Drivers seat will recline, but won't come back up. Also, the seat will go down lower to the ground, but won't move up. Lastly, It will roll backwards but won't go forward. I can hear/feel the motors click and try to move.
Just dirty tracks? Weak motors? What can I do? How can I pull the motors out to inspect them (if possible)? Is there a manual way to adjust the backrest? Because at the moment it is just a little too reclined for comfortable driving :P

Thanks as always!

 

If you're sure that you're hearing the motor engage in all directions, it likely is just debris blocking it from moving. You should be able to help it along in its desired path with the switch engaged if that is the case. You can manually move the seats forward and rearward if need be.

 

Trying to help push it along seems to do the opposite of help. (I do know the manual way to move the seat forwards and backwards) I did do some digging underneath the seat to find if anything was keeping it from moving. I did find an ANCIENT pair of reading glasses, but they weren't wedged in anywhere and movement didn't improve.

 

Just to be 100% try swapping seat switches to see if there is any change.

 

Do the switches just pop out with a socket on the back (like my 931), or are they like the window switches?

 

AFAIK.. yes. That's how they are on my 928s though mine have the later seats. Should be the same despite the switches being different between seat styles.

 

You'll very likely give your seats a new lease of life if you remove them, and clean off all the old cruddy grease and dirt mixture which will be coating all the gears. I used a brass rotary wire brush on a small drill to clean all the dried crud off the gears on my two cars, then cleaned with brake clean, then very lightly lubricated with spray on white lithium grease. You can move the seat to all the limits of travel while they're out, to allow cleaning and lubrication, by temporarily hooking power up to the plug from a battery.

Doing that cleaning and lubrication is the best first step, and then see if you have any remaining electrical/switch issues.

An archeological dig under the seats can also be worthwhile .... I found $28 in coins in my GTS.

 

Well, how do you actually get to the gears? I mean, the ones for the backrest are within the seat!
And I tried fiddling with the switches: I can hear them make a little noise, but no movement. They go one way, but not the other... -.-

 

And how does one go about removing the seat? I assume there are four bolts holding it down?

 

On my car there's six allen key bolts.
Two in front and four in the back.
You need to move the seat forward and backward and up and down to get to those bolts.

Edit: I think on your's, there's four to hold the seat frame to the rails and four to hold the seat rails to the floor mounts.

 

Put the seat on max height (manually if necessary) so you can get a wrench on the rear bolts. Full forward to access rear bolts, full rearward to access front bolts. Sometimes the bolts can be VERY tight, so be ready for using some muscle. In mine there are zips on the rear edge of the seat back, that should give access to the gears inside. I used a small flat ratchet with 1/4" hex drive to get at the bolt heads.
jp 83 Euro S AT 54k

 

How does one manually move the seat up?

 

I had assumed (makes an *** out of U and Me) that if there is a manual way to move it fore and aft, there would be a manual up and down? RTFM (Read the Fn (WS)Manual)? Just noticed that there are two web sites - www.rtfm.com, and www.<rtfm spelt out in full>.com.
Maybe the WSM will give you enough info about how the height is controlled to locate the relevant gears and turn them manually? Try locating a zip in the side of the seatback covering to get access to the recline gears. Are you sure its not a problem in a switch? Bit odd for all of them to behave in the same manner all at once. Pull the switch panel off, and try swapping switches and plugs...Try select UP on the switch, and pull the seat up at the same time?
jp 83 Euro S AT 54k

 

I'm working on the same problem with my '85 US. The driver's side seat moves back but not forward. Strange though it might seem, my parts car has the same problem but the passenger side seat works both ways on the parts car so I took it out yesterday and looked it over.

The WSM I have doesn't talk about the seat I have at all. According to it there should be some relays under the seat (there aren't) and there should be a lever you can use to manually adjust the seat (there isn't).

To get the seat out I moved it all the way back to expose an allen bolt on either side (remove) then moved it all the way forward to expose 2 allen key bolts on either side, which I also removed. Lift up the seat and unplug it from the power harness the remove it from the car.

After doing this I rolled it over and discovered it was completely different from anything described in the WSM, though I'm certain the seats are stock.

 

If the seat moves in one direction only, and even with assistance won't go the other way, then odds are its the switch, which can be disassembled in-situ for cleaning (although you need to put a small plastic tub or similar underneath to catch the ball bearings as you open up the switch).

When the motors bind on old grease or because the rubber buffer has broken and fallen away (letting the seat rail torque itself to the frame directly), you can usually give the seat a kick to unbind if while the motor is straining.