Seat belt won't retract
- Thread starter Supra725
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kball
New member
hc4runner
New member
I know this thread is old but i didnt want to make a new one. Im in the same boat where my rear passenger belt wont retract. I would like to follow the steps in the link above but I have no clue how to access the retractor. Im afraid ill break something if I start tearing away at the side panel.
Jon
New member
Had this happen to both front belts recently. This fixed them and they work better than ever. Sure the rear is similar.
Start by removing the bottom door sill and then if you put the seat down the large side panel should be able to be pulled off.
Now you have the issue of repair or replace. More than likely the clock spring has either broken or just come loose from it's outer keeper. It's encased in the white plastic piece. Easy to remove and take apart, just don't let it pop apart!
The inner piece should spin freely making spring tension since the outer end of the clock spring is affixed by just being bent around the keeper tab. When I took mine apart the spring was rusted up real bad, Broke up the rust with PB Blaster and packed it with grease.
If I remember correctly, there should be a total of 12-13 rotations before the spring runs out. I found that the spring needs to be pre-loaded with 7 rotations, leaving 5-6 rotations for the belt to pull out. There's a small pin hole in the center of the plastic case that will require a small allen head or nail inserted to hold the pre-loaded spring while you reassemble.
Hope this helped. Wish I had pics, this was all just from memory. Good luck
Start by removing the bottom door sill and then if you put the seat down the large side panel should be able to be pulled off.
Now you have the issue of repair or replace. More than likely the clock spring has either broken or just come loose from it's outer keeper. It's encased in the white plastic piece. Easy to remove and take apart, just don't let it pop apart!
The inner piece should spin freely making spring tension since the outer end of the clock spring is affixed by just being bent around the keeper tab. When I took mine apart the spring was rusted up real bad, Broke up the rust with PB Blaster and packed it with grease.
If I remember correctly, there should be a total of 12-13 rotations before the spring runs out. I found that the spring needs to be pre-loaded with 7 rotations, leaving 5-6 rotations for the belt to pull out. There's a small pin hole in the center of the plastic case that will require a small allen head or nail inserted to hold the pre-loaded spring while you reassemble.
Hope this helped. Wish I had pics, this was all just from memory. Good luck
Well I decided to take the plunge and start pulling panels. I have some pics but will have to wait til I get back from a short business trip.
I took pictures of how I took everything apart to get the retractor loose so I have a visual reference for how things go back together
But basically I did what you said: lower door sill first then side panel (I had 2 screws to remove for the cargo area cover which was helpful in spotting the "innards" behind the panel.
I didn't take the whole panel loose. Just enough to get to the bolts etc.
4 Phillips head screws and 3 14mm bolts to take the whole things out... oh and a lot of eyes closed gently pulling while praying the clips don't break.
Now I've just got to convince the wife that this was a good idea when she wakes up... maybe I will leave for my trip and explain it to her on the phone
:hiding:
I took pictures of how I took everything apart to get the retractor loose so I have a visual reference for how things go back together
But basically I did what you said: lower door sill first then side panel (I had 2 screws to remove for the cargo area cover which was helpful in spotting the "innards" behind the panel.
I didn't take the whole panel loose. Just enough to get to the bolts etc.
4 Phillips head screws and 3 14mm bolts to take the whole things out... oh and a lot of eyes closed gently pulling while praying the clips don't break.
Now I've just got to convince the wife that this was a good idea when she wakes up... maybe I will leave for my trip and explain it to her on the phone
:hiding:
Thewildestjourney
New member
After some disassembly...
Hey guys,
I took the belt tensioner apart in an effort to restore any lost performance, and honestly I don't think it does any good. I greased the spring, tensioned it more, and even cut the belt shorter to increase spring force. Sewing it up was interesting.
At the end of the day, washing the belts worked best.
Hey guys,
I took the belt tensioner apart in an effort to restore any lost performance, and honestly I don't think it does any good. I greased the spring, tensioned it more, and even cut the belt shorter to increase spring force. Sewing it up was interesting.
At the end of the day, washing the belts worked best.
