fastegg

My drivers side seat belt wont retract unless I feed it in by hand. Is it buggered ?.... Can it be fixed if I pull it out or should I just source another one ?
Its very annoying feeding it back in every time i get out... and leaving it out looks very untidy...

sha4000

iTrader: (1)

Common problem, you can take the covers off and try to clean the grime off the belt and it MIGHT work again normally like some have done. Most likely you will have to buy a new bely or source and old one.

Losiracer2

I tried this guy's advice on my replacement D/S belt that I'm installing soon and it seemed to have helped the retractability of the belt. It seems to rewind with more speed now.

sha4000

iTrader: (1)

He never showed how bad it was getting hung up.

UNCNOR

iTrader: (1)

Laundry detergent is designed to require a rinse cycle to remove the residual detergent.I would suggest a second bucket of plain water to rinse the belt.Without a rinse cycle the belts will attract dirt like a magnet and gum up again.

Losiracer2

yeah i guess I forgot to mention, I then dumped out the dirty water (which I couldn't even see the bottom of the shallow bucket) and filled with fresh water, probably about 3-4 times, wringing and soaking the belt each time until the water was pretty clear afterwards.

After a nice drying, the belt feels a lot more pliable and flexible compared to being hard and starch like before.

fastegg

Hey.. Thoroughly washed the belt in hot soapy water and bucket.. soaked, washed... washed.. washed.. hot water rinse... got it sparkling... honestly i never thought it would work as i was sure the problem was in the mechanism... dried it... and bugger me... the belt works PERFECTLY.... just perfectly.... like new... Wow, you learn something everyday... Thanks for the tip losiracer2...

sha4000

iTrader: (1)

I guess I'm going to have to try this now. My seatbelt gets on my nerves.

hotdawwg

I need to do this as well

Losiracer2

anytime man! I'm glad it helped you out. Since I've got a broken belt buckle on mine, I recently picked up a JY one that was filthy and came across that video on YouTube for cleaning. Its really amazing how dirt and crud can affect the functionality of things. I guess through years and years of accumulation on the belt surface, when that all retracts into the mechanism, it allows it to not function and binds through all the friction build up.

I'd say people need to do this every timing belt replacement, every 7 years or so. Auto manufacturers should make this a regimen for cleaning like they do for other wear parts.