jeeps005

Hey everyone! I am a long time reader but just subscribed to ask a question. But first a quick intro:

I recently bought a 1991 ls400 with 280,000km (170k miles) It runs ok but its seen better days. I want to give it a second chance before someone sends her off to the scrapyard.
I dont know much about the car's history other than the previous owner was an older man in his 90's who drove it every week to go bowling. When I bought it it was filthy and was leaking brake fluid. Ended up just being a brake line so that was an easy fix.
I also noticed the valve cover gaskets are leaking. No big deal but I have a more pressing problem to resolve before I will look into that.
I have a vibration in the drivetrain somewhere when i rev the engine to ~2k rpm. Today i changed my engine mounts. The old ones were completely destroyed so I felt confident that they were the source of my vibration. Well turns out the vibration is still there. I am ordering a new transmission mount and installing it asap hoping it will resolve the issue.

Now for my question. My seat belt doesn't retract properly. I have to unclip it for it to rewind itself. If I try to pull hard on it it doesn't lock up. This is kinda scary and makes me wonder if it would even work in the event of a crash. Any advice or info on this problem would be very appreciated. The rest of my problems can wait. Safety first right?

jaaa

I pulled the whole seat belt retractor from a junk yard pick/pull for my daughters 1991 ls400. Took me about an hour as I'd never done it before. I don't remember the cost but had to have been around $25. Her belt was almost cut in half so needed to be done.

jeeps005

Thanks for the reply! Not many LS's in my regions scrapyards. I have dug up old posts about the issue and it seems there is no fix, it needs to be replaced. I will order the belt and retractor asap.

jeeps005

Few quick questions..

Would the retractor from other generations work or each has its own setup?
Is it the same part for driver side, passenger and rear seatbelts?

PureDrifter

iTrader: (10)

they are location specific, and generation specific.

try www.car-part.com to find some in a yard near you.

Losiracer2

I would remove the front air intake cover and see if the clutch fan housing is showing signs of a blown bearing or looks like its wobbling when the engine is on.

Also check the other tensioners on the front of the engine for wear.

jeeps005

Thanks for the advice! Much appreciated. If the tranny mount doesnt fix the vibration i will check those things.

dicer

What color is the seat belt?

jeeps005

Beige. I found the belt and retractor for 300$ (can). I might shop around a bit more.

dicer

I was going to the wrecking yard today but had to deal with a plumbing problem, I was gona see what I could find.

jeeps005

I am happy to report that the new transmission mount got rid of the pesky vibration! She now runs like a dream!

There is still alot of things to address but for now i am hunting for the seatbelt/retractor and a set of winter tires. A friendly user by the name of Jaaa has offered to go take a look in his local junkyard for me. I will post an update soon!

jaaa

Sorry, took a look at the 91 in my pick/pull and it had blue belts.

AKucf10

im pretty sure the seat belts only lock up when youre on the brakes, atleast thats how my 91 ls400 is.