Seat help with 2002 4S

Hi, My passenger seat on my 2002 4S will do everything it is suppose to do but it will not go back. I bought the car knowing this but unfortunately I didn't tell a friend not to bring it forward. If I take the seat out, is there anyway to manually adjust the seat back. I just don't feel like swapping in a new switch at the moment. Thanks, David

Quotes source post: 15973944

Depends on the seat. Is it manual adjustment or motor driven? If you have the power seats, you'll more than likely need to replace the lateral electric motor. The switch could also be malfunctioning. Some people take the seat switch apart to repaint them (soft touch paint problem) and because of the design of the switch, don't reinstall them correctly. The switch has these little springs that can get lost easily. Without them, the switch won't work properly.

Taking out the seat isn't terribly difficult, especially the passenger side. I'd recommend either removing the switch to test it - or removing the entire seat and troubleshoot from there. Unhook your battery before you do this, and don't hook it back up until you've reconnected the seat.

Thanks for the responses. So there is no way after removing the seat to turn something to get the seat further back? The seat is all power. It is suppose to go forward and back, the back part forward and back, the seat tilts up and down and air can blow in and out. I am amazed to think they would design a seat that can't work manually.

Is it the switch that is bad? I've had similar situations where the seat will work in some ways, but not in others. Turned out that the switch was partially bad, it worked one way but not the other, because only one of the contacts got dirty with time. And the solution that worked every time is to use spray contact cleaner. The can of contact cleaner I have includes one of those tiny red straws (like on WD-40). With the power off, see if you can get that red tip somewhere into the switch, spray liberally, toggle back and forth several times, and then try it. Has worked for me a few times on seat switches, window switches, etc. It is spray contact cleaner from Radio Shack or other. It avoids the cost of replacement.

Everything works but the backwards motion. I think I actually have some contact cleaner I bought from radio shack years ago. I will try. Still wondering about a manual solution just to get the seat back. I'll throw tape over the switch after. Thanks.

Quotes source post: 15974361

Honestly, I can't remember. I'm pretty sure there's a threaded rod that turns to move the seat, so I'd assume you could try to turn it by hand or with a tool to slide the seat back. I'm sure there is a way to do it. It sounds like you have a bad switch, since the same motor/assembly that moves the seat forward is also responsible for moving it backwards. Could be as simple as cleaning up the contacts, or looking for a wire that may have been damaged by the moving parts under the seat.

Been through all this. One day my drivers seat worked, and the next day nothing works. Won't move in any direction. Fuses are good. Have 12V to the memory seat module. I could not and still cannot find a way to move the seat manually. Fortunately, since I'm the only driver, the seat is exactly where I want it. And yes, I've pulled the bottom seat cushion many times to try and find the problem in the wiring. Same for the switch and same for the memory buttons. I think my memory seat module is brain dead. In order to check it out I would have to remove the seat, and I can't do that because the back bolts are blocked by the seat. What a conundrum!

Yeah, I am hoping I can get at the front bolts with the seat being so far forward. I will try cleaning first. Fingers crossed.

You should be able to pull the seat cushion and access things from the top. They're held on by two white clips on a tube at the front of the seat. Pull the pin and pop open the clip. Once those are opened the seat bottom will come up. Better description: https://rennlist.com/forums/996-foru...ml#post5033537 Also, not the greatest video, but this shows how the seats come apart: You Tube (the white clips at around 1:00) I haven't done this on a 996, but I wonder if you can remove the drive cables and move them with a cordless drill?

Try to remove the switch cover (the one who moves the seat back and forward), and try to move it actuating directly over the lever (there is a micro lever under the switch cover) Some times, if the cover is not installed properly, the effect will be exactly what you are experiencing, that it would not move forward or back.

Thanks guys. I'll try tonight.

Quotes source post: 15974482

Exactly! Porsche really screwed this one up. I was almost in your camp which my switch was acting up. Fortunately, I was able to get it working again. Had it died completely, I wouldn't be able to get the seat out because it covering up the rear floor bolts. I've heard of people having to cut the seat to get to the motor. That's gotta suck!

I tried the cleaner and it worked. I think the switch is broken but it did enough for it to go back. I put it back all the way and will stick a piece of tape over the switch. Thanks everyone for your help. I can sleep again. David