Xantia 1.9td 1998 mk1 front seat mountings

[admiral51]

Hi all
having just driven the above and given her a minor service i have discovered (SWMBO forgot to mention ) that one of the drivers seat mountings is loose.
on further investigation it would appear that the captive nut is missing that the bolt screws into.
looking at the other mounting the captive nut is able to slide side to side slightly to accomodate centralising of the seat

I have yet to have a closer look to see how this nut is put in and then held captive so any hints/tips prior to delving into the unknown greatly recieved

Colin

[addo]

It's embedded in the structure before assembly is complete. I don't think it can slide away so far as not to be recoverable - so perhaps it's been drilled out?

Prior to unbolting the rest of your seat, unclip the airbag (pretensioner) leads and heater connections.

FWIW (handy hint?) I oversize the plastic spacer holes with my cordless drill, so the fasteners just push through. This is done off the car. Final alignment is done with the five bolts lightly finger tight, then seat centred much as possible to allow access for tightening.

Regards, Adam.

[admiral51]

Thanks for that Adam those spacers are a PITA

Just to make things clear it is one of the front front seat nuts that appears to have gone AWOL so i could have some fun with a coat hanger and a torch by the sounds of things

Colin

[andmcit]

Sounds like you may need one of these:

http://www.tooled-up.com/Product.asp?PID=26119

Andrew

[admiral51]

Hi Andrew
I have something similar to that but from memory of when i removed the carpets to get them dry after a small matrix leak the gap is only just big enough for the bolt to go through hence my reference to a coat hanger
if all else fails i think it could be a case of having a small plate welded in place with a thread(tap) cut for the bolt as im sure its going to be an MOT failure not to mention the saftey factor of my behind sat on the seat
From the replies it would seem that the nut sits in a channel so this could be a bit of a fiddle to get it sat back in even if i can locate it

And there was me hoping it would be as easy as raising the car up- removing a rubber bung and inserting a new nut...................silly silly me

Colin

[addo]

The threaded anchoring plates are "sandwiched" between two layers of sheet steel, the backing piece being somewhat thinner.

Our guidelines for repairing or modifying such anchorings here are pretty stringent, so a "window" cut from the bottom if absolutely necessary, might in fact be the easier option.

Regards, Adam.

[admiral51]

Righty ho not going to be easy

Think im going to have a word with an MOT station to check before i go to far with this

I cant locate the offending retaining nut and even if i could i cant see a way of putting it back in a way that would enable me to tighten it up and looking from beneath the car it would involve a great deal of time/money to cut a "window" to have access for fitting a nut.
It seems that the safest and most secure way of doing this is to have a plate welded over the existing mounting point with a nut welded to the underside of it but first i need to check what im allowed to do as regards MOT etc etc

Its the mounting point that sits by the handbrake so has anyone got any concerns over this plan and are there any things i should be aware of such as hidden wires ecus etc in this location

Cheers

Colin

[bxman]

This is quite common I have had to do 3, to date cut a 35mm square of 16swg or better weld or bond a nut in the center and use a liberal application of epoxy resin to bond it on to existing floor section if you drill a few holes in both plate and the floor it will be stronger than the original no need to set fire to anything or make holes in the bottom skin the carpet hides the repair you will have to cut the carpet to get at things. it's a big job to remove the carpet and sound deadening so cut the carpet with a Stanley knife good luck.