ensure the drill engages with the gearing at the end of the shafts. Observe the seat’s movement. Start by attempting to move the seat backward first.
-
Expose Front Bolts: Once the seat is fully back, you should see two Allen head bolts in the seat tracks at the front. In many cases, these bolts might be stripped. If stripped bolts are encountered, you will need to use a drill bit to carefully drill them out.
-
Move Seat Forward to Access Rear Bolts: Reverse the direction of both drills (swap forward and reverse settings) to wind the seat forward. Move the seat completely forward to reveal the four Allen head bolts located at the rear of the seat tracks.
-
Heat Rear Bolts (Caution Required): (AT YOUR OWN RISK) Using your small torch, adjust it to produce a small, pencil-tip flame. VERY CAREFULLY apply the flame to the head of each rear bolt, alternating sides, for approximately 20-30 seconds per bolt head. This heating process helps to soften any factory-applied threadlocker.
-
Loosen Rear Bolts: Insert your 6mm Allen wrench into a heated bolt head. For added leverage, place the round end of your 18mm wrench onto the Allen wrench. Apply slow, steady pressure to break the bolt loose.
-
Repeat and Free the Seat: Repeat step 11 for the remaining rear bolts. With all six bolts (two front, four rear) removed, the seat should now be free from its tracks.
-
Tilt and Disconnect Power: Tilt the seat backward to access the underside. Locate a gold plate secured by two Phillips head screws. Remove these screws and unplug the switch harness.
-
Disconnect Seatbelt Harness: Unplug the seatbelt receiver harness.
-
Remove the Seat and Celebrate: Carefully lift and remove the now-free car seat. Be aware that car seats are often heavy. Once removed, take a moment to celebrate your successful DIY car seat removal!
This guide provides a practical method for using improvised winder tools for car seat removal, even when faced with stripped bolts and a stuck power seat mechanism. Remember to exercise caution, especially when using tools and applying heat. This DIY approach can save time and money while empowering you to tackle car repairs yourself.
