removing drivers seat
 

How difficult is it to remove the drivers seat?
The previous owner drove her daily for 8 years .
The center of seat is bottomed out , and needs re filling and raising to its proper height.
thanks in advance for any help in this matter. I am new at this, have only had the car since last Sat. when I drove it home from Dallas,Tx.
Its an 03 S which has the electric back adj.
thanks,
Peter

Four bolts and an electrical connector which needs to be detached. You need to detach the plastic trim at the front of the seat to expose the forward bolts; the rears are exposed when you move the seat forward.

Do a bit more research before you remove the electrical connection...I seem to remember something to do with disconnecting the battery first or you will have an Air Bag light.

Thank you jmatta

True. My first DIY on my '01 was the alternator, a few years ago. Saved lots of $$ not going to the dealership to have it done, then had to turn around and cough up nearly $100 to have them "Check Airbags" (ie, turn off the damn CEL I got when I disconnected the wiring harness under the passenger seat in the process of removing it).

Unlike many CELs, the airbag one is "safety-related" and can't be reset via your standard el cheapo scanners many of us have picked up at AZ or where ever.

Before you disconnect your battery, just make sure you've got your radio code, so as to be able to reset that when you're done.

thank you both.

My apologies...should have mentioned the battery disconnect...I kind of assumed you knew to do that when working on seats and doors.

And to carry on with this theme, are the two seats interchangable?
If you have a worn drivers seat (as the OP has), how difficult would it be to swap it with the unworn passenger seat????

No, the seats are not directly interchangeable because the fore-aft slider adjustment is located to the inside of the car for both seats (right for drivers and left for passengers). Also, seat back adjuster is on the outside (left for drivers and right for passengers).

With that being said, with some work you might be able to swap the seat bottom cushions from one side to the other.

Thanks to all friends for this information i also need this information.

I have successfully removed the drivers seat from both of my Boxsters without disconnecting the battery. They were out for several days while the seats were repaired at the upholstery shop. I was told the secret is not insert the key in the ignition while the seat is being worked on, or while the wires are disconnected. No trouble at all both times.

No kiddin'??

'Tis true. You just have to make sure that any time the seat electrics are unplugged, you do not have the key in the ignition.

Removing those plastic housing caps to get at the front torx bolts is a ********************. I had to retorque the seatbelt hardware on the gt3 seats which were too loose..removing those caps took longer than unbolting the hardware. Make sure to cover the door sill and center console with a thick beach towel. The bottom of the seats have sharp points and the space to move around in is tight. You can easily gouge the paint or interior.

If I remember correctly, the plastic end cap housings just slide forward to come off. What did you have to do to remove them ?

My set were brittle and sticky. Not a good combination.

I just did this to attach the annoying Lloyd mat retainers. Came off easily. Use a flat screwdriver to gently lift the visible tab and it slides off.

Hi all, new to the forum. Incredibly helpful information, thanks to all who post.
I have an 03 Boxster S, airbag light came on this week. I notice under the drivers seat that the wiring harness has a flat plastic piece that looks like it snaps into the computer. This had come disconnected, might this have caused the airbag light to trigger?

thanks for this info.. I have to do this soon.

Well you definitely need to connect that back it's for the immobilzer. I don't think that would set off the airbag light though, it's usually when the seat belt wiring connector under the seat is disconnected. I bought a scanner made by Autel, a MaxiDiag Elite MD702 that resets the airbag code.

you don't have to disconnect battery...don't ever put key into ignition though as that'll trigger airbag light
durametric will turn airbag light off...it'll tell you why also
airbag light can be seatbelt issue or actual airbag/wiring issue

Sorry to resurrect this old thread.

My passenger side seat has stopped electrically tilting. (I have an early 1997 986 with the basic seats -- electric tilt and manual fore/aft.)

I believe to diagnose the problem I need to get to the electric connector under the seat which will (presumably) mean removing the seat as described in this thread. I'll also need to check it for 12v power at that connector which (presumably) requires turning the ignition to the on position.

Does this mean I absolutely have to go to the dealer to reset the airbag system? (Of course, that won't be the end of the world as the airbag light is actually already on.)

Thanks.

You will be horrified as to how heavy they are! There must be significant weight savings to be had there. The trouble is finding a suitable, stylish, functional replacement for the street.

True, plus I would slide the seat forward first and remove the rear bolts, then slide it back for the fronts. This way, the seat assembly is compacted and easier to withdraw.
Also, 37ft/lbs doesn't sound like a lot, but a 1/2" breaker came handy.

Dont forget to reconnect seat belt electrics
 

I did and got airbag light, minor PIA, but best to avoid

I believe I removed key and disconnected the battery......and no problems. One time I even removed the immobilizer board under the seat.....no issue then either.

Sorry to resurrect an old thread here but it's pertinent to disarming the battery.


Anyhow, wondering if the seats in a 986 can easily be removed while the top is up?

Probably, but why not take advantage of the extra room with the top down? You run the risk of scratching both the seat and the inner door card. I have only taken mine out with the top down.

Due to the limitation of space in my winter storage above the car, I removed both seats byfirst disconnecting four bols per seat and then disconnecting the electrical connection.
Afte that I installed old padded work gloves to the front and back of the seat rails securing them with tape adn lifted the seats out from the car still carefully, but was able to do this without scratchign the interior :dance:
Drivers seat install went well in reverse order, passenger seat iI'm still working on and the re-install is planned for this coming wekend.

Excellent tips on handling the rails with the removal. I really appreciate it!

I'm doing a re-dye on my seats and I'm pulling them and bringing them in the house for 4 or 5 days while I do a proper cleaning, conditioning, and the dye itself. Too cold to do the seats outside right now and besides, rather dye the seats correctly and that calls for a removal.

I have a large carport but if it rains and the wind is just right... the passenger side can get wet. I can cover and "double wrap" the car with the top down but I'd still prefer to keep the top and windows up. Alternative is to lower the top and disconnect the battery and then manually raise it but weighing the effort of disconnecting the ball joints, etc... or simply pulling the seats with the top in place. It's a case of "six of one or half a dozen of another".