Saet Belt retractor jammed - need part #

[boodie]

Got into my X today, belt wouldn't come out...Kept trying to pull it out; sometimes it would come out an inch or two, sometimes not...

Had to go to work; drove in trying to pull belt out...After about 10 minutes, it started coming out 6, 8 inches when pulled...Finally came out enough to belt myself in...

After work, wouldn't come out at all...Tried all the way home, wouldn't budge...

Got home, pulled drivers side door column apart and got retractor, belt, and all parts unbolted...Can't figure out how to get the elect connector off, but can see most everything...And it's all sealed; riveted together, no way to get at anything...(or lube it)...

So, I guess a new one is in order...But the paper sticker on it with the part # is pretty worn (don't know what from) and I can't read it...

Tried inputting the names Seat Belt Retractor into nissanpartscc.com, but no hits...

By any chance, does anyone know the part #???

(Does anyone know how the elect connector comes off???)

[OffroadX]

Leave it alone, take it to a dealer. Seatbelts have a lifetime warranty.
Don't even think of screwing around with the electrical connector, the seatbelt has a pyrotechnic pre-tensioner that goes off to retract the belt in a crash, you don't want to set that off. Notice the wiring was yellow or in a yellow sleeve? Any airbag/SRS electricals are colored that way.

[boodie]

Originally Posted by OffroadX

Leave it alone, take it to a dealer. Seatbelts have a lifetime warranty.

*I* don't have a lifetime warranty...

I'll hook up a static seatbelt before paying a Nissan shop to fix it...

[boodie]

Originally Posted by OffroadX

...the seatbelt has a pyrotechnic pre-tensioner that goes off to retract the belt in a crash...

Brent -

*Retract* it, or just lock it in position???

I'd be interested in reading more about this...Do you have a URL describing any seat belt reaction???

[warmonger]

Originally Posted by boodie

Brent -

*Retract* it, or just lock it in position???

I'd be interested in reading more about this...Do you have a URL describing any seat belt reaction???

OK Boodie, forget the pyrotechnics and misc stuff. A seat belt is a federally mandated safety item. The only way your seat belt isn't covered under warranty is if it has been in a SERIOUS accident. Get the darn thing fixed, ok?

[boodie]

Originally Posted by warmonger

Get the darn thing fixed, ok?

...the Service Manager...tells me that my VIN is not in the Nissan USA database [it's a Canadian Xterra] and he can't perform any warranty work on it - nothing to charge the time/work/parts to...

Edited to delete sarcasm...It's been a long day...

[boodie]

Update:

I worked on this thing on and off today [Sunday] and while I didn't have much luck initially, I finally decided to button everything up, bite the bullet, and take it in to the dealer for $$$ service, cash on the barrelhead. So, while I'm bolting the retractor back in, threading the belt through the plastic pieces of the column, I notice that the belt comes out a few inches if I *tilt* it backwards...So I do, and after a dozen pulls or so (while still loosely half-bolted in), it comes *all* the way out...

Great! Now I can bolt it all together so it doesn't look like some stupid moron has been working on it...But now the stupid thing works! I've got it all bolted up nice and snug, everything together, and it works correctly...

So: Does this retractor need to be *grounded*??? There are only two wires going into it; neither is ground color-coded. It seems that it worked when I had it making a good ground...Or maybe the pendulum thingy inside the retractor just wasn't loose enough...

There was a significant amount of rust/corrosion on the retractor, although the column isn't rusty at all. Maybe it just had enough corrosion to jam it until I started knocking it around??? Or maybe it wasn't making good ground until I started futzing with it and got it grounded again???

Both Air Bag and Seat Belt lights work OK on the dash; no codes in the DIC, and the lights go out when the ignition is on. (Always a good sign).

In any case, I'll take it into Buffalo to a dealer who handles more volume than the local Crazy Eddie Nissan dealer ("Come On Down!") and see what they say...

In the meantime, because I'm an eternal pessimist, I unbolted the middle belt in the rear seat (I don't use the rear seats - they're not even in the car) and re-bolted it to the front drivers seat belt anchor bolt; rolled up and cable-tied the excess belt so it doesn't dangle, and tucked it under the seat. If the main retractor fails [again], I can go to the static belt as a backup. It's the law here in NYS.

Thanks to all who replied/read the thread!

[OffroadX]

The seatbelt has three safety features. One is an intertia/tilt-operated pendulum that locks the belt in position under unusual motion like heavy braking, impacts, or just having the vehicle tilted beyond a certain point (tilt-lock feature is actually bad at times, you get out on the trail when you're leaning and the belt retracts, then you can't get it back out again). This locks at >35 degrees, and unlocks at <15 degrees.
The other is the pyrotechnic pre-tensioner. When the SRS system detects an impact that is sufficient to warrant the airbags to fire, the pre-tensioners fire as well. This causes the seatbelt to retract forcefully and pull the occupant against the seat. This is not something you want to have right in front of you when you're tinkering with the seatbelt mechanism...
The third is for all but the driver's 3-point belt and is designed for use with child safety seats. If the belt is pulled out all the way, it will engage a ratcheting mechanism that will not allow the belt to extend once it has retracted, allowing a permanent tight hold on the child seat. If the belt is allowed to retract fully, the mechanism disengages.

As for the rear lap belt, you won't be able to use it in the front. The tongue of it has a longer portion of the metal between the hole and the tip, and can only be inserted into the "center" latch in the rear. I ground mine down so that it would fit into the driver's outboard latch because the center latch was too long to properly buckle my son's child seat in place. I've since learned that you can twist the "center" latch a few times and it will shorten enough to be used properly.

Brent

[boodie]

Originally Posted by OffroadX

As for the rear lap belt, you won't be able to use it in the front. The tongue of it has a longer portion of the metal between the hole and the tip, and can only be inserted into the "center" latch in the rear...

Mine fits into the front latch quite well. No grinding required. The tongue is a bit longer, but fits and locks.

Very interesting features of the retractor. None of which I have any use for. I think a trip to the boneyard to pick up some old[er] belts is in order.

Thanks for the info! I expect you rock-crawlers have more trouble with the belts than I do!

[boodie]

Got a response from NissanParts.cc -

86845-9Z489 Belt Assy-front List $131.85 Unit Price $100.47

[OffroadX]

Interesting, perhaps the front belts use the same tongue as the rear lap belt then.