Unlocking Electric Rear Headrest '86 300E
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Joined: Jan 2009
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Mercedes 300E '86
Unlocking Electric Rear Headrest '86 300E
My '86 300E's electric rear headrests are inop. and were stuck in the up position. I have spent hours trying to work out why they don't work to no avail. When i depress the button in the dash i can hear a click from the 'motor' under the rear passenger side seat (i'm in australia so i have a RHD). if you're looking for it the box behind my drivers seat (RHS) controls the boot lock) it's on the other side. I have tried to check the vac lines but don't know where they got to in the engine bay. So i've given up. I would love it if they actually worked, but was happy to settle with knowing how to actually release them to let them drop back down. I figured that maybe this info might be useful on this site, so here it is;
- remove the fabric lining that covers the fuel tank in the very back of the boot space
- lie down in the boot and look up under the rear parcel shelf, under where you'd figure the head rests would be
- you should see the mechanics that drive the headrests (a bunch of silver arms, locks, spings etc.)
- study what you see and you should be able to work out how they work
- there is a 'fork' that will be securing a cross bar that locks the headrests up.
- the arm that holds the fork in place can be jimmy'd forward or up with a screwdriver and will release the fork allowing the headrest to fall back
Junior Member
Joined: Oct 2008
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From: Sykesville, MD
96 e320, 91 Eagle Talon, 98 SVT Cobra, 74 MGB-GT, 74 TR6
Had the same problem with my e320. Headrest would not go down and no kind of noise when pushing the button. I don't know if the little box under the seat is a vacuum pump or electronically distributes vacuum for whatever the demand is (door locks, fuel door, trunk release head rest, etc.) I got mine to go down by tracing the vacuum line going from the head rest to the box under the seat, disconnected the line at the box and attached a hand held vacuum pump and pumped it until the headrest fell back into position.
Once the weather warms up I guess I'll try figuring out how to fix it proper.
Once the weather warms up I guess I'll try figuring out how to fix it proper.
