93 T-Bird Seat belt will not go into locked position, plus annoying beeping. Help!

[stopka]

I got a 93 T-Bird, and the seat belt will not go into the rear locked position, it stays in the front(aka, no seat belt protection) on the passenger side + that annoying beeping. Sometimes, it has a mind of its own and its starts jiggering back and forth on the track. Sometimes, it goes into the locked position while I'm driving for a few seconds, but then returns to the front position. Also, when I hit some bumps on the road, the beeping would stop, or the seat belt would jigger back and forth. I thought it was the seat belt motor. So, I went to my local junkyard, and replaced the motor. I thought it'll fix it, but it's still in the front position. And that annoying beeping is driving me nuts. Any suggestions would be appreciated. I hope I can figure this out.

[Mike75]

Sounds like your car is thinking that the passenger side door is open. Im not sure where the switch is for that (the small one up front doesnt affect the seatbelt/door chime).

If you have replaced the motor already, I hope you checked the fuse first. Sounds to me like it's blown (that is, if the driver's side and passenger side each have their own fuse.

If it's not the fuse, it must be a bad contact, or a short in the wiring. Like I said, it sounds like the car is not realizing that the door is closed...it is closed, right?

[stopka]

Yeah, the door is definitely closed. I'll definitely check the fuses. I was trying to seperate the wiring, but that'll be a bigger job. I'll check the fuses tommorow. If that doesn't work, on to plan B

[stopka]

Well, all the fuses work fine. Looks like it's the wiring. I'm also thinking of replacing the whole track where the seat belt goes back and forth.

[flewthecoupe]

More likely the sensor in the b pillar

[stopka]

I think it is the sensor. Because when I lock the teeth, located on the latch, there is no reaction. I will go to the junkyard tommorow and replace the parts. I think I finally got this problem licked. Thanks for your help guys. I'll post tommorow if my luck has finally paid off (or not).

[Mike75]

Cool, I was wondering where that other sensor was. I thought it might be in the latch, but wasn't sure. I got something out of this thread as well. Thanks!

Good luck on the replacement, man.

[stopka]

Hey guys,
Well I found the culprit. It was the sensor right above the latch on the inner portion of the door. So I just unplugged it, and the seat belt went into the locked position, and there is no more beeping. The only problem is that the seat belt track will not go back and forth. So, two out of three ain't bad. Apparently, the sensor needs to make a complete circuit is order to put the seat belt into the locked position. The sensor must of been stuck or burned out or something. It was very difficult to get your hands in there. Now I see why car repair shops will not fix these things. Because it is basically is a bitch to change the whole latch. Here's how I did mine for anybody out there who has this problem. Also, If you found an easier way to replace the latch please post it.

First, I took off the door panel along with any other pieces. Then I took off the inner top rubber piece, located by the silver push button rod(aka silver thingy that you pull to open and close your door). This is called the weatherstrip, to get a top view of the latch. There is no other way to get a clear view of the latch, so this is absolutely nessisary so you know what your doing. Then you;ll see the sensor right above the latch with one red wire sticking out of it. Get a screwdriver and just unplug the sensor. The sensor is cliped together. Mine was filled with dirt and grime.

I'll try to replace the other part of the sensor, if I can find an easier way, but this seems to work. Plus no annoying beeping. And I have seat belt protection.

I'll practice at the junk yard, to see if there is an easier way. If there is, I'll post it. Thanks again for the help guys.

[flewthecoupe]

Well, I figured it was the sensor but thought the sensor was in the pillar, not the door. Thanks for the info stopka.

[stopka]

no problem.

Glad to help a fellow bird-head out.

[Mike75]

yeah thanks for the update - glad it got fixed.