Porsche 911UK Forum

Welcome to the @Porsche911UK website. Register a free account today to become a member! Sign up is quick and easy, then you can view, participate in topics and posts across the site that covers all things Porsche.

Already registered and looking to recovery your account, select 'login in' and then the 'forget your password' option.

Automatic Seat Problems - Won't go up from recline position

DaddyPax

Member
Joined
24 Mar 2019
Messages
23
Hi there,

Apologies to those who may feel like this is groundhog day but I was hoping to get some input on a problem I've just encountered in my 2005 997 C2S. It has electric seats and all has been fine since I got hold of the car a few months back. Last week, whilst driving, my passenger reported that they were unable to recline/upright the seat. Forwards/backwards, up/down and the lumbar were all fine.

I took a look later int he day and found that the recline function had worked but the uprighting was not. As a result I currently have an overly-reclined passenger seat and cannot upright it. All other electric seat functions on both sides are operating OK, it is just passenger side uprighting that doesn't respond.

I've looked under the seat and all appears to be in order. I assume the motor that reclines is the same one that uprights but the cause of not being able to go one way is a mystery. Any support or signposting would be hugely appreciated.

many thanks,

DP.
 
My guess would be a faulty switch .. you would need to start checking the wiring from the switch to the control unit .. that's basically seat out a wiring diagram and a continuity check .

As all the other functions are ok then that rules out any power supply problems .

LV is the motor , it can be power probed to operate but you would need to do this when disconnected to the control unit .
 

Attachments

  • seat_1_904.jpg
    seat_1_904.jpg
    346.9 KB · Views: 3,045
deMort said:
My guess would be a faulty switch .. you would need to start checking the wiring from the switch to the control unit .. that's basically seat out a wiring diagram and a continuity check .

As all the other functions are ok then that rules out any power supply problems .

LV is the motor , it can be power probed to operate but you would need to do this when disconnected to the control unit .

thanks. removing the seat feels like a potential can of worms! Do you know if there's a way of manually uprighting the seat in the meantime?
 
Its an electric motor with no manual option im afraid .

If it was me i would probably pull off the switch cover and just try to press the switch direct .. sometimes it's just this cover that breaks .
 
deMort said:
Its an electric motor with no manual option im afraid .

If it was me i would probably pull off the switch cover and just try to press the switch direct .. sometimes it's just this cover that breaks .

thanks, I just tried that but everything's intact. Upon removal, I can still recline the seat with the little white switch but a forward movement yields nothing. Very frustrating, passenger seat now as good as unusable.
 
SOLVED!! Power Seat Adjustment Problems

Thanks to everyone who contributed. I finally identified the route cause tis evening and fixed it. Read on.

As advised above, I first of all got my multimeter out and did a continuity check on all the 18 cables coming out of the switch and going to various parts under the seat. All passed.

I then removed the switch and dismantled it. On the reverse I founf the issue. The track from the switch was broken. I can only assume it had previously been overloaded with volts (not sure how this might have happened). Anyway, soldered the track back together, reassembled and everything worked. I was nearly sick with excitement.

I love Porsches!
Pics below.
 

Attachments

  • switch18x_154.jpg
    switch18x_154.jpg
    748.5 KB · Views: 2,595
  • under_seat_122.jpg
    under_seat_122.jpg
    710 KB · Views: 2,595
  • switch_210.jpg
    switch_210.jpg
    776.2 KB · Views: 2,595
  • broken_track_186.jpg
    broken_track_186.jpg
    474 KB · Views: 2,595
  • soldered_track_195.jpg
    soldered_track_195.jpg
    535.2 KB · Views: 2,595
Well done for finding and fixing the fault - and excellent photos.
The damage to the pcb track was due to excessive current and not voltage. To be honest surprising that the fuse didn't blow before this damage occurred. In the end the pcb's track failure acted like a fuse.

It might be worth checking to make sure someone previously hasn't fitted a larger than specified fuse (avoid same problem happening again ....or worse).
 
Zoto said:
Well done for finding and fixing the fault - and excellent photos.
The damage to the pcb track was due to excessive current and not voltage. To be honest surprising that the fuse didn't blow before this damage occurred. In the end the pcb's track failure acted like a fuse.

It might be worth checking to make sure someone previously hasn't fitted a larger than specified fuse (avoid same problem happening again ....or worse).
thanks Zoto. Will do.
 
Well done. Must be satisfying sorting it that way.
 
deMort said:
Excellent repair .. it will do the job and not need to be revisited i feel .

I think you are somewhat more talented than you let on young man :D

Thanks for the plaudits although, a week ago, I didn't know how to use a multimeter! It's amazing what you pick up on forums and YouTube and the inputs from guys on here set me in the right direction.

The switch part costs around £500 online which is ridiculous when you know what it comprises (about a quid's worth of parts) but I guess they're past end of line. I'm pleased I didn't need to put my hand in my pocket for this one. The seat removal was staggeringly straight forward (oddly other son forums talk of this like its a monumental challenge) then it's just screws and patience to dissect everything.

I must confess, the sense of jubilation was off the scale when it worked!!!
 
Yup .. seat removal is 4 bolts and unplug a bit of wiring .. hard part is lifting it out of the car without scratching anything lol .

Im now even more impressed .. your a quick learner that's for sure !

I Know many mechanics that would struggle to find this fault so credit where its due i feel .

The repair .. that's fine unless there's an underlying fault causing an overheat .. a jammed or sticking motor perhaps .. passengers side rarely gets altered so its possible i guess .

The repair though .. i've done similar and it's a permanent repair .

Porsche parts .. hmm .. expensive is an understatement to be honest.

Now you know why i still do this job after 37 years .. the buzz of finding a fault and then fixing it .. the rest is just nuts and bolts .. the challenge is the fault finding :D
 
deMort said:
Now you know why i still do this job after 37 years .. the buzz of finding a fault and then fixing it .. the rest is just nuts and bolts .. the challenge is the fault finding :D

:) Thanks again for your help!
 
Hats off to you sir :thumb: :worship:
 

New Threads

Forum statistics

Threads
124,354
Messages
1,439,460
Members
48,712
Latest member
golfguy11800
Back
Top