KEV-BMW

Hello All,

I'm happy to have found this board. I have a question to ask about the removal of the rear seat backs in the E34 M5. My car is a '91 U.S. model, and from what I have researched, it has the "bread box" style rear center console with slide-out drawer. I can easily lift out the seat bottoms of the rear seats, but I need to remove the rear seat backs in order to get to the rear firewall wiring gromets (from the front side.)

I have done searches in other forums (and this one) and came up with no information. I've been told that the Bentley repair manual is of no use. Here is what I am doing:

I am doing a full sound system installation into my M5, completely bypassing the stock booster amp, and using new components and wiring throughout. There is no easy way to get large gauge power wires (and other cables) through the rear firewall, so I must remove the rear seat backs to determine how to best handle the project.

Will someone please tell me how to remove the rear seat backs? I can only see one (approx.) 10mm nut holding the seat back in place, but I know that there are more somewhere.

Also, I need to remove the "bread box" console to punch out the ski-bag
pass-through area but am having difficulty. I have removed all lower hex head screws and can slide the top portion of the bread box up, but it resists coming out. The top portion (fold down compartment) will not come out either. How does it come out? There are only three Phillips head screws visible from the front (with door folded down) but loosening those screws does nothing.

I am trying to remove the rear speakers from the rear shelf, but BMW located the woofers so far to the outside edge of the shelf that it is impossible to fit a small shanked screw driver in to get the screws loosened. One screw on each woofer (left and right) is completely underneath the edge of the rear shelf. The only way to remove the woofers is to remove the rear shelf, and as I understand, the rear seat backs must be removed in order to remove the rear shelf.

Please write with as much detail as possible on how to perform this disassembly. I certainly will appreciate it -- my M5 has been in a torn-down, undrivable state for over two weeks now while trying to slowly remove all interior panels without doing any damage. I really miss driving it and hope that I can get the audio system finished soon.

On a positive note for everyone, I will be taking detailed digital pictures of
every step involved in the tear-down and re-assembly of the interior, and
creating either an MS Word document or HTML page outlining all instructions
needed to perform a sound system installation in an E34 M5. My pain will be
everyone's gain.

Kevin

MM-5

Hi

There is 4 plastic 10 mm nuts holding the rear seat back. One on each side quite low, easy to see them and two in the middle section behind the center armrest. You don´t need to remove the armrest completely to get the rear seat back off the car, it comes along with it. This was the case in my car. You have to remove carefully the head support items. Take care not to damage the electric rearwindow roller sunblind when removing these if your car is equipped with it. Then You have to rotate the plastic items which comes now available 90 degrees to unlock the rearseat. I mean with these plastic items things which where under head support items and now You can see these. Then the rear seat back comes off.

Sorry my bad english. It´s difficult to explain these things when not finding right words, but I hope this helps You.

Best Regards, Janne.

milesr3

As Janne says, there are four plastic nuts. Two inside the armrest hole and two at the outer edge of the seat back, which you will see if you remove the base.

Now for the hard bit. There are also four plastic pegs that hold the top edge of the seat back in the rear shelf. These are under the rear headrests, one on each side of the headrest. Pull the headrest up and you'll see a black plastic peg with a slot in. Find a suitable implement to rotate them round 90 degrees and they should then pull up out of the rear shelf. Mine were a ***** to get out and required some effort and wiggling of the plastic surround to get them out along with much swearing, which is optional.

HTH
Richard

KEV-BMW

Thanks guys! I really appreciate the help. From what I have seen with my seats so far:

-- There is a nut visible (on each side of the car) on the outside part of the rear seat back down at the bottom (visible after removing the seat bottoms.) Mine appears to be a metal bolt complete with a washer, not plastic, but I should check that again.

-- I will remove the headrests and probably get into plenty of swearing as I attempt to remove them.

-- My armrest area is what I've been told is "the breadbox." It is a rear center console with a roll-out drawer. I learned today that the top portion (above this box) can be removed simply by squeezing the plastic tabs between two circular cutouts at the rear of the box. This will make the sheet metal visible where the ski-bag area is. I think from having removed the hex-head bolts beneath the "breadbox" I can remove the lower portion after the top portion is out. If there are two plastic nuts behind this area, I suppose that is when I will find them.

Having already removed the trunk liner and rear firewall matboard, I have already discovered a factory rubber gromet area. With the rear firewall matboard trim piece removed, facing toward the front of the car from the trunk, you will find this gromet area in the lower right hand corner of the rear firewall. There appear to be pre-scored circular cutouts within a rectangular piece of rubber for different wire gauges. I will probably run the large gauge power wire through this gromet area. Thanks so much guys! I can't wait to create my pictorial walk-through after this is all done and share with everybody.

Kevin

davidoli

Welcome to the board Kev ......you will not find a more knowledgable and friendly bunch of M5 owners anywhere else IMO .......

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91 Sebring 3.6

E28 UK RHD M5