Driver side (forward & back) electric seat motor failure.

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sneddex
Joined: Sun 12 May, 2013 09:05
Posts: 3

  Z3 roadster 2.8

Driver side (forward & back) electric seat motor failure.

Post by sneddex »

Hi there,

I have recently purchassed a z3 2.8...... :D
The drivers side electric motor for the seat has failed, does anyone know where i am likely to find one, i have tried ebay, but to no avail. Is this something im gonna have to go to BMW for? Can anyone help? + how much will this likely cost, providing I find one?

(forward and back, the up & down still works??)

Thanks
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Gazza
Joined: Tue 04 Oct, 2005 20:58
Posts: 9521

  M roadster S54
Location: Romford Essex

Re: Driver side (forward & back) electric seat motor failure

Post by Gazza »

Can you hear the motor working ?

Sometimes the mechanism gets disengaged.

There are BMW breakers that do mail order - Fab Direct comes to mind.
Gazza

"Understeer is when you hit the wall with the front of the car, oversteer is when you hit the wall with the rear of the car. Horsepower is how fast you hit the wall and torque is how far you take the wall with you"

Z3 S54 M roadster Image, BMW Z1, BMW M3 CSL, Z4M Coupe
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sneddex
Joined: Sun 12 May, 2013 09:05
Posts: 3

  Z3 roadster 2.8

Re: Driver side (forward & back) electric seat motor failure

Post by sneddex »

Hi

Thanks for that, thats a good website....bookmarked!
I cannot hear the motor working, is this likely to be something a simple as a relay or fuse or something, its something I haven't checked yet but fully intend to.

Thanks
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aceman
Joined: Sun 01 Jun, 2008 11:16
Posts: 1479

  M roadster S50
Location: Wakefield

Re: Driver side (forward & back) electric seat motor failure

Post by aceman »

The switch is known to fail so try that first. Also the mechanism can get jammed at its end of travel or indeed midstream if the original rubber seat bushes have disintigrated to the extent bits get caught in the thread and you will have to manually free it up. If you disconnect the motor and apply 12V from another source and see if the motor responds it will at least tell you if the motor is the culprit or not.
Aceman

Arctic Silver '98 Z3M

Previously;
Bright RED '99 Z3 2.8

Rocking seats ? You need seat bushes click HERE
wyn02
Joined: Sun 15 Apr, 2012 20:24
Posts: 35

  Z3 roadster 2.0

Re: Driver side (forward & back) electric seat motor failure

Post by wyn02 »

Hi. I had the exact problem on both seats. I took the motors off the seats and removed the housing cover, gave them a squirt of wd40 and gave the brushes a clean with emery cloth and hey presto, two working seats. Not difficult to do just time and patience.
henrycrun
Joined: Wed 18 Apr, 2007 19:48
Posts: 522

  Z3 roadster 1.9
Location: Ely

Re: Driver side (forward & back) electric seat motor failure

Post by henrycrun »

Be careful when you lift the seat out. Always drop the top.
It is very easy to -

a) hurt yourself
b) scratch the centre console or sill trim (cover with a blanket or something)
Brian4
Joined: Mon 19 Dec, 2011 19:02
Posts: 541

  Z3 roadster 3.0i
Location: Hinckley

Re: Driver side (forward & back) electric seat motor failure

Post by Brian4 »

And don't turn the ignition on with the seat out or you will have to reset the airbag light.
Brian
3.0I Topaz Blue


2000 E36/7 Z3 3.0i
2016 F31 335d
2015 F21 118i
sneddex
Joined: Sun 12 May, 2013 09:05
Posts: 3

  Z3 roadster 2.8

Re: Driver side (forward & back) electric seat motor failure

Post by sneddex »

Hi

Thats all great advice, sorry for not replying to this thread sooner but I've been loving my recently acquired z3 too much lately :), been putting the seat problems to the back of my mind. Tbis info will be of a great help to me when I find the time to fix my seats.

Thanks
Mangoose
Joined: Fri 21 Jun, 2013 04:51
Posts: 1

  Z3 roadster 2.8

Re: Driver side (forward & back) electric seat motor failure

Post by Mangoose »

Hi, new to forum and Z ownership, bought a '97 2.8L on Wednesday. If it is bad form to piggyback off another post, I apologize and can delete/start new post, but I have what sounds like a very similar issue.

My driver-side seat is locked in at the highest possible ride height. The motor works in lateral movement (forward/back), but up/down does not work. The motor runs (you can hear it trying), but the seat does not move up or down.

Just wondering if this is a common issue or an easy fix? If so, is it possible to DIY or do I need to have a professional?

Thanks in advance!
joebuck
Joined: Thu 20 Dec, 2012 16:58
Posts: 16

  Z3 roadster 2.2i

Re: Driver side (forward & back) electric seat motor failure

Post by joebuck »

Just read your post Mangoose. I had a problem also with seat stuck in high position, put up with it for a few months and decided i had to sort it. Was prepared to remove seat etc. but read on here about a WD40 cure. Luckily as the seat is stuck in high this gives you plenty of room to spray all moving parts (I sprayed all metal in sight) This did not work right away but on the third day i pushed the switch and down she went Good Luck
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pingu
Joined: Fri 30 Apr, 2004 16:01
Posts: 3412

  M roadster S50

Re: Driver side (forward & back) electric seat motor failure

Post by pingu »

Don't leave the seat for too long as it is an MOT failure, as the seat must be able to move backwards and forwards. You don't want to leave it to the last minute.

It very unlikely to be the motor that is the culprit.

All the tips given so far should be good enough to cure the fault, good luck fixing it. There are some Youtubes on how to do the job.
Pingu
Fender2004
Joined: Fri 14 Aug, 2009 10:24
Posts: 907

  Z3 roadster 2.8
Location: Houghton-Le-Spring

Re: Driver side (forward & back) electric seat motor failure

Post by Fender2004 »

wyn02 wrote:Hi. I had the exact problem on both seats. I took the motors off the seats and removed the housing cover, gave them a squirt of wd40 and gave the brushes a clean with emery cloth and hey presto, two working seats. Not difficult to do just time and patience.
My seat was exactly the same just needed a bit lubrication. If the same person drives the car, once the seat is set you will not change the position unless you lose something down the back of the seat. So you move the seat to gain better access, but normally the seat does not move so it sticks through lack of use.
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