Removing broken power seat
05-10-2011, 03:24 PM
#1
Safety Car
Thread Starter
Removing broken power seat
I've had this issue for a while now, but since I'm the only one that really drives my car anymore I haven't bothered to fix it. I think it's getting to be about time.
I have a 2005 with 1sb interior (3lt equivalent) so I have 'power' seats with memory. My driving position with the seat is pretty much all the way back and down which is where my issue comes in. I want to pull the seat and check all the wiring and swap out the memory module, but I just can't get to the nuts in the rear of the seat track. My seat won't move at all.
Any suggestions?
I have a 2005 with 1sb interior (3lt equivalent) so I have 'power' seats with memory. My driving position with the seat is pretty much all the way back and down which is where my issue comes in. I want to pull the seat and check all the wiring and swap out the memory module, but I just can't get to the nuts in the rear of the seat track. My seat won't move at all.
Any suggestions?
05-10-2011, 03:30 PM
#2
Safety Car
Member Since: Jun 1999
Location: Austin, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Houston, Dallas, Hong Kong, Elgin, etc.. Texas
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I've had this issue for a while now, but since I'm the only one that really drives my car anymore I haven't bothered to fix it. I think it's getting to be about time.
I have a 2005 with 1sb interior (3lt equivalent) so I have 'power' seats with memory. My driving position with the seat is pretty much all the way back and down which is where my issue comes in. I want to pull the seat and check all the wiring and swap out the memory module, but I just can't get to the nuts in the rear of the seat track. My seat won't move at all.
Any suggestions?
I have a 2005 with 1sb interior (3lt equivalent) so I have 'power' seats with memory. My driving position with the seat is pretty much all the way back and down which is where my issue comes in. I want to pull the seat and check all the wiring and swap out the memory module, but I just can't get to the nuts in the rear of the seat track. My seat won't move at all.
Any suggestions?
05-10-2011, 03:37 PM
#3
Safety Car
Thread Starter
Could there be a way to hotwire the seat to move forward or up?
05-10-2011, 06:31 PM
#4
Safety Car
Member Since: Jun 1999
Location: Austin, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Houston, Dallas, Hong Kong, Elgin, etc.. Texas
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I've checked the two under the front and they look fine. I gave the fuse a visual and it looked alright as well. When digging under the seat with my hand, I can feel another connector but I have no hope of unhooking it blindly in the position it is in.
Could there be a way to hotwire the seat to move forward or up?
Could there be a way to hotwire the seat to move forward or up?
There is a really big connector, medium, and small one. The small one is for the heater and that goes under the skin near the rear.
I would first probe the connectors in the front to see which ones are ground and which ones positive. Usually, the ground is in the #1 connector position, but I would need to see a wiring diagram to tell for sure. Maybe applying a positive current to the wires which are not grounds would move the motor.
Another way would be via the switch connector on the side. Remove the seat recline lever. That won't be easy since access to the clip is on the bottom. You may be able to spring it free from the side of the lever.
Not sure which wire, but if you use a digital multi-meter, you can figure out which wire is negative ground and which one should have positive current. So you just apply positive to that wire. Of course, you don't want to try to connect a positive wire to the ground terminal.....big spark!
05-11-2011, 09:31 AM
#5
Safety Car
Thread Starter
A couple of theories. I have not tried these and if someone who knows the seat wiring could jump in here.
There is a really big connector, medium, and small one. The small one is for the heater and that goes under the skin near the rear.
I would first probe the connectors in the front to see which ones are ground and which ones positive. Usually, the ground is in the #1 connector position, but I would need to see a wiring diagram to tell for sure. Maybe applying a positive current to the wires which are not grounds would move the motor.
Another way would be via the switch connector on the side. Remove the seat recline lever. That won't be easy since access to the clip is on the bottom. You may be able to spring it free from the side of the lever.
Not sure which wire, but if you use a digital multi-meter, you can figure out which wire is negative ground and which one should have positive current. So you just apply positive to that wire. Of course, you don't want to try to connect a positive wire to the ground terminal.....big spark!
There is a really big connector, medium, and small one. The small one is for the heater and that goes under the skin near the rear.
I would first probe the connectors in the front to see which ones are ground and which ones positive. Usually, the ground is in the #1 connector position, but I would need to see a wiring diagram to tell for sure. Maybe applying a positive current to the wires which are not grounds would move the motor.
Another way would be via the switch connector on the side. Remove the seat recline lever. That won't be easy since access to the clip is on the bottom. You may be able to spring it free from the side of the lever.
Not sure which wire, but if you use a digital multi-meter, you can figure out which wire is negative ground and which one should have positive current. So you just apply positive to that wire. Of course, you don't want to try to connect a positive wire to the ground terminal.....big spark!
05-12-2011, 03:43 AM
#6
Burning Brakes
I think the seat cover is held on with hog rings. it might be possible to remove the cover and the foam to get access to the seat motor.
05-12-2011, 07:59 AM
#7
Safety Car
Member Since: Jun 1999
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The hog rings hold the leather cover on and are only accessible from the bottom so they would be impossible to get to when the seat is bolted down.
05-12-2011, 03:21 PM
#8
Safety Car
Thread Starter
I'll update this thread when I get a chance to look at it (hopefully tonight after I change my header gaskets to stop the ticking/chirping I'm hearing).
Thanks very much for the advice so far.
Thanks very much for the advice so far.
05-12-2011, 08:24 PM
#9
Tech Contributor
Member Since: Oct 1999
Location: Charlotte, NC (formerly Endicott, NY)
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Do you have access to a scanner that can read the body codes? Some of the codes will disable the seat manual controls. There are 3 motors in the seat adjuster. If the fault is affecting all 3 it has to be a problem with the power feed from the circuit breaker, a wiring or connector issue in or at the seat switch or a ground issue. Check the seat circuit breaker to see if it is open or closed. It is in the instrument panel fuse block. Also check the ground at G301 to see if it is OK.
The seat motors are reversible and the switches just reverse the polarity of the voltage being applied to the motors to get them change direction.
Bill
The seat motors are reversible and the switches just reverse the polarity of the voltage being applied to the motors to get them change direction.
Bill
05-14-2011, 01:14 PM
#10
Burning Brakes
ttt
05-15-2011, 01:22 AM
#11
Safety Car
Thread Starter
Thanks for the suggestions. Unfortunately I haven't been able to try anything yet because I somehow managed to cross thread a header bolt while removing it ( stage 8 locking bolts btw) so I have been waiting while trying to find an M8 1.25 tap in town as well as trying to come up with a solution for my bolt ( thinking of cutting a long bolt to make a temporary stud). Sorry for the delay. I will let you guys know what i fund with the seats.
09-01-2011, 10:31 PM
#12
2nd Gear
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we are having a problem with our 05 seats also the only way we can get our seat to move is if we lean towards the center console taking our left cheek and weight completely off the seat.
07-21-2012, 01:12 AM
#13
Instructor
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Any update on this? I am in the same situation and am going crazy searching for a way to reach the rear nuts. How do I send a positive current to try and manually move the seat forward? I removed the passenger seat to see if I can somehow remove the bottom of the seat and get to the nuts that way.
03-03-2013, 02:55 PM
#14
Instructor
This is just a follow-up message for others to reference at a future date as there is a solution that works.
I PM'd SEVINN (who began this thread) and asked him if he ever found a solution as I was in the same predicament. He was more than helpful and wish to say thanks to him again.
Below is what I did with the help from SEVINN:
1) Locate the drive motor.
The drive motor that moves the driver's seat forward and back is located near the very front of the bottom of the seat. It's a grey steel enclosure.
2) Disconnect the wiring harness.
A wiring harness exits the motor and two of the wires are the power leads (+ & -). The room to work with is very tight so you'll need to remove the two front nuts and prop something under the seat to give yourself a bit of space to access the wires. If you trace the wires from the motor to the next connector junction, you'll be able to disconnect it with bit of finagling (it takes some patience and several tries). Pull this wiring harness coming from the motor out front from underneath the seat so you'll be able to work it.
3) Prep the harness to actuate the seat motor.
Locate the red and black wires and note which slots in the connector house these wires. You'll then need to locate something conductive to insert into these pin slots on the connector - I used a couple of paper clips that I had straightened.
4) Get a power source.
Now you'll need to find a 12V power source to 'hot wire' the seat motor. I used the same thing that SEVINN used which was the battery backup in my house alarm system.
5) 'Hot wire' the motor.
I bent the paper clips in such a way that I could make them come in contact with the battery terminals. There will be a few sparks when you first touch them. If the seat doesn't move or it moves back further, switch the connections on the battery to reverse the direction of which way the motor is turning.
Now you should be able to access the rear nuts and pull the seat. I inspected the bottom of the seat an observed that some power leads which where connected up inside the seat into a terminal block were completely severed from the connector. I soldered the wires back together and wrapped the repair with electrical tape. Problem solved.
On a side note, my seat had always acted a but strange before the fix - sometimes working, sometimes not. The severed wire was likely not fully apart for a year or two and was making an intermittent connection so the seat only worked sporadically. I was never able to find out what was causing it until this happened. Now the seat is 100% functional and I'm very pleased.
Once again, thank to SEVINN for pointing me down the right path.
I PM'd SEVINN (who began this thread) and asked him if he ever found a solution as I was in the same predicament. He was more than helpful and wish to say thanks to him again.
Below is what I did with the help from SEVINN:
1) Locate the drive motor.
The drive motor that moves the driver's seat forward and back is located near the very front of the bottom of the seat. It's a grey steel enclosure.
2) Disconnect the wiring harness.
A wiring harness exits the motor and two of the wires are the power leads (+ & -). The room to work with is very tight so you'll need to remove the two front nuts and prop something under the seat to give yourself a bit of space to access the wires. If you trace the wires from the motor to the next connector junction, you'll be able to disconnect it with bit of finagling (it takes some patience and several tries). Pull this wiring harness coming from the motor out front from underneath the seat so you'll be able to work it.
3) Prep the harness to actuate the seat motor.
Locate the red and black wires and note which slots in the connector house these wires. You'll then need to locate something conductive to insert into these pin slots on the connector - I used a couple of paper clips that I had straightened.
4) Get a power source.
Now you'll need to find a 12V power source to 'hot wire' the seat motor. I used the same thing that SEVINN used which was the battery backup in my house alarm system.
5) 'Hot wire' the motor.
I bent the paper clips in such a way that I could make them come in contact with the battery terminals. There will be a few sparks when you first touch them. If the seat doesn't move or it moves back further, switch the connections on the battery to reverse the direction of which way the motor is turning.
Now you should be able to access the rear nuts and pull the seat. I inspected the bottom of the seat an observed that some power leads which where connected up inside the seat into a terminal block were completely severed from the connector. I soldered the wires back together and wrapped the repair with electrical tape. Problem solved.
On a side note, my seat had always acted a but strange before the fix - sometimes working, sometimes not. The severed wire was likely not fully apart for a year or two and was making an intermittent connection so the seat only worked sporadically. I was never able to find out what was causing it until this happened. Now the seat is 100% functional and I'm very pleased.
Once again, thank to SEVINN for pointing me down the right path.
The following 5 users liked this post by gorilla1969:
Harlequin (08-10-2022),
ItsAVetteThing (04-24-2023),
KK15501 (11-03-2015),
Pobre (11-21-2018),
TMODcustoms (01-01-2023)
03-03-2013, 03:08 PM
#15
Safety Car
Thread Starter
This is just a follow-up message for others to reference at a future date as there is a solution that works.
I PM'd SEVINN (who began this thread) and asked him if he ever found a solution as I was in the same predicament. He was more than helpful and wish to say thanks to him again.
Below is what I did with the help from SEVINN:
1) Locate the drive motor.
The drive motor that moves the driver's seat forward and back is located near the very front of the bottom of the seat. It's a grey steel enclosure.
2) Disconnect the wiring harness.
A wiring harness exits the motor and two of the wires are the power leads (+ & -). The room to work with is very tight so you'll need to remove the two front nuts and prop something under the seat to give yourself a bit of space to access the wires. If you trace the wires from the motor to the next connector junction, you'll be able to disconnect it with bit of finagling (it takes some patience and several tries). Pull this wiring harness coming from the motor out front from underneath the seat so you'll be able to work it.
3) Prep the harness to actuate the seat motor.
Locate the red and black wires and note which slots in the connector house these wires. You'll then need to locate something conductive to insert into these pin slots on the connector - I used a couple of paper clips that I had straightened.
4) Get a power source.
Now you'll need to find a 12V power source to 'hot wire' the seat motor. I used the same thing that SEVINN used which was the battery backup in my house alarm system.
5) 'Hot wire' the motor.
I bent the paper clips in such a way that I could make them come in contact with the battery terminals. There will be a few sparks when you first touch them. If the seat doesn't move or it moves back further, switch the connections on the battery to reverse the direction of which way the motor is turning.
Now you should be able to access the rear nuts and pull the seat. I inspected the bottom of the seat an observed that some power leads which where connected up inside the seat into a terminal block were completely severed from the connector. I soldered the wires back together and wrapped the repair with electrical tape. Problem solved.
On a side note, my seat had always acted a but strange before the fix - sometimes working, sometimes not. The severed wire was likely not fully apart for a year or two and was making an intermittent connection so the seat only worked sporadically. I was never able to find out what was causing it until this happened. Now the seat is 100% functional and I'm very pleased.
Once again, thank to SEVINN for pointing me down the right path.
I PM'd SEVINN (who began this thread) and asked him if he ever found a solution as I was in the same predicament. He was more than helpful and wish to say thanks to him again.
Below is what I did with the help from SEVINN:
1) Locate the drive motor.
The drive motor that moves the driver's seat forward and back is located near the very front of the bottom of the seat. It's a grey steel enclosure.
2) Disconnect the wiring harness.
A wiring harness exits the motor and two of the wires are the power leads (+ & -). The room to work with is very tight so you'll need to remove the two front nuts and prop something under the seat to give yourself a bit of space to access the wires. If you trace the wires from the motor to the next connector junction, you'll be able to disconnect it with bit of finagling (it takes some patience and several tries). Pull this wiring harness coming from the motor out front from underneath the seat so you'll be able to work it.
3) Prep the harness to actuate the seat motor.
Locate the red and black wires and note which slots in the connector house these wires. You'll then need to locate something conductive to insert into these pin slots on the connector - I used a couple of paper clips that I had straightened.
4) Get a power source.
Now you'll need to find a 12V power source to 'hot wire' the seat motor. I used the same thing that SEVINN used which was the battery backup in my house alarm system.
5) 'Hot wire' the motor.
I bent the paper clips in such a way that I could make them come in contact with the battery terminals. There will be a few sparks when you first touch them. If the seat doesn't move or it moves back further, switch the connections on the battery to reverse the direction of which way the motor is turning.
Now you should be able to access the rear nuts and pull the seat. I inspected the bottom of the seat an observed that some power leads which where connected up inside the seat into a terminal block were completely severed from the connector. I soldered the wires back together and wrapped the repair with electrical tape. Problem solved.
On a side note, my seat had always acted a but strange before the fix - sometimes working, sometimes not. The severed wire was likely not fully apart for a year or two and was making an intermittent connection so the seat only worked sporadically. I was never able to find out what was causing it until this happened. Now the seat is 100% functional and I'm very pleased.
Once again, thank to SEVINN for pointing me down the right path.
Wow what a great writeup and I'm glad I could help.
To the others that replied asking for help before, I'm sorry that I didn't reply. Normally I get emails for thread responses and I simply didn't on this one, so sorry!
03-13-2013, 11:43 AM
#16
c6 stuck seat
1) unbolt front 15mm bolts
2) just remove the side controls to power seat
3) pull up front of seat pad and you can see where the seat is bolted to the seat frame 13 mm
4) don't forget to disconnect the seat before separating the seat from the frame.
5) the passenger seat has 2 cables attached to the seats remove these also - star-like allen wrench.
6) removing the rear bolts of the frame will loosen the seat tracks and you can now move the tracks forward.
7)
hope this helps - took me awhile to figure it out.
2) just remove the side controls to power seat
3) pull up front of seat pad and you can see where the seat is bolted to the seat frame 13 mm
4) don't forget to disconnect the seat before separating the seat from the frame.
5) the passenger seat has 2 cables attached to the seats remove these also - star-like allen wrench.
6) removing the rear bolts of the frame will loosen the seat tracks and you can now move the tracks forward.
7)
hope this helps - took me awhile to figure it out.
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ItsAVetteThing (04-24-2023)
07-18-2014, 04:19 PM
#18
2nd Gear
Member Since: Jul 2014
Posts: 2
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This is just a follow-up message for others to reference at a future date as there is a solution that works.
I PM'd SEVINN (who began this thread) and asked him if he ever found a solution as I was in the same predicament. He was more than helpful and wish to say thanks to him again.
Below is what I did with the help from SEVINN:
1) Locate the drive motor.
The drive motor that moves the driver's seat forward and back is located near the very front of the bottom of the seat. It's a grey steel enclosure.
2) Disconnect the wiring harness.
A wiring harness exits the motor and two of the wires are the power leads (+ & -). The room to work with is very tight so you'll need to remove the two front nuts and prop something under the seat to give yourself a bit of space to access the wires. If you trace the wires from the motor to the next connector junction, you'll be able to disconnect it with bit of finagling (it takes some patience and several tries). Pull this wiring harness coming from the motor out front from underneath the seat so you'll be able to work it.
3) Prep the harness to actuate the seat motor.
Locate the red and black wires and note which slots in the connector house these wires. You'll then need to locate something conductive to insert into these pin slots on the connector - I used a couple of paper clips that I had straightened.
4) Get a power source.
Now you'll need to find a 12V power source to 'hot wire' the seat motor. I used the same thing that SEVINN used which was the battery backup in my house alarm system.
5) 'Hot wire' the motor.
I bent the paper clips in such a way that I could make them come in contact with the battery terminals. There will be a few sparks when you first touch them. If the seat doesn't move or it moves back further, switch the connections on the battery to reverse the direction of which way the motor is turning.
Now you should be able to access the rear nuts and pull the seat. I inspected the bottom of the seat an observed that some power leads which where connected up inside the seat into a terminal block were completely severed from the connector. I soldered the wires back together and wrapped the repair with electrical tape. Problem solved.
On a side note, my seat had always acted a but strange before the fix - sometimes working, sometimes not. The severed wire was likely not fully apart for a year or two and was making an intermittent connection so the seat only worked sporadically. I was never able to find out what was causing it until this happened. Now the seat is 100% functional and I'm very pleased.
Once again, thank to SEVINN for pointing me down the right path.
I PM'd SEVINN (who began this thread) and asked him if he ever found a solution as I was in the same predicament. He was more than helpful and wish to say thanks to him again.
Below is what I did with the help from SEVINN:
1) Locate the drive motor.
The drive motor that moves the driver's seat forward and back is located near the very front of the bottom of the seat. It's a grey steel enclosure.
2) Disconnect the wiring harness.
A wiring harness exits the motor and two of the wires are the power leads (+ & -). The room to work with is very tight so you'll need to remove the two front nuts and prop something under the seat to give yourself a bit of space to access the wires. If you trace the wires from the motor to the next connector junction, you'll be able to disconnect it with bit of finagling (it takes some patience and several tries). Pull this wiring harness coming from the motor out front from underneath the seat so you'll be able to work it.
3) Prep the harness to actuate the seat motor.
Locate the red and black wires and note which slots in the connector house these wires. You'll then need to locate something conductive to insert into these pin slots on the connector - I used a couple of paper clips that I had straightened.
4) Get a power source.
Now you'll need to find a 12V power source to 'hot wire' the seat motor. I used the same thing that SEVINN used which was the battery backup in my house alarm system.
5) 'Hot wire' the motor.
I bent the paper clips in such a way that I could make them come in contact with the battery terminals. There will be a few sparks when you first touch them. If the seat doesn't move or it moves back further, switch the connections on the battery to reverse the direction of which way the motor is turning.
Now you should be able to access the rear nuts and pull the seat. I inspected the bottom of the seat an observed that some power leads which where connected up inside the seat into a terminal block were completely severed from the connector. I soldered the wires back together and wrapped the repair with electrical tape. Problem solved.
On a side note, my seat had always acted a but strange before the fix - sometimes working, sometimes not. The severed wire was likely not fully apart for a year or two and was making an intermittent connection so the seat only worked sporadically. I was never able to find out what was causing it until this happened. Now the seat is 100% functional and I'm very pleased.
Once again, thank to SEVINN for pointing me down the right path.
12-30-2016, 11:56 AM
#19
Safety Car
I'm bringing this thread back. I have a similar issue. Seat is all the way back, no memory function, but I believe it is the motor itself that is bad. Any ideas to get at the nuts when you cannot move the seat forward?
12-30-2016, 08:36 PM
#20
Team Owner
Anyway, there is a good chance the motor is okay but you need to manipulate the power to it. Here are a couple discussions that might help, one has a portable 12v setup. Good luck.
https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...t-problem.html
https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...post1590661784