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My front seats on my otherwise great '89 780 have me at wit's end.
The passenger seat will not recline, so the occasional rear seat
passenger has to climb in my side.
Now, the driver's seat powered to the front, all by itself, leaving it
very difficult for my 6'2" to drive.
I have it removed all except for the inside front bolt, which I cannot
access as I do not know how to force, or power it back to access that
remaining bolt.
Any suggestions as to which wires I can cross to power the seat to the
rear position? Or, is there a portion of the mechanism that can be
removed to allow one to push the seat to the rear?
Finally, does anyone have recommendations as to which seats to use as
replacements? I have a very comfortable, folding seat from a '72 Renault,
but that may look weird!? I am thinking of the regular or "sport" seats
from an E30 series BMW coupe or convertible would look and operate nicely.
They are simple, manual seats with reliable control linkages.
ANY guidance will be appreciated.
Thanks,
Jay Honeycutt
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The 780 power seats can be adjusted manually. Your car should have come with a short, semi flexible crank (‘L’ shaped about 10” – 12” long and about the thickness of a metal coat hanger). This can be used to move the seat forward or aft and the seat back up or reclined. To move the seat forward or aft, stick the crank in the hole of the plastic cover located on the outboard side of the seat where the back and bottom meet. Start cranking; be patient – it’s slow moving. To move the back of the seat, you’ll find a cable under the back bottom of the seat.
My 780 seats had the same problem, sometimes the buttons would work and sometimes they wouldn’t. I removed all the inline black boxes located under the seats. For the 780, they’re not really necessary. I think some of the boxes are to prevent the seat from being moved while the back is inclined forward and others make the seat move forward automatically when the back is inclined forward. I just got rid of all that junk and wired the switch outputs straight to the motors.
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Thanks for the detailed and thoughtful response!
However, I don't know where to look for this tool you describe. This is my third 780 and I have never run across a tool kit, let alone this tool.
Is it an "Allen" key, that I could fabricate or source from the local fastener or tool store? Or, is it something that a Volvo source would offer?
Thanks again,
Jay
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Jay,
The tool has a square end that’s about 2.5 x 2.5 mm. The tool should have been supplied with the tool kit.
There should be a photo showing the crank tool. If it’s not within this reply, go to ‘Picture Gallery’ and select ‘Technical’ for picture type.
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Well, Bolbo, you have taught me a lot about my 780, my third one!
Found the crank you described, where it belonged, in a pristine tool kit in the dedicated trunk compartment.
And, cranked the devil out of it, but the crank only moves the seat back, not the seat bottom.
However, in my struggles, discovered that two extensions on my socket allowed me to reach the last, forward right bolt. I thought that that bolt, the last of 4 15mm securing the seat, would allow me to remove it.
Not so. Apparently there are more bolts, or perhaps the wiring that keeps the seat from being removed as easily on my '67 IHC Scout.
Will await till I have calmed down and have more uninterrupted time to see what remains.
In the meantime, thank you for your patience and timely assistance.
Regards,
Jay
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Jay
Glad to be of help.
There are two different locations for inserting the crank – one on the side of the seat through the hole in the plastic cover and the other is a black cable under the seat and accessed from behind the front seat. It is usually tie strapped to the bottom of the seat. I guess it’s kind of a moot point since you already got to the bolt – this must be the one that moves the seat bottom forward or aft - sorry for not mentioning this access location but I was confused and thinking the side access point was for the seat bottom.
Also, there are only four bolts. What you feel holding the seat are two posts (approximately 1” long) that are ‘mushroomed’ on the ends, one on each track located about ¾ of the way back from the front end of the track . On the floor of the car under each track are slots (approx. 1” long) with a hole at the end. You must line up the hole and the post on the track to remove the seat. The easiest way I’ve found to do this is to sit in the back seat and slide the front seat back while slightly pulling up. Takes several times of moving the seat forward and back (and a little cursing) until you finally get them aligned.
Hope my explanation is understandable. If not, let me know.
Good Luck,
Michael
Melbourne, Fla
1985 740 460k
1988 780 Coupe V6 190k
1992 745 200k
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Michael,
You are the man!
It came out relatively quickly, following your tip to pull from the back seat.
Now, how do I get out of the back seat!?
Seriously, thanks for all the help. It is appreciated.
Got the HEAVY beast out, with all pieces and wiring connectors intact. I have a parts car with the same color leather, but I have no interest in re-installing
such a complicated, over-engineered contraption.
Temporarily, the extremely comfortable seat from a '72 Renault 12 fits nicely. I will use that until my daughter complains about the appearance, then look for a more permanent matched pair for the front. Again, I am leaning towards the
older (E30) series BMW vinyl seats, that are indestructible and have the folding mechanism with a simple, mechanical linkage.
If anyone has a better suggestion, I am open to that.
Regards,
Jay Honeycutt
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