electric seat recline doesn't work

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Noisegate

electric seat recline doesn't work

Post by Noisegate »

Hello fellow brothers and sisters! So I just bought my 1989 635 and of course, it has a few quirks. First up, the passenger seat recline does not work. The motor runs but no movement. Could the problem be with the hinges or something else? Any suggestions will be very welcomed...

Thank you!
Laurie
Chris Wright

Post by Chris Wright »

Check again and see if one side of the seat back is moving and the other is not (the back is twisting). From the diagram, you can see that each side has a separate gear case (Ref# 9&10) and cable from the motor (Ref# 11) to move it. It is not uncommon for one of the cables to come loose at the gear case and stop moving, but both sides? I guess it could happen. Unscrew the hinge cover (Ref# 14) and check the cables going into the gear case.:


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_____________________________

Welcome !

Here is a cut & paste of some standard information I've gathered, maybe you have already seen it, but if not, it may be of use. In any case, bookmark them:

There are some things you will definitely need:

There are no aftermarket repair manuals for the Six, but it shares the same engine, drivetrain, suspension and many systems with the 5-Series so the Bentley BMW 5-Series '82 to '88 Manual (Green cover, $38 at Amazon.com) works very well. The "Driveablity" and the fuel injection sections alone are worth the price for diagnosing running problems.
http://www.amazon.com/BMW-5-Service-Man ... 459&sr=8-3


ETM (Electrical Troubleshooting Manual, aka "wiring diagram"). It is a very good manual, and everyone needs to have this. You really can't work on the car without it. Here is a Site with free downloads of ETM's (PDF files -13 to 20 MB) for various years ('82 to '01) and models of BMW's (3/5/6/7/8/Z):
http://wedophones.com/BMWManualsLead.htm

Free Downloadable Factory Workshop Manual (U.S. Spec after '82 - e28 based, including the M6) and a separate Factory Specification Book (you need the Spec book because torques/specs are not included in the Workshop Manual, however, most torques are given in the Bentley manual). The Workshop Manual is not the greatest, but you can't beat the price, and it is invaluable for the things not covered in the Bentley. It basically just lists the steps for replacing parts, very little in the way of Troubleshooting or System Descriptions are included, so it is best to still get the Bentley, and use the Factory Manual for e24 specific things that aren't in the Bentley:
viewtopic.php?p=53625

Online Factory Workshop Manual. It is similar to the downloadable Manual above, but it additionally covers the early, e12 based cars - 630 to 633 before '82, as well as, the later cars and the M6. It is also for U.S. Spec. :
http://www.bmwtechinfo.com/repair/main/

Downloadable ZF 4HP-22/24 Automatic Transmission Overhaul Manual It has a fault chart, shows a complete overhaul and has the procedure for the "fix" for the "A" clutch pack:
http://bmwzone.ro/forums/post-a14824-.html
__

There is also an Online ETM for an '85. It has much clearer component location pictures then the downloaded ETM's:
http://www.stormpages.com/countchocula1/bmw/etm002.htm
(The component location listings and pictures at the end of the ETM are invaluable as you find your way around the new car)

A gold mine of articles and how-to's:
BigCoupeGroup Tech Library ;
Not to be confused with BigCoup.com, don't forget their Tech Articles also.

An online Vin Decoder:
http://www.bmw-z1.com/VIN/VINdecode-e.cgi

Site showing BMW wheels with their data, pictures and the cars they came on: It's in German, but with the pictures, it doesn't matter much.
http://felgenkatalog.auto-treff.com/

And last but not least, there are 3 Online Parts Catalogs: __

For parts, the lowest prices I've found on the net: check all 3 when looking for parts (they also make good references):

http://www.AutoHausAZ.com
http://www.Pelicanparts.com
http://www.BavAuto.com (Great Catalog, order it, it's free)
Noisegate

Post by Noisegate »

Hi Chris,

Thanks for the cable info and diagram. I would have to say it did slightly twist when trying to engage so the cable must be the issue.

Also, thanks a mil for all the links. It looks like I need to go buy some more paper as I begin compiling my dream car library.

Cheers!

Laurie
Chris Wright

Post by Chris Wright »

Frankly i just keep them as PDF files on the computer, I don't think some of them print out very well. Do a test print first.

There is also an issue with the seat cables "stretching", allowing the center drive to disengage. Some have fixed it with a short piece of coat hanger, others have shortened the outer sleeve and re-crimped it. Do a search for some of the posts.
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winfred
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Post by winfred »

shorten the sheath i do it all of the time and is a permanent fix if done correctly, take the cable out of the motor and pull the drive cable out of the sheath and heat the sheath with a lighter or torch on low while pulling on it with a pair of needle nose pliers, cut about 10mm off the sheath and heat the end back up and slide onto the same general depth it was before (to the step in the end piece) the crappy way of fixing the cable (dealer way around here) is to chop the sheath in the middle and cut some out and splice with fuel line, faster but can screw up as you really can't clamp the fuel line tightly to the sheath as it is just plastic tube
3/81 633 m30b35 & getrag 260/6, motronic 1.3 -sold

86 635 with nearly all goodies from rotted away 85 m635 including the m88/3, tuning in progress on motronic 3.3.1
dm635
Posts: 123
Joined: Thu Oct 07, 2004 2:14 pm
Location: louisville,ky

Post by dm635 »

Above post is the proper way to fix the cable. That's the way I've been doing it.
Past:
84-318i, 85-318i, 85-635 CSi, 86-635 CSi

Current:
87-635 CSi
wildrider56
Posts: 443
Joined: Sun Mar 21, 2010 9:05 am
Location: West London

Post by wildrider56 »

I have the exact same problem - Passenger seat electric tilt does not work. I hear the motor going but no twisting.

I checked out all 4 cable ends and they seem to be attached perfectly.

When you guys are talking about the sheath is that regarding the internal connections from one end to the other?

Thanks in advance.
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ryangaines85
Posts: 2
Joined: Tue Aug 07, 2018 2:33 pm
Location: davenport, Iowa

Re:

Post by ryangaines85 »

winfred wrote: Mon Mar 08, 2010 4:54 am shorten the sheath i do it all of the time and is a permanent fix if done correctly, take the cable out of the motor and pull the drive cable out of the sheath and heat the sheath with a lighter or torch on low while pulling on it with a pair of needle nose pliers, cut about 10mm off the sheath and heat the end back up and slide onto the same general depth it was before (to the step in the end piece) the crappy way of fixing the cable (dealer way around here) is to chop the sheath in the middle and cut some out and splice with fuel line, faster but can screw up as you really can't clamp the fuel line tightly to the sheath as it is just plastic tube
Hi, I'm new to bigcoupe. Is this the best way? Had my seat apart last night and indeed the inner woven shaft has came outof the worm gear an both sides of each seat. I pulled it out a bit(1/2 in?) or just enough to fully slide into the worn gear but seems like it may of disengaged from the motor. So by cutting out 10ml/.375in will take up the slack? What about the crimp? Will forcing the hot plastic sheath be enough to hold or will the end just sliding apart? Any help would be great.
ryangaines85
Posts: 2
Joined: Tue Aug 07, 2018 2:33 pm
Location: davenport, Iowa

Re: electric seat recline doesn't work

Post by ryangaines85 »

Also as the sheath cutting fixes the problem is there an easy way to make sure the seat back sides are equally parallel? There is a slight twist from having only one side work, like to be sure I can equal them out. I'm asking because I have only gotten the out metal cover off and played with the worn gear and cable drive cable, like to know if I have to dig deeper into the seat. Thanks
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Ralph in Socal
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Re: electric seat recline doesn't work

Post by Ralph in Socal »

Cutting the sheath end is the best way to fix the cable issue. Using heat to remove and replace the steel end is easy but don't overheat it. Ends are very stable after replacing with heat. Have pliers ready to handle the heated parts

Use (a drill driver if necessary) one loose end of the drive cable to move the seat back in the correctly aligned position so the seat is not twisted when the assembly is complete

Ralph
There is a very fine line between "Hobby" and Mental Illness.

85 635csi Zinno Auto
84 528i Euro
83 635 Euro Arktik
81 528i Kastanien 5-speed
88 528e Bronzit (Granpa Car)
86 535i Auto (For Sale)
81 633 csi (retired)
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