Drivers Seat Belt wont retract (1 Viewer)

[ScotyDosentKnow]

Like the title says, my drivers seat belt will no longer retract on its own. It can still be lifted and kind of fed back in but has gotten worse over the last year.

Is there a fix for this or am I going to need to replace the seat belt? Can this still be purchased new if so?

Thank you!

 

[Malleus]

The retractor reel just needs to be cleaned. There is more than likely a lot of "material" in the sprag clutch that shouldn't be there. It's pretty easy to clean. You can clean the belt while it's out, too. Either pressure wash it, or remove it completely and run it through the wash.

 

[NookShneer]

Like the title says, my drivers seat belt will no longer retract on its own. It can still be lifted and kind of fed back in but has gotten worse over the last year.

Is there a fix for this or am I going to need to replace the seat belt? Can this still be purchased new if so?

Thank you!

I was lazy and didn’t remove it.

I pulled mine all the way to max extension and had washed it a few times with simple green and a nylon brush. It helped enough that it didn’t need the added assist of hand feeding any longer.

 

[excessive]

I 2nd washing the belts and letting them try thoroughly, it will help.

 

[Live to Ski]

file this under rumour control: take a strip of the hook side of velcro & pass between the belt and the upper shoulder mount. seems like debris/oils collects over the years and provides enough friction to hinder retraction.

I'm too lazy, but I read that here in the 100 forum in a galaxy far away.

 

[ScotyDosentKnow]

Thanks everyone that sounds easy enough. I'll give it a try before I try replacing anything!

 

[Fairgame]

Its fiddly but take the unit apart and you will find dust is your problem and once cleaned a little silicon spray does not hurt

 

[FSAuto]

Thanks everyone that sounds easy enough. I'll give it a try before I try replacing anything!

Let us know how it goes, mine needs quite an assist to get in. Planning on cleaning it out as previously mentioned.

 

[suprarx7nut]

I bought a brand new driver belt in 2020. They were available then. I think it was $200 and that is with the explosive pre-tensioner. I suspect the pre-fancy belts would be even less.

If you're short on time, buying a whole new one is super fast and easy.

 

[Trunk Monkey]

From my 80 and the same issue, if you do dig into the retractor assembly, be careful, the spring in there is wound tight and can unload suddenly if you do the wrong thing. I used a screwdriver to pin it in place, slid the belt off the assembly, and threw it all in the washer. Easier solution on the 100 was to pull it all the way out, clamp it in the truck, leave the majority of it outside the truck, close the door, and power wash the belt.

 

[dubdub20003]

Pulling out the door and power washing at coin operated self serve solved for me

 

[peneumbra2]

The retractor reel just needs to be cleaned. There is more than likely a lot of "material" in the sprag clutch that shouldn't be there. It's pretty easy to clean. You can clean the belt while it's out, too. Either pressure wash it, or remove it completely and run it through the wash.

Sprag Clutch?
Wasn't he a punk rocker back in the '80s???

 

[TXSunDevil]

I tried the velcro, I pulled all the webbing out and scrubbed. I still have the same problem. I removed the seatbelts and sent them to a company to get rebuilt. Same issues, they will not retract. My tan drivers belt is NLA I think grey was the only one I could get when I looked a few years ago. Please report back after you try some of the remedies

 

[ScotyDosentKnow]

Let us know how it goes, mine needs quite an assist to get in. Planning on cleaning it out as previously mentioned.

Belt basically wouldn’t retract at all especially with the seat far forward (my wife is short and daily drives the 100). I pulled the belt all the way out and clamped it off with a binder clip. Soaked the belt over night in a 5 gallon bucket full of water and laundry detergent with some simple green. Scrubbed some the next day and dried with a towel.

Seems to work great now. It really didn’t seem dirty looking at it but the water was brownish afterwards. I’m going to do the other side here soon as it’s slow too