Installing 8 way motors on a passenger seat
There has been some discussion regarding converting the 4 way seat to an 8 way seat. The recliner motor is located in the seat back & we do not have to do anything with it except connect the power line that is part of the switch assembly. We are only dealing with 3 motors.
Pictures at the bottom.
THE SHORT FORM FOR THIS PROJECT:
Obtain a passenger motor assembly from a MB SLK320
...Available on ebay for $125 - $200 Use the following search titles.
...2001-2004 MERCEDES SLK320 OEM PASSANGER POWER SEAT TRACK ASSY W/ MOTORS
...2001-2004 MERCEDES SLK320 BOTTOM SEAT RIGHT PASSENGER SIDE OEM
Remove the passenger seat from your XF following instructions below.
Install the replacement assembly
SIDE NOTE:
My wife is 5' tall and can just see over the window sill so I found out from Red Dog that I could get an 8 way motor assembly (actually 6 way) on ebay. When the assembly arrived my wife was in the kitchen & asked what it was. I told her it was an ejection seat so that when she was giving me grief while driving I could pitch her out of the car..... She threw a glass of water on me. She has no sense of humor.
The up-down motor will only raise the seat 1.7". Even with the seat all the way up my wife is also using a cushion.
THE DONOR ASSEMBLY
Check that the 3 motors are working by attaching power to the motors & reversing the leads to make sure that the motors run in both directions. Best to position the up-down motor in the up position so you will have room to work during assembly.
NOTE: You may want to review the Power Seat Service Information in the 2004 Crossfire Service Manual Section 8N-94 pg 1020-1033
https://www.crossfireforum.org/forum...ollection.html
SEAT REMOVAL
Remove the four seat bolts with an E12 Torx star bit (you'll need to run the seat forward and backward to access the bolts and easily remove them). Then tilt the seat back forward a bit which will make it easier to remove the seat from the car. Then remove the negative battery cable. Pull the seat upward and toward the door. Remove the 17mm hex seat belt bolt. Lay the seat on it's side and access the electrical connector(s) to disconnect them. You might have to cut a couple of cable ties under there. Make a note of where the plugs are located then remove the seat from the car. DO NOT HOOK UP THE BATTERY OR TRY TO START THE CAR WHILE THE SEAT WIRING IS DISCONNECTED OR YOU MIGHT "HARD SET" THE AIR BAG LIGHT AND THAT WILL REQUIRE A CHRYSLER DEALER TO RESET THE AIR BAG SYSTEM.
Before removing the seat I turned off the passenger air bag. I had to move my car & the air bag light came on. Once the seat was installed & I drove the car & disconnected the battery for 10 minutes & the air bag light went out. I may have gotten lucky. Use your good judgement.
EXISTING 4 WAY ASSEMBLY REMOVAL
Lay the seat assembly on its back on your workbench so the bottom is in front.
Remove the Power Seat Switch assembly. Remove the T20 screw at the front of the assembly from the bottom. Push the side panel with the switches downward and toward you to remove. Disconnect the wiring harness at the plugs. Do not remove any wiring attached to the metal seat pan except the up-down motor wiring.
There is a plastic trim plate at the rear on the door side of the seat. It is mounted with a push pin in a hole. Use a screwdriver to lift it off of the frame. (I managed to break the pin)
Remove the plastic clamps holding the round bar to the seat pan. See attached picture. I used a drift pin in the hole of the attachment pins & a screwdriver as a lever to remove the pins. Once the pins are removed the bracket can be pried off with a screwdriver,
Remove the two rail attachment bolts with a T45 Torx & the recessed Hex shoulder bolt from each side. Note how the assembly is mounted on the seat pan. The brackets that are held on with the hex shoulder bolts need to slide into position when mounting the donor assembly.
Lift the assembly off of the seat pan watching for any interference or wires that need to be disconnected or moved.
NOTE: My donor assembly came with the seat pan attached so I ended up with some extra parts. The plastic brackets securing the wiring & the mounting bar were in really good shape so I had minimal breakage. The rectangular brackets that hold the connectors on can be removed with a 1/4 counterclockwise twist or maybe the other direction. Round brackets can be pried out of their holes with a screwdriver. You will probably not have to remove any of the wiring brackets.
INSTALLING THE DONOR ASSEMBLY
Slide the assembly into the rear part of the seat pan noting the location of the seat rails.
Attach the plastic brackets to the hinge bar at the front of the seat. Note that the center bracket has to sit centered in the seat pan bracket. Install the rear riser motor front attachment bolt next to the hinge bar. You may need to purchase an 8x45 or 50mm long 1.25 pitch metric bolt & plain hex nut. Locktite recommended.
During mounting ensure the harness is routed and secured to avoid potential interference with moving parts. You may want to remove the drivers seat to use for reference for wire routing. You will need some cable ties. It is difficult to see the wiring in the pictures. At the same time you have the opportunity to clean under & behind the seat. Part of the seat back is cloth & can also be cleaned at the same time. Also, note that since the passenger seat is out of the car this is a good time to replace the cabin air filter. Even with the seat out it is still a pain to do.
Install the two T45 rail attachment bolts & the recessed Hex shoulder bolt on each side.
Replace the plastic bracket at the rear on the door side of the seat.
Install the seat. With the seat tipped over plug in the three cables. The red seat belt plug and the black power plugs of the seat are half of a mating plug that is not used. Be sure to install the plugs so that the contacts mate with the vehicle cables. The third cable in the center is for the seat heaters. Install the plug cover & use tie wraps to secure the seat belt & power plugs. Use the drivers seat for reference if you have removed it from the car.
Attach the negative battery cable but do not turn on the ignition. Operate the seat switches to verify that you have power to the seat motors. If there is a problem it is most likely a connector that is not properly installed. Trouble shoot from where the main power plug is located then follow the seat wiring harness from the seat controls to the individual motors.
Install the 17mm seat belt bolt & cover. Wrestle the seat into final position & install the 4 seat bolts E12.
PROJECT IS COMPLETED!!!
PICTURES:
Donor motor assembly on seat pan
Donor motor assembly removed from seat pan
Switch Assembly with wiring harness
Plastic Trim Plate removed
Removing plastic clamps holding the round hinge bar to the seat pan
3 Rail attachment bolt locations
Drivers Seat
Passenger cables installed
Note: Pictures with a 17/07/2017 are of a different installation that have been added.
If there are corrections to this How-To please give me a PM or email & I will incorporate the changes into my post so that all of the information is in one place. Good luck with your installation.
Last edited by Red Runner; Nov 8, 2017 at 01:36 AM.