Needing to know how to remove the seating cover and belt harness for the Evenflo model 3971536 L1 car seat

The PortAbout 5 was last manufactured in 2005, making it very likely the seat has expired. Contact Evenflo (800-233-5921, www.evenflo.com) about the expiration date and reattaching the visor (if the seat has not expired). Please DO NOT use an expired seat!
Manufacturer states that, when installing this rear facing only restraint in an outboard seating position, there should be at least 1.5" of space between the restraint, including the handle, and the
back of the front seat.
Do not remove the harness strap from the adjuster. If the harness is ever mistakenly removed, Evenflo will send a new harness with adjuster.
-- Marc

If it is the one that is on the end of a strap, at the end of the strap is a loop.
Feed the loop thru a small set of holes in the back of the seat. The seat should have 2 small, close to eachother, holes. It goes in one, out the other and then slide the clip thru the loop and pull it back tight.
The only other design I know of uses a screw to attach the belt, the clip is on, to to a nub with a hole in
it on the back of the car seat.
If by "clip" you mean the little bracket that looks like an "H" you thread the car's seat belt thru it, where the belt goes up to the highest point, and use the H clip to keep that part of the car's seat belt away from the child and car seat by weaving it behind the edge of the car seat.
Use Evenflo's site to download a free manual and it shows you how to do it. All you need is Model number and date of manufacture and it will give you your manual. Save it to your computer. Click this link.

Evenflo Care Seat Manual Downloads

Turn the booster seat around to the back and locate the metal splitter plate that the harness is attached to. Remove both harness straps from the splitter plate. Locate the TensionRight knob located on each side of the seat in the front by the baby’s foot area. Turn the TensionRight knob to the back as far as it will go to take up the slack on the splitter plate strap. Pull both harness straps through the seat back to the front of the seat. Remove the harness strap from both sides of the chest clip and from the buckle tongues. NOTE: Please leave the buckle tongues locked into the **** strap for storage. Remove the harness strap from the seat. NOTE: Reattach the chest clip to the harness strap so they don’t get lost. Turn the booster seat upside down and locate the metal harness anchor. Turn the metal anchor sideways and push it through the slot to the front of the seat.

Hello,

If you go to this site you should be able to get the instructions for your model car seat. https://plweb.evenflo.com/replacement_parts.aspx It will be helpful if you know your model number and date of manufacture.

Thank you

here's the evenflo website to get the user manual for the seat:
https://plweb.evenflo.com/product_search.aspx
enter the model number without spaces and date printed on the seat. if your label is obscured, Feb 1 2007 will work. that will bring up a 'parts list' and part way down the list you'll see the downloadable instructions.
From the instructions, it appears that NO, this seat cannot be used rear facing.

This is about all I could find for you. Hope it helps.
Had one - its a huge pain in the **** and I always busted my fingernails doing it. The metal clips have to slide over the bumps to get them out. I hated that thing. May I make a suggestion? Return it. lol . I'm figuring you got a combo seat - Evenflo Generations, Bolero, Chase, that is a forward facing only seat to 40lbs, or a convertible seat like Evenflo Tribute that is forward facing to 40lbs. Since I don't know her age its hard to make a suggestion, but for just a little more money (we paid $79 for our Chase) you could get a much better seat. If she needs a convertible that will rear face, get the Evenflo Triumph for $150 or less, The Evenflo Triumph Advance (not the original Triumph, make sure it says Advance) is a great seat. $150 version at Babies R Us has padding similar to Britax seats, top slots of 17", harnesses to 35lbs rear facing, and 50lbs forward facing. $120 Walmart version just has little less plush padding. Wide open belt path, easy to install, though it doesn't have built in lockoffs. The harness adjusts at the front of the car seat, you don't have to take the car seat out of the car just to raise/lower the straps. It's one of only 2 seats that does this (The Britax Boulevard is the other, I believE), and it has infinite harness adjustment so the harness always fits perfectly until its outgrown. No more tugging straps to tighten them either. You tighten and loosen the harness using knobs on the side of the seat. As a major bonus, it can be used in a recline position even in forward facing mode. Awesome for kids who still sleep in the car. I LOVE THIS SEAT! LOL My son, who is too big for every other car seat at Walmart has the same amount of room in this as the Britax Marathon.

If she is forward facing (over 30lbs and over 2years old) then a Graco Nautilus would be a lot easier to use and install, $150. Harnesses to 65lbs and then becomes a booster, will be the last seat you have to buy her. Metal reinforced.

Combo seats are usually a major waste of money, as they only harness to 40lbs, no more than most convertible car seats, so you're really not getting any more use out them then the convertible seat.

if the car seat is newer then 2002 it is probably a LATCH system belt, year and model would help

Before helping out i think you should read this first!

AAFES RECALL NO. 08-003
RELEASE DATE: 4 February 2008
SUBJECT: HAZARDOUS RECALL - Evenflo recalls Discovery Child Safety Seats for a potential restraint failure.
DISTRIBUTION: WORLDWIDE In cooperation with National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), Evenflo Baby Products Inc. of Vandalia, OH is voluntarily recalling Discovery Child Safety Seats listed below for a potential restraint failure.
Items: Discovery Child Safety Seats
Number of Units Involved: Approximately One million
Description: The Discovery car seat is designed with a convenience base that attaches to the vehicle's seat and allows the seat to be attached or removed from the vehicle without removing the base.
Hazard: Tests conducted by NHTSA and the Evenflo company has found that these car seats have the potential to separate from its base. Seats could fail to adequately protect children in a high impact side collision.
Models Recalled: 390, 391, 534 and 552 Production Dates: Between April 2005 and January 29, 2008
Sold at: Major retailers and Catalogs. AAFES sold Models 390 and 391 through retail stores and catalog.
Remedy: Evenflo is providing current owners of these models with a free supplemental dual-hook fastener that has proven that the seat remains attached to the base in the event of such collisions.
Instructions for Customers: Owners of the affected seats can contact Evenflo toll-free at 800-356-2229 between 8am and 5pm ET or visit their website at http://safety.evenflo.com/cs/sc/cssc_RD.phtml
Consumers with questions about this or any other safety recall campaign may call NHTSA’s toll-free Vehicle Safety Hotline 1-888-327-4236 (TTY: 800-424-9153); or go to http://www.safercar.gov.

If you still want to adjust the straps, here is a link in pdf format to guide you with your straps and/or harness:

http://www.carseat.org/samples/Sample_Summary.pdf

To adjust the height of the hanress you will need to turn the seat around and locate two metal, rectangular plates. These plates are attached to the harness straps and should attached with plastic tabs. you will need to remove the plate in order to change the harness height. To do so, you may need a screwdriver to loosen the tab enough to release the plate. When removed, feed the plates back through the front of the seat through the predetermined slots. Reroute the plates through the appropriate holes in the seat that best fit your child.

https://plweb.evenflo.com/faq_detail.aspx?faqid=4990 Question: How do I care and clean for my PortAbout 3/PortAbout V infant car seat? Answer: To clean pad slide the elastic loops of the seat pad off of the seat shell. Remove the harness system. Cloth pad, canopy, and head support may be machine washed separately cold water, delicate cycle, tumble dry 10-15 minutes, low heat. Wipe straps, buckles, and harness adjusters with warm damp cloth and mild soap. Air dry. NOTE: DO NOT submerge harness assembly in water. To help protect the vehicle upholstery, place a towel beneath and behind the child restraint.