Seat belt re tractors

[cc72red]

Hi Everyone,
I took the seat belt out of my 97 CE because they were very sloppy. I followed the instructions in the thread I found on here. I washed the belt, etc... My question is about the spring in the re tractor. I saw that it could be tightened by turning the spool a few times. Well, the spool in mine is tightened all the way already and I cannot turn it to tighten the spring. Is there any way to tighten the spring itself EASILY without de-coiling it? Many Thanks in advance

 

[cc72red]

In terms of de-coiling, I mean it getting away from me and ruining it.

 

[AbodeOnTheRoad]

The spool should turn until the spring is tight. Is it possible that the retractor is just locked because it's been moved/ bumped/ pivoted from it's location? Try carefully letting it in a click, making sure it's in the exact angle it would be installed and try again.

 

[cc72red]

Update: I was able to figure out how to get the spool free. The mistake I was doing was keeping the little flip lever (that holds the gear from turning) tight aganist the tooth while putting the ball in the correct position. There needs to be a bit of slack so the lever can fall when the ball is right.
WIth that said, I was able to get 2.5 more turns to tighten the spring... However, my belts still do not retract fast. I still have to feed it so it's not hanging out of the door.... Oh well, I've at least learned how it all works and can do the repairs now if needed in the future.
TIP: I found that using a pair of vise grips to hold the spool instead of "jamming a screw driver in there somewhere". I also indicated my start position with a marker line across the pulley edge and the body of the re- tractor , so I could determine how many turns I had.
Thanks everyone!

 

[AbodeOnTheRoad]

Have you washed the seatbelt? That is part two of the solution.

 

[cahill]

I found that adding a thin strip of clear packaging tape to the shoulder harness where the belt runs though reduces the friction and helps a little as well.

 

[cc72red]

Yes, I washed the belts. Maybe I over tightened the spool and causing too much belt to wind in causing resistance..... Not really sure.

 

[AbodeOnTheRoad]

I removed my third row belts and used them for the front. It's been working well for me.

Seatbelt - swapping out 3rd row for 1st row

So my front seat belts, like many others, are in pretty poor condition in the truck. But my 3rd row sit there, mocking me with their near perfect condition, every time I open the back of the truck. Today I finally decided I'd replace them, and here's how it went. So if you look at the...

forum.ih8mud.com

Seatbelt - Swapped out 3rd row for 1st row 96 LC

Finally! I did it! 1996 Toyota Land Cruiser 80 I actually pulled out my shredded DS seatbelt and pulled the 3rd row seatbelt asssembly and swapped the third BELT and BUCKLE into the Driver's position. My 1st DS belt was shredded by my PO and it never got any better while I used it. Overview...

forum.ih8mud.com

 

[rolliges]

the washed belt need to be very fexible; I also used fabric softener.

THEN

you need to spray both sides of the entire belt with dry silicone lubricant. let dry; reinstall.

Belts should retract as new.

 

[cc72red]

I removed my third row belts and used them for the front. It's been working well for me.

Cool.. maybe I'll try that!

 

[BILT4ME]

I removed my third row belts and used them for the front. It's been working well for me.

Cool.. maybe I'll try that!

As long as you're not a great big fat person, it will work. The 3rd row belts are about 6" SHORTER than the DS belt. I am a GBFP and I couldn't lean forward far enough to even reach the glove box.

I bought a PS front belt and retrofitted that belt to mine and it is 11" LONGER than the DS belt, so that is even better for me!

 

[cc72red]

No, I'm not. the belt would go around me 2 times. So, If I get aggravated enough with it, I will probably do it in the future.