Hi, I would like to remove the front seats of the 244 to do a thorough cleaning with injection/extraction.
I would like to avoid doing this with the seats mounted because 1) I would also like to clean the carpet thoroughly and 2) I would like to avoid leaving too much humidity inside the car, since it would then remain in the garage.
Since if something can go wrong it will, I always find out as much as I can before dismantling something and be sure of what I'm doing.

I saw that there are two front screws on the floor of the car, one on the back towards the central tunnel and I presume another covered by a plastic "block" towards the outside of the car.
Do you have any advice on how to remove this plastic without destroying it?
Are there any other screws or things I should watch out for when disassembling the two seats? On the passenger seat there is obviously some wiring due to the passengers' occupancy sensor. Any suggestions to remove it?

Furthermore, I would like to understand if and how to remove the rear bench.

thank you all, removed seats very easily and cleaned them accurately.

That is one Grade A looking '81 GL. I can see you wanting to go the extra mile with cleaning every inch of the upholstery. Is that a restore or is this all original body and paint like I think it might be? Either way, I'm very impressed!
--
Dave -still with 940's, prev 740/240/140/120 You'd think I'd have learned by now

Original painting, body, wheels, engine. My dad was the only owner till his departure.
Was polished one time in the early 2000 and made for him the second one 2 years ago.
The seats are in very good shape, I only wanted to clean them to remove some dust and the unavoidable "yellow dust" that came on the carpet from some angles of the seat.
Always garaged.
Thanks for your appreciation :)

Beautifull car, I own a 1991 with same mileage as yours.


In 1983 I purchased a 1981 carburated which we lost due to rust at 525k km. Now my daily driver is a 1982 also carburated and has 529k km and still running good.

One thing you have to watch is the engine harness that will deteriorate as it is exposed to heat and time. Both of my 1981 and 1982 had harness decay problem. It takes time but can be done if you are familiar with soldering electric wires.

I like the stoplights on your car.

Roland

What have the stop lights different from other 244?

In north America 1979 to mid 1982 had the vertical inner lenses colorless and used as backup lights.

I find the Europe version more aesthetic, good looking.

Roland

Beautiful 200! You should put covers on after cleaning to prevent any further wear or discoloration. I have an '81 242 DL, not as pretty as yours.

thanks! My dad loved that car as a child. Seats have not an excessive wear (only 106.000km) but worth a cleaning after 44 years.
Seat covers are not something I really like, expecially due to the low mileage the car makes. In the 90's we had the classic "wooden balls" seat cover, but only for 4-5 years.

I agree. However, if you do nothing the originals will get worse. Perhaps some custom made for slip-on. Anything that will protect them from further wear.

Hopefully they were only a little dirty. They are quite new. True they can be preserved better for more 40 years but I want to see and "feel" it the way my father left it, putting some covers for less than 2/3000km a year would "ruin" that experience. At least for now ;)

Today was the first time I took car out of the garage after cleaning. I thought that the darker parts with different. Orientation would have remained more "darker"... But they aren't. In the sun are quite out-of-the-shop.

Hopefully they were only a little dirty. They are quite new. True they can be preserved better for more 40 years but I want to see and "feel" it the way my father left it, putting some covers for less than 2/3000km a year would "ruin" that experience. At least for now ;)

Today was the first time I took car out of the garage after cleaning. I thought that the darker parts with different. Orientation would have remained more "darker"... But they aren't. In the sun are quite out-of-the-shop.

Hi,

You are correct that there’s four fasteners. Two bolts on the back side and two nuts on studs in the front.
You will need to move the seat back and forth some to get access and have the seat balance itself to lift out easily.
The nuts are down in the track and the rear bolts screw into floor bracket with one being covered by the plastic cover with two plastic push in pegs. They pop out fairly easily with a small thin forked tool or even a carefully place putty knife. Push from the inside if possible.

Yes, there can be seat heater wiring on some models that unplug. The 200s did not have seat passenger sensors.
In the very last years of the 240s they did have a steering wheel SRS air bag only. The activation equipment is in floor box cavity beneath the drivers seat.
Here is where you may want to be careful about get that unit wet with any solutions so be kind.

Here is another thing that you are going to run into.
The carpet is completely removable once you have all the seats out but they are in two pieces, front and rear sections.
The rear seat is clipped down really well and the only way to release it is to push the center bottom in hard enough to force a wire rod running along the front lower edge. Do not think you can pull the ends up or you will bend the seat out of wack!

The kicker here is under the carpets, where the foot wells are as they have padding underneath.
It is a combination of flat rubber and foam rubber, of which actually falls apart if not handled with more than kids gloves!

The idea of putting solutions on top of that or into them will certainly cause headaches.
It best to leave them alone if at all possible.
If you suspect spillages and what have you, then the extraction system won’t do a good job either.

I would remove only the carpet and pressure wash them away from the inside of the vehicle.
Survey what you are going to find before shooting juice to the interior.
Many cars have less than outstandingly plush or long wearing carpets so treat the accordingly.

If you are trying to restore a car or rework the floor padding from any excess wetting or flooding, then you have already got a mess.
The flat rubber combination used just crumbles with age and being shaped so long in place.
I don’t know which was worse to put into cars, jute or open cell foam rubber. It’s all cheap garbage. One has to admit cardboard door panels with plastic sheeting that supposedly keep moisture at bay always seemed lacking ingenuity with bean counters snooping about.

Sins are hidden from the consumers eyes!
Plastic engine covers are the most favorite marketing gimmick.
The more expensive the car the more the fasteners are hidden.
Luxury's appears to showcase “eye candy” with us not knowing how things work or being held together.
The 240s were the last of honestly BUILT vehicles to go the years for a family.

To really dry out a car an electric dehumidifier is the best next thing to use. Close it up tight so it warms and extracts.
The next best is baking things in several days of summer heat and a fan.
That is, heat without humidity!
Cutting loose with water and a vacuum extraction sounds good and easy.

Just Be careful!

Phil

thank you!
my car is a 1981, doesn't have airbag.
no heated seats.
I only have the passenger sensor presence that indicates if the passenger doesn't have seatbelt, so i think it'll be some wire somewhere. Am I right?

The floor carpet is ok, I want only to remove front seat mainly to clear them deeply, even if not so dirt but are obviously the most used.

the floor will be vacuum cleaned and treated with a brush, not sure if I want to inject/extract it. Surely I will not remove it

I'd simply clean the seats in place using the upholstery tool of a carpet shampooer. Give it an extra rinse and hit it twice with Scotchguard after it's dry.

The passenger weighted seat switch for the seat belt chime goes over and drops down near the seat belt assembly to go under the tunnel carpet up to the chime relay. I found that chime a nuisance if I had something sitting on the passenger seat, so put in a toggle switch under the glove box to be able to disable it.

Depending on your market, most 240s had front seat heater grids and most of those will long have packed it in and needed replacement or repairs by now.

The plastic trim cover over the rear seat rail bolt slides straight back, but there's quite a notch over the two side pins, so some effort may be needed to carefully spread it a bit, push it down a bit and pull it straight back over the notch. Main thing is don't try to pry it straight up or you'll break the side fingers.
--
Dave -still with 940's, prev 740/240/140/120 You'd think I'd have learned by now

Hi, thanks.
I want to move seats out of the car to clean them accurately and being sure I can reach every angle.
The switch for seat belt has a connector I can remove?

The seat weight switch will likely have a connector near the seat, but if not then it simply unclips from the seat spring wires that it lives between.

Also, for cleaning, you can easily remove the lower seat cushion. The cover over the front rail simply unbuttons. At the rear rail there's a metal bar in a hemmed seam. Bend the middle of the bar out to allow the tabs at the ends to disengage from their slots. Awkward to do with your fingers when the seat is mounted, a lot easier once the seat is out. That's also how you get at any seat heater grid to slide it out.

I don't think it's been mentioned about a headed pin stud sticking down from the middle of each seat rail that engages into a keyed slot in the floor. You'll know it's there once the four bolts are removed as the seat will remain locked in place. You need to move the seat maybe just over an inch to allow the pin to disengage so the seat can be titled up. I want to say you pull the seat back rather than push it forward, but all of a sudden I'm uncertain which way. You'll soon figure it out. Have the seat tilted all the way back so you can feed it out the back door on its side, best done with two people.
--
Dave -still with 940's, prev 740/240/140/120 You'd think I'd have learned by now

While you have the front seats out the front carpet can be easily removed. But 1981 carpets are bad quality and desintegrate. I replaced mine with 1990 style which are more ridgid and water proof.

Now you can inspect the metal floor and repair if needed. Front windshield bottom corners tend to leak and damage to the floor result.

If there is any sign of corrosion it is a good idea to drive a couple of weeks without carpets and find where water get in.

In Canada 1981 driver side had seat heater, bottom and back.

Roland

The plastic cover is retained by 2 clips, a picture of which can be seen at the link below.

There are generic tools to remove them, but you might be able to push them out from behind the bracket.

To remove the lower rear seat assembly, you need to push the front of the assembly rearward until the front of the seat pops up. This requires a significant amount of effort and is a PITA to re-install and is not necessary to properly clean the carpet.

https://vp-autoparts.com/en/artiklar/clip-seat-mounting-200-79-88-blue.html

https://www.autozone.com/test-scan-and-specialty-tools/molding-and-trim-remover-tool/p/dorman-help-trim-removal-tool/103001_0_0
--
Eric
Hi Performance Automotive Service (formerly OVO or Old Volvos Only)
Torrance, CA 90502
hiperformanceautoservice.com or oldvolvosonly.com