Seat Belt Retractor-any way to make it retract better?
 

Ones of my pet peeves with my car is that fact that the seat belt does not retract fast/strong enough and most of the time it just kind of hangs there until you help it up... :devil:
So, is their any way to lube the retractor or tune it up to where its retracts faster or better? I hate the way this makes my car interior look when the seat belt is hanging all loose.

I was minutes away from posting this exact same question before I saw this. I imagine the spring could be oiled up. But it would obviously require to take off some interior trim panels, so hopefully theres a writeup somewhere

My seatbelt is starting to do the same thing now:(

Anyone?

I have the same issue...

mine does the same thing, really bugs me actually.

Yep, same issue here in my CETA firebird....it actually drives my girlfriend nuts when it doesn't retract at all, haha. I was gonna post this same topic eventually...

did anybody find a write up or a quick fix?

YEA No shit I was about to post the same quest. Also...its twisted as fuck...pisses me off. I tried to screw it off at the bottom...man that sounds gay...NOT! to fix it... but the fucking channel lock bent. Mothefucer!!

Guess it's a manufacture defect!

Guess its taking the assembly apart and modding the spring to have more tension. Its metal fatigue that causes it. The spring gets weak over time with constant force it exerts.

Just buckle the seat belt. :eyes:
On my '00 TA, the belt continuously gets tighter and tighter as I drive. I have to constantly pull it back out to keep it from cutting across my neck and choking me.

Of course, as soon as I unbuckle the belt, it lays there and doesn't retract at all. :bang:

This is probably my most annoying thing with my car outside of the cup holder behind the shifter and the lighter outlets being close to the shifter to shfit into 1st and 3rd with my phone charger plugged in.

Just came across this. The solution is to buy a new seat belt. The retractor is not serviceable and I recall that it is riveted shut. I had this problem and replaced it.

Fortunately, this part is a key safety item and they are continuing to be made. The buckles are actually nicer than the originals, also. (At least the driver's side belt I got was upgraded at the time. The passenger belt I received from GM was new old stock and the older design - but that was many years ago.)

The retractors will gum up over time with dust, belly button lint, and whatever. My new belt has actually been a little annoying because it's so clean the pendulum inside the unit knocks around and rattles a little bit. (I probably need to wrap it in some foam.)

part numbers or link wssix99

There are too many to post. The belts are all different depending on the car model, body style, and interior color. All of the original p/n's have also been superceeded over time as theyve gone in and out of production.

We either have to go see a dealer or correspond online with one to get the parts. Even the dealer has to do some homework to confirm the numbers. (It isn't a simple lookup like other mechanical parts.)

Could try cleaning the belt and spraying the retractor with lube. I've heard that Pledge works well too.

hello from 2018 :)

i just washed my seatbelts. i used a bucket of hot water with dish soap, a plastic brush and rinsed with a clean bucket of hot water. as soon as i put the belt in the water i could see 18 years of grime oozing away, gross eh. the strap on the right is the part that hangs out. i'm really surprised how clean it is now.

https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/ls1tech...ed28bf82b0.jpg

i spayed silicone into the holes on the left. the brass part that looks like teeth. there is another one on the opposite side of the cylinder. i'm hoping the guts are lubed now.

https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/ls1tech...ab3cf3e38e.jpg

it might not look like it but i waxed the black loop to make the belt slide better.

https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/ls1tech...8ad1847007.jpg

i hope all this makes the seatbelt retract better. if it doesn't then i guess i'll buy new ones. i'll post what happens tomorrow when the belts are dry and put back together and i spray some furniture polish on the belt.

ok, the seatbelts are back together. i did feel a major difference with the things i did. if you have the time then it is worth it.

https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/ls1tech...bc467ddc86.jpg

but, the major factor for me is the black loop. they should have put a rotating piece to make it slide better. you can see the yellow straw that i added and it slides much better now.

https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/ls1tech...5739def95d.jpg

in addition to that, i have a convertible and the plastic piece that covers the black loop adds even more friction to the belt. i guess the engineer did not get his angles correct. i want to trim the opening but i rather get a test piece first. for now, i'll enjoy this free mod :)

Fast forward to 2020
 

I also hated the seat belt sag, and amid this covid 19 bs. Im staying busy with mine. Just took the belt off, washed it and used silicone spray on the teeth. I feel a major difference than what was previous, so with the downtime nowadays, a little elbow grease, and it can be done. Now if i could get my ac vents to work correctly lol 😂😂😂😂