Crazy K Posted May 7, 2009 Report Share Posted May 7, 2009 yes... I ask... has anyone ever repaired a seatbelt? (particularly the 88-94 style door mounted ones) the issue is that I have about TEN of them that have had the retractors fail. ome have had the spring go BOING, or just completely break. I am currently trying and just wanted to see what you had all encountered.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crazy K Posted May 7, 2009 Author Report Share Posted May 7, 2009 1 done. this one would not retract without force feeding it. I sprayed it with PB-blaster, but it was not enough. I took the shell cover loose, an added grease and a shim to hold the spring flat. My trick? shimming the spring flat with a washer! WORKS! I think I will investigate the next step... which is re-winding the spring... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1990lumina Posted May 7, 2009 Report Share Posted May 7, 2009 There is no way I will touch seatbelts or air bag stuff as far as repairs...if it's broke get a new one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slick Posted May 7, 2009 Report Share Posted May 7, 2009 x2. I sure as hell wouldn't trust them, except to a professional that only rebuilds seatbelts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carkhz316 Posted May 7, 2009 Report Share Posted May 7, 2009 I support your efforts Crazy K. I can agree with what others say regarding the integrity of the safety of the belts.. But what about all the other stuff we all mess with: brakes, steering, etc. That's all just as much of a potential compromise to safety as seatbelts. But on topic, cool that you are figuring it out. Keep updating as you progress. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crazy K Posted May 7, 2009 Author Report Share Posted May 7, 2009 will do. once I ruined about 2 spare junk belts... I understand how they work enough that I think it can be done. In fact, the design and winding of the spring is very simple! as long as the retractor works properly and the pendulum lock is still good, the seatbelts are safe. SAFETY is my prime concern here. I would not do it if I thought it could not be done safely. The biggest problem is that most of these belts are from convertibles and humidity and rust have damaged them, hence rust clogging the spring. btw, regarding 91-94 electrically releasable seatbelts.... I unplug them, I think they are dangerous. They override the safety lock if they think the door is attempting to be opened. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carkhz316 Posted May 7, 2009 Report Share Posted May 7, 2009 btw, regarding 91-94 electrically releasable seatbelts.... I unplug them, I think they are dangerous. They override the safety lock if they think the door is attempting to be opened. X2. Except in my personal experience, I had a parasitic draw in my Euro that was draining my battery. After a quick ampmeter test, I determined it to be those solenoids. So I just unplugged the fuse. When I found out that all they do is release in they way you mentioned, I was like :rolleyes: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crazy K Posted May 7, 2009 Author Report Share Posted May 7, 2009 btw, regarding 91-94 electrically releasable seatbelts.... I unplug them, I think they are dangerous. They override the safety lock if they think the door is attempting to be opened. X2. Except in my personal experience, I had a parasitic draw in my Euro that was draining my battery. After a quick ampmeter test, I determined it to be those solenoids. So I just unplugged the fuse. When I found out that all they do is release in they way you mentioned, I was like :rolleyes: that too. they do consume alot of power, and can get very hot. I've had cars not start because of the doors being open for a while, even when the interior light fuse is pulled. The biggest issue is that the electric seatbelts will release if they think the door is attempting to be opened meaning if the door thinks the handle has been pulled even during a collision... it can release the tension on the belt... even if the doors are locked. If you have a coupe with a working keylight ring, you can see how and when the solenoids are released by watching the light; it is on the same circuit. FYI, cars with electric release seatbelts have a long relay by the front right firewall (near the c200 and HVAC fan area) pulling that will disable them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian P Posted May 7, 2009 Report Share Posted May 7, 2009 I support your efforts Crazy K. I can agree with what others say regarding the integrity of the safety of the belts.. But what about all the other stuff we all mess with: brakes, steering, etc. That's all just as much of a potential compromise to safety as seatbelts. But on topic, cool that you are figuring it out. Keep updating as you progress. Brakes, steering and all those parts are meant to be serviced. Belts are not. (though I'm not saying they *can't* be repaired) Plus with the potential of the small springs and other parts in the belt system, there's a greater chance of messing up by a minor error in installation or repair. It's kind of hard to mess up installing a brake caliper or a steering rack. That said, good luck Ken and post results! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crazy K Posted May 7, 2009 Author Report Share Posted May 7, 2009 update. a good clean seatbelt can be taken apart and put back together successfully! the spring can actually be backed off and removed safely, the belt can be separated and reattached to the mechanism, and the spring can be reinstalled and then wound to the proper tension (about 15 turns, btw) But... I said a "good clean seatbelt" the ones I have that came out of convertibles are unsalvagable. the mechanism is choked with rust, the springs are rusted, the belts are rust stained........ I will be digging around for some better ones from coupes at the j/y next week. If hell was to have frozen over... I could take the vert belts and thread them into mechanisms that came from other cars that I have lying around. so lets see what I can find. The most important thing I have learned.... LUBRICATE YOUR SEATBELT RETURN SPRINGS. more to come. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carkhz316 Posted May 8, 2009 Report Share Posted May 8, 2009 I support your efforts Crazy K. I can agree with what others say regarding the integrity of the safety of the belts.. But what about all the other stuff we all mess with: brakes, steering, etc. That's all just as much of a potential compromise to safety as seatbelts. But on topic, cool that you are figuring it out. Keep updating as you progress. Brakes, steering and all those parts are meant to be serviced. Belts are not. (though I'm not saying they *can't* be repaired) Plus with the potential of the small springs and other parts in the belt system, there's a greater chance of messing up by a minor error in installation or repair. It's kind of hard to mess up installing a brake caliper or a steering rack. That said, good luck Ken and post results! I can agree with that. But I see where K is coming from in that either do nothing, or working with what you have and fixing them to avoid having them potentially fail by themselves because of their crappy design. All things considered, yes one should just get a new seatbelt, but I can admire what he has done so far with successfully repairing one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian P Posted May 8, 2009 Report Share Posted May 8, 2009 can't disagree w/ that!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.