VX Carlton Elec Window - Intermittent Fault

Yep, should do.

Nope, but chances are they've never been touched since it left the factory, so could have seized in place. I know room is limited, but get an allen key shaped socket bit and use a ratchet/socket arm to try and get them off. That is, if the allen key isn't slipping and rounding it off in the middle of the bolt head.

Don't know about a captive nut, there may be. Keep undoing them, maybe different bits of the thread on the bolt have been exposed to the elements more and rusted, hence it being more difficult to undo. Just keep undoing it and it should come off. And the £2-3 invested in a socket bit will be worth its weight in gold. So much easier using a ratchet.

Peter

the switch is the most likely fault, they get full of dust and ash.

the seat switch again is the most likely fault. there will usually be provision to slowly alter the seat position manually, usually a knurled wheel (older fords definitely, not sure on vaux).

the bolts probably stick through underneath, so check, wire brush and lube, they may also have thread lock on.

mrcheerful

Seat switch? AFAIK all Carltons had manually adjustable seat height, don't think they put electrically adjustable seats in until the Omega. Forgot to mention that there's a horizontal bar under the seats that adjusts the height, and if this has been stressed it can snap off. If it has, or if it's just about to, then look in a scrappy for a decent seat frame, and you should be able to unbolt your seats from the current frame and reattach them to the new one.

Peter

That is surprising when my old granny mk2 had electric (1979) I just assumed that a top line car would have them. The omega definitely has, I kept hitting the seat switch with my bum when working on the door of one the other day.

mrcheerful

Is there room for an impact driver?

Do they do impact driver versions of allen key (hex) socket bits?

Maybe, maybe not. It's possible with the front and back bolts to create more room by sliding the seat either forwards or backwards to get it out of the way a bit, but I couldn't say for sure - depends on exactly how tall the impact driver is, and how thick the ratchet arm is.

Peter

The message from "PM" contains these words:

Is that someone who passed their test with the Impact School of Motoring?

The message from "AstraVanMan" contains these words:

Yes.

I wanted to put a different seat in one of my Triumphs Christmas day (was better than suffering false festivities and dire TV). Three of the bolts came out fine, one started OK, then as I was whipping the ratchet around tore the floorpan up like a sardine tin, because it suddenly hit a wodge of rust on the threads.

On a crash course?