Floppy armrest - how to fix?
Printed From: The Brick-yard
Category: T3 Section
Forum Name: T3 Westfalia forum
Forum Description: Forum to discuss VW T3 Westfalia models. If it's shit, it goes!
URL: http://www.brick-yard.co.uk/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=54850
Printed Date: 19 Apr 24 at 04:55 Software Version: Web Wiz Forums 12.06 - https://www.webwizforums.com
Topic: Floppy armrest - how to fix?
Posted By: SebRogers
Subject: Floppy armrest - how to fix?
Date Posted: 22 Jun 10 at 09:47
One of the armrests on the passenger side captain's seat on my Westy has gone all wobbly and floppy It still swivels up and down but has way too much play in it, probably not helped by my five year old's tendency to use it as a piece of playground equipment
Anyhoo... I can't for the life of me work out how to get inside to see what the problem is. There are two screws holding the black plastic trim on the underside, but the angle adjuster knob thingumy is in the way of one of them and doesn't seem to want to screw all the way out.
Anyone got any pointers?
------------- '85 T3 Doka EJ22 '94 T4 Westy Cali Club ABT 2.4td
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Replies:
Posted By: BALDY3260
Date Posted: 22 Jun 10 at 12:15
hi seb had the same problem with one of mine, i did find a thread either here or 80-90 to help fix it but buggered if i can find it now, what i remember is, squeeze arm rest near swivel point and there is a roll pin to knock out, arm rest then comes off, tighten the two screws that fix it to the seat(the swivel bar) then slide arm rest back on, fcuk about for ages trying to get roll pin back in( i think they only go in one way) finally have non floppy arm rest baldy
quite helpfull if you can get another pair of hands to help out too
------------- '95 T4 syncro multivan '08 fiat500(mrs b's)1968 eriba pan/familia (also mrs b's)
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Posted By: wilf
Date Posted: 22 Jun 10 at 14:31
There's some useful info on this site http://www.weidefamily.net/vanagon/ - http://www.weidefamily.net/vanagon/
From home page go to /interior/armrest repair and you'll find step by step instructions with photos as well!
------------- 1988 1.6td Joker
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Posted By: RichardN
Date Posted: 22 Jun 10 at 15:46
Just a word of warning here - don't unscrew the big adjuster thingy too much as they can come off the nut inside the armrest and are a pig to get back (or so I'm told).
Richard
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Posted By: BANANABUS
Date Posted: 22 Jun 10 at 16:01
RichardN wrote:
Just a word of warning here - don't unscrew the big adjuster thingy too much as they can come off the nut inside the armrest and are a pig to get back (or so I'm told).
Richard
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your not wrong!
------------- Committed To Famine Relief. Last Week I Sucked Off An Ethiopian
I'm Not Arguing,I'm Explaining Why I Am Right
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Posted By: jason k
Date Posted: 22 Jun 10 at 17:12
yup its the roll pin thats gone prob seb. easy enough to do .
new roll pins available at vw too.
------------- Bcs shallowest surf award winner 2006 camperjam 2011 chug and tug team member aberdare. south wales newest member of karmann korner no longer the only moderator to manage to ban himself
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Posted By: Joker_Club
Date Posted: 22 Jun 10 at 17:13
What Richard said, it`s a right mailto:tw@t - tw@t if you unscrew the adjuster. Here`s how it`s done, from the link above........
Carefully remove the couple of phillips screws holding the black plastic end cover on.
- Slip the fabric off the foam like a stocking. It will be a tight one but it is possible to remove it w/o damage.
- Once off, it will be obvious how that adjusting knob and rod goes into the armrest.
- First you have to cut the molded foam cover.
- The plastic channel within the armrest should now be visible.
- Within that channel is the free sliding nut which is supposed to mate with your adjusting rod.
- I used a needle nose pliers to hold the nut steady whilst threading the adjusting rod back in.
- Don't forget to thread it through the plastic end piece or you will have to start over.
- Glue foam back together again.
- Pull upholstery back over and you should have a functioning armrest. Easier said than done but it is possible.
- Reinstall, being careful of the angle that you put the rest back on at, I did mine backward, just once.
------------- Sunny Lancs
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Posted By: jason k
Date Posted: 22 Jun 10 at 17:17
yeah but thats if he has unscrewed it all the way. his problem sounds like lateral movement which is the roll pin.
------------- Bcs shallowest surf award winner 2006 camperjam 2011 chug and tug team member aberdare. south wales newest member of karmann korner no longer the only moderator to manage to ban himself
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Posted By: SebRogers
Date Posted: 23 Jun 10 at 08:50
Thanks everyone, some brilliant information and advice there I'll get to it when I have a spare 1/2 hour...
Cheers!
------------- '85 T3 Doka EJ22 '94 T4 Westy Cali Club ABT 2.4td
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Posted By: RichardN
Date Posted: 23 Jun 10 at 10:57
Just to add to this thread, I have just fixed my armrest (yesterday) which had one of the two screws holding the arm on come out completely and drop into the chair. Luckily it was stuck on the vinyl so I could reach it. How one could unscrew and fall out while the other was still in tight I don't know. It must be some sort of vibration thing as you move the armrest up and down.
Anyway, after trying various methods to get the roll pin out for about 20 minutes I found the perfect answer with a Philips screwdriver with a shank the same diameter as the pin. Stick the end of the screwdriver into the end of the pin that has a slight bevel and twat it hard with a hammer. It came straight out in seconds.
After tightening the screws on the bracket (or whatever it is you need to fix) put the armrest back into place, lining up the holes as well as you can, then put the pin onto a long thin screwdriver (where the shank goes right through the pin) to line up the pin into the holes by pushing the screwdriver through the hole. If you use a long screwdriver it holds all the foam out the way for you as well which makes this far easier. Give the head of the screwdriver a few taps to get the pin started through the hole and then swap back to the bigger Philips one and give it some more wacks with the hammer until the pin is in the right place.
This method made a job that I had struggled with for about 30 minutes so quick that I got the pin out, tightened the bracket and got the pin back on the other armrest in under 5 minutes.
Hope it helps.
Richard
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Posted By: Joker_Club
Date Posted: 23 Jun 10 at 12:59
The armrests on my seats are held on with 6mm thin-headed allen bolts and Nylocs, not roll-pins. All 4 are the same, so I don`t think they`ve all been changed from roll-pins to bolts.
------------- Sunny Lancs
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Posted By: RichardN
Date Posted: 23 Jun 10 at 13:27
I would expect that, if one armrest is loose the chances are the others could do with a tighten at the same time so it's possible that the PO (or a lazy mechanic) checked and tightened them all but couldn't get the roll pins back in (or couldn't be bothered to try) so took the alternative route of using the bolts. I've never seen any mention of bolts in posts about this on any other T3 sites.
It's a mystery!!!
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Posted By: jason k
Date Posted: 23 Jun 10 at 18:07
Joker_Club wrote:
The armrests on my seats are held on with 6mm thin-headed allen bolts and Nylocs, not roll-pins. All 4 are the same, so I don`t think they`ve all been changed from roll-pins to bolts. |
the roll pin is not where the bracket bolts into the seat. the roll pin is where the arm fixes to the seat bracket
------------- Bcs shallowest surf award winner 2006 camperjam 2011 chug and tug team member aberdare. south wales newest member of karmann korner no longer the only moderator to manage to ban himself
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Posted By: Joker_Club
Date Posted: 23 Jun 10 at 19:27
jason k wrote:
Joker_Club wrote:
The armrests on my seats are held on with 6mm thin-headed allen bolts and Nylocs, not roll-pins. All 4 are the same, so I don`t think they`ve all been changed from roll-pins to bolts. |
the roll pin is not where the bracket bolts into the seat. the roll pin is where the arm fixes to the seat bracket |
That`s where the bolts are, through the tube part in the armrest and through the smaller diameter tube that it fits over, that is the bracket screwed to the seats. ISRI seat if that makes a difference?
------------- Sunny Lancs
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Posted By: Tee3
Date Posted: 23 Jun 10 at 19:49
my ISRI seats had nuts and bolts on their armrests.
My Bluestar has roll pins
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YOU CANT EDUCATE GAMMON
http://www.tee3.co.uk/" rel="nofollow - http://www.tee3.co.uk/
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Posted By: Joker_Club
Date Posted: 23 Jun 10 at 21:01
Cheers Tee3, that clears that up For those struggling to get the roll pins back in, might be easier to use allen bolts and nuts.
------------- Sunny Lancs
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Posted By: simoncummins
Date Posted: 28 Jun 10 at 22:08
Mine was loose but i found it was held on by alan screws i cut the short side of a 4mm alan key even shorter held the foam back and got the alan key in with out removeing the arm rest. Hope that makes sence.
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Posted By: robthedon
Date Posted: 29 Jul 10 at 23:23
Joker_Club wrote:
What Richard said, it`s a right mailto:tw@t - tw@t if you unscrew the adjuster. Here`s how it`s done, from the link above........
Carefully remove the couple of phillips screws holding the black plastic end cover on.
- Slip the fabric off the foam like a stocking. It will be a tight one but it is possible to remove it w/o damage.
- Once off, it will be obvious how that adjusting knob and rod goes into the armrest.
- First you have to cut the molded foam cover.
- The plastic channel within the armrest should now be visible.
- Within that channel is the free sliding nut which is supposed to mate with your adjusting rod.
- I used a needle nose pliers to hold the nut steady whilst threading the adjusting rod back in.
- Don't forget to thread it through the plastic end piece or you will have to start over.
- Glue foam back together again.
- Pull upholstery back over and you should have a functioning armrest. Easier said than done but it is possible.
- Reinstall, being careful of the angle that you put the rest back on at, I did mine backward, just once.
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Hi all,
Ok, so I'm trying to correct the problem where the adjusting knob has been over loostened and nut has fallen off inside, leading to droopy armrest.
I have done stages 1-4. However now revealed, the plastic channel is almost entirely enclosed, with only a couple of small square shaped holes (2 on the underside, 1 on the back) where you can see the thread of the adjusting pin. I can hear the loose nut rattling around inside but try as I might (I've fiddled with it for about 1.5 hours this evening), I can't get it to go where the holes are so I can set it in the right place to thread it back on. Has anyone else encountered this problem and how did they get past it?
I'm tempted to drill some holes in the plastic housing now, but not knowing what lies inside, I'm not sure if I'd damage things?
Also do others find the adjustment know and thread will not come out from the plastic housing? It feels like there is a shim inside stopping this?
Finally for future reference of others who wondered at stage 3 where to cut the foam, the section you need to cut is the back and underside rear 3 inches. Make a gash going front to back along that section and it will reveal the 3 "windows" I mention above (n.b they might be behind the glue layer of the foam to start with so might not be instantly visible).
Any help on stages 4, 5, 6 greatly appreciated!!
Rob
------------- Rob Don
Managing Director, London Campers
T: 07985 991349
E: rob@londoncampers.co.uk
W: www.londoncampers.co.uk
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Posted By: robthedon
Date Posted: 30 Jul 10 at 20:35
anyone any ideas?
------------- Rob Don
Managing Director, London Campers
T: 07985 991349
E: rob@londoncampers.co.uk
W: www.londoncampers.co.uk
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