12/07/2018
These are now more detailed notes to help anyone remove the driver’s seat from a 2014 Chausson Flash C626 on a Fiat Ducato Alko chassis. Models may vary from year to year so you may find things may vary slightly
You will need to do the following:
SEAT REMOVAL
1. Get a friend who can help to lift the seat out, they are VERY AWKWARD & HEAVY.
1 (a). Remove both terminals from the MOTOR battery and allow 30 minutes before continuing. This ensures there is no residual current or static which can activate the electrically activated explosive charge which is beneath the inner armrest. The charge is a safety device which immediately tightens the seat belt.
If you managed to set off a seat belt pretensioner (and it wouldn't be easy) it would simply do its job and pull the belt buckle down a small amount. The noise would certainly startle but is not life (or limb) threatening.
(Thanks to Tony and Deneb for the tip!)
2. Remember that YOU CANNOT HAVE THE IGNITION ON during the process because you will be disconnecting the airbag wire which will have the effect of activating the airbag! (See para 7 below).
3. First thing will be to take away the plastic side panels on the left and right hand sides of the seat (both screwed on with Phillip screws. The one next to the door which houses the handbrake is also easier if removed.)
4. In the Fiat Ducato there are two rails beneath the seat. There are two 13 mm bolts at the habitation end of each rail and one Allan screw at the cab end. These will eventually require removing to enable you to take out the seat – but not yet.
5. WARNING: After having removed the side panel on the handbrake side you will then see the single earth wire that connects the bottom of the seat which is what activates the airbag. You can remove this (it is screwed with an Allan screw to the seat base). Remember EXACTLY what it was screwed to - one end is earthed to the seat rail by the handbrake.
6. Having removed: (1) the side panels, (2) undone the airbag earth wire that connects to the seat frame, (3) four 13 mm bolts and (4) two Allan screws – in that order – the actually seat can them be lifted out through the driver’s door. Easiest method is to have one person lifting on the inside and someone on the outside who can carry the whole seat out. It is just very big, but that part is a one man job.
7. Having done this it will expose the metal plate covering all of the battery with a hole in the centre. All wiring leads through this hole. This is held down as follows: on the handbrake side: 2 X 13 mm countersunk Allan screws, on the internal side: 1 X 13 mm countersunk Allan screw, and one Allan screw at each of the front corners of the metal plate. All of these will require carefully removing. But you will still not be able to rotate the TOP PLATE yet. There are two 13 mm hidden nuts at the end of two bolts in the front of the seat frame. The one next to the handbrake requires loosening and the nut on the opposite (internal) side requires removing.
8. However prior to being able to remove the metal plate you have to pull the leaver out that releases the Captains seat. Then rotate the TOP plate so that the large hole that is evident in this plate will give you access to a 20 mm bolt on the inside. This screws the bottom metal plate to the seat frame and has to be removed. Having done this the top and lower metal plates can be lifted off to give access to the battery compartment. The earth wire for the airbag and the live wire for the airbag all drop through the hole in the centre of the metal plates.
9. You now have access to the habitation battery compartment and can disconnect firstly the black (negative) and then the positive (red).
10. Remove the metal strap that holds the battery in place.
SEAT REPLACEMENT
11. When replacing with a new battery connect the positive (red) and then the negative (black) and replace the metal strap over the top of the battery.
12. Connect the black wires that clip together over the top of the battery.
13. Place the metal plates in the correct position and screw in place as in para. 7 and 8 above.
14. Push the earth through the small hole in the seat frame and one with yellow contact back through the centre hole.
15. Finally screw this tight with all the screws mentioned in para. 7 above by rotating in order to expose the hole that gives access to the 20 mm bolt that screws into the seat frame and rotate the Captains chair to face the wheel.
16. The seat can now be replaced, with one person to take the weight on the inside and the second person carrying the seat through the door.
17. The seat can now be bolted back into place as in para. 4 above.
18. The earth wire for the airbag can be threaded through the side of the chair frame and screwed back with the Allan screw to the threaded hole in the chair frame by the handbrake (see para. 14 above)
19. The plastic sides can now be screwed back in place.
THESE NOTES REFER TO THE FOLLOWING REG. YEAR 2014, so things may be slightly different from year to year. Sorry but I can't take responsibility - these notes are for Funsters guidance.
Trust this acts as a "guide" in the meantime and good luck! It took a breakdown engineer and myself about two hours to complete the job first time around. Second time took two weeks as my notes were not detailed enough so I have re-written them!!
These are now more detailed notes to help anyone remove the driver’s seat from a 2014 Chausson Flash C626 on a Fiat Ducato Alko chassis. Models may vary from year to year so you may find things may vary slightly
You will need to do the following:
SEAT REMOVAL
1. Get a friend who can help to lift the seat out, they are VERY AWKWARD & HEAVY.
1 (a). Remove both terminals from the MOTOR battery and allow 30 minutes before continuing. This ensures there is no residual current or static which can activate the electrically activated explosive charge which is beneath the inner armrest. The charge is a safety device which immediately tightens the seat belt.
If you managed to set off a seat belt pretensioner (and it wouldn't be easy) it would simply do its job and pull the belt buckle down a small amount. The noise would certainly startle but is not life (or limb) threatening.
(Thanks to Tony and Deneb for the tip!)
2. Remember that YOU CANNOT HAVE THE IGNITION ON during the process because you will be disconnecting the airbag wire which will have the effect of activating the airbag! (See para 7 below).
3. First thing will be to take away the plastic side panels on the left and right hand sides of the seat (both screwed on with Phillip screws. The one next to the door which houses the handbrake is also easier if removed.)
4. In the Fiat Ducato there are two rails beneath the seat. There are two 13 mm bolts at the habitation end of each rail and one Allan screw at the cab end. These will eventually require removing to enable you to take out the seat – but not yet.
5. WARNING: After having removed the side panel on the handbrake side you will then see the single earth wire that connects the bottom of the seat which is what activates the airbag. You can remove this (it is screwed with an Allan screw to the seat base). Remember EXACTLY what it was screwed to - one end is earthed to the seat rail by the handbrake.
6. Having removed: (1) the side panels, (2) undone the airbag earth wire that connects to the seat frame, (3) four 13 mm bolts and (4) two Allan screws – in that order – the actually seat can them be lifted out through the driver’s door. Easiest method is to have one person lifting on the inside and someone on the outside who can carry the whole seat out. It is just very big, but that part is a one man job.
7. Having done this it will expose the metal plate covering all of the battery with a hole in the centre. All wiring leads through this hole. This is held down as follows: on the handbrake side: 2 X 13 mm countersunk Allan screws, on the internal side: 1 X 13 mm countersunk Allan screw, and one Allan screw at each of the front corners of the metal plate. All of these will require carefully removing. But you will still not be able to rotate the TOP PLATE yet. There are two 13 mm hidden nuts at the end of two bolts in the front of the seat frame. The one next to the handbrake requires loosening and the nut on the opposite (internal) side requires removing.
8. However prior to being able to remove the metal plate you have to pull the leaver out that releases the Captains seat. Then rotate the TOP plate so that the large hole that is evident in this plate will give you access to a 20 mm bolt on the inside. This screws the bottom metal plate to the seat frame and has to be removed. Having done this the top and lower metal plates can be lifted off to give access to the battery compartment. The earth wire for the airbag and the live wire for the airbag all drop through the hole in the centre of the metal plates.
9. You now have access to the habitation battery compartment and can disconnect firstly the black (negative) and then the positive (red).
10. Remove the metal strap that holds the battery in place.
SEAT REPLACEMENT
11. When replacing with a new battery connect the positive (red) and then the negative (black) and replace the metal strap over the top of the battery.
12. Connect the black wires that clip together over the top of the battery.
13. Place the metal plates in the correct position and screw in place as in para. 7 and 8 above.
14. Push the earth through the small hole in the seat frame and one with yellow contact back through the centre hole.
15. Finally screw this tight with all the screws mentioned in para. 7 above by rotating in order to expose the hole that gives access to the 20 mm bolt that screws into the seat frame and rotate the Captains chair to face the wheel.
16. The seat can now be replaced, with one person to take the weight on the inside and the second person carrying the seat through the door.
17. The seat can now be bolted back into place as in para. 4 above.
18. The earth wire for the airbag can be threaded through the side of the chair frame and screwed back with the Allan screw to the threaded hole in the chair frame by the handbrake (see para. 14 above)
19. The plastic sides can now be screwed back in place.
THESE NOTES REFER TO THE FOLLOWING REG. YEAR 2014, so things may be slightly different from year to year. Sorry but I can't take responsibility - these notes are for Funsters guidance.
Trust this acts as a "guide" in the meantime and good luck! It took a breakdown engineer and myself about two hours to complete the job first time around. Second time took two weeks as my notes were not detailed enough so I have re-written them!!