Seat Belt Replacement (1 Viewer)

[Funner]

I couldn't accept that I would have to replace my seat belt with either a new grey belt or wait until I found an 80 with a driver seat belt in better condition than mine in a junk yard. I figured some other Toyota of the same era would have somthing comparable, so I set out to scour the local pick and pull lots looking for a donor to hack up. After several B-pillar demo's of possible donors I found that the 1994-1996 Camry with brown interior was just the ticket. The seat belt webbing was an exact match as was the seat belt buckle. All I would need to do is remove the webbing from the tensioner and the B pillar adjustable shoulder mount and restring it through the same components on the LC.
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[Funner]

The only difficult part is getting the webbing out of the upper mount on the b pillar. It was more difficult getting it out of the Camry than back through the LC. Notice the enlarged area in the corners of the B pillar bracket. That extra space is helpful to get the doubled over strap through. Just need to get a small piece through, then grab it with small channel locks and then pull them through. tight but doable.
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[Funner]

After removing the old belt and getting the new one strung through the upper mount, it is just a matter of removing the old from the lower spool and re stringing the new one through. I wound the tensioner spring about 4 rotations to add some snap back to the seat belt so it would retrieve the slack better. You need to push the seatbelt into the spool to remove the plastic dowel that holds the belt to the spool.

 

[Funner]

There are only two bolts to remove on the lower bracket, a 14mm and 10mm bolt, that's it. You will want a small screw driver to slide into the spool to keep the coil from unwinding while you work to get things back together. It was really pretty easy.
Notes
The belts are the exact same color, length, and have the same mounting brackets/buckle. Any apparent differences in the pictures are just the donor belt being cleaner than the old one or bad camera/angles.The tensioner system and it's brackets are not exactly the same, which is why I removed the webbing and reinstalled into the LC's tensioner. I would not have been comfortable with a solution that required opening or modifying the tensioner system.

 

[Funner]

You will reuse the mounting hardware from the LC, the Camry uses a shorter bolt. You could save some time by cutting the LC seat belt so you wouldn't need to pull it through the upper bracket, I didn't because I wasn't 100% sure everything was gong to work out. I would cut it out if I was doing it all over.

 

[86tuning]

So I take it you pulled the webbing from the passenger front seatbelt of the camry?

Re webbing belts is tricky, but once you've done one they're easy peasy.

Good job!

 

[CruiseOrlando]

Thanks for bringing this up. I need to put it on my list as well, mine is starting to frey a bit.

I notice PNC # 73220 for a 1994 Camry, Oak color... retail is $200, seems like it's still available.

I'm not 100% certain what all that contains - it might also have the tensioner with it.

 

[Funner]

So I take it you pulled the webbing from the passenger front seatbelt of the camry?

Re webbing belts is tricky, but once you've done one they're easy peasy.

Good job!

I replaced the driver's side on my LC with the driver's side from the Camry. Passenger side may be a good option as it will probably be the same and the donor car's passenger side belt would have less wear. I didn't check passenger side belts to compare to LC driver side because I found a perfect donor with little wear from a driver side in a Camry.

 

[CruiseOrlando]

Nevermind on my Camry comment. It's been superseded with grey as well. Boo!

 

[greentruck]

Nevermind on my Camry comment. It's been superseded with grey as well. Boo!

Thanks for tracking this down, as it was going to be my question, too. Sux that it, too, is a victim of a weird Toyota fashion choice.

At least there are way more Camry donors floating around than we'll likely ever need.

 

[Funner]

Thanks for tracking this down, as it was going to be my question, too. Sux that it, too, is a victim of a weird Toyota fashion choice.

At least there are way more Camry donors floating around than we'll likely ever need.

There were plenty of donor vehicles as you said. I left all the tensioner components for the Camry at the pick and pull lot because they charge more for the whole system than just a seat belt. My cost was $7.88 plus the $2 entry fee.

 

[WarDamnEagle]

Are the tensioners the same? If so, could you string it the other direction or will the metal clip not go through the upper B-pillar mount? I'm guessing not.

My driver's side is getting really bad and I have to do something soon.

 

[wesayso]

Thanks for the info. My belts are in good shape, but the drivers side retract is spotty at best. I may have to try re-tensioning the retract mechanism like you describe.

 

[tominboise]

Is the retensioning operation a simple task? My belts do not retract worth a hoot and I'd like to fix that. Also, one has an annoying half twist in it (darn kids) that I'd like to fix....

 

[Funner]

Are the tensioners the same? If so, could you string it the other direction or will the metal clip not go through the upper B-pillar mount? I'm guessing not.

My driver's side is getting really bad and I have to do something soon.

The driver and passenger tensioners are not the same. there is no way the metal bracket will go through the B-pillar bracket unless you modify the gap by cutting some plastic away.

 

[Funner]

Is the retensioning operation a simple task? My belts do not retract worth a hoot and I'd like to fix that. Also, one has an annoying half twist in it (darn kids) that I'd like to fix....

Re tensioning is pretty easy, you would only need to pull the belt out of the spool on the tensioner, wind it up a couple times and re thread the belt through the spool. I would say that could be done in 20 minutes.

 

[tominboise]

Cool. I will have to try this some evening....

 

[WarDamnEagle]

The driver and passenger tensioners are not the same. there is no way the metal bracket will go through the B-pillar bracket unless you modify the gap by cutting some plastic away.

Thanks. I was actually wondering about the LC and the Camry tensioners but it's academic if you have to take the belt off the tensioner anyway.

 

[gofast]

Actually,

I just looked at my spare set. They have two clear plastic covers. One clearly shows the ball bearing for stopping the belt during an accident. The other has the spring in it.

Both are stamped do not remove. Neither has screws for removal but plastic pins that look as if they would snap if I tried to remove them from around the spring. I also cannot get to the end of the belt as the reel doesn't roll that far.

Could you please do a step by step on how to adjust tension? I'd like to try this with the one I have on the bench and replace mine and I'd be grateful for the help

 

[Funner]

This causes no issues with the mechanism?

I heard that the automatic lock that keeps you flying forward in an accident should never be touched as it may impair this function. If It still works though, I am game to give it a try. Could you confirm?

The tensioner coil/spring is not the same component as the lockup device you're referring to, shouldn't be a problem. All you do is rotate the spool a few turns and reinsert the belt. There is no opening or fiddling with the safety components, just the retractor. There are threads on this site that cover removal and washing of the seat belts and retensioning the spring. I reviewed those before starting this thread.