Seat Belt Return Springs

[DOCTORBILL]

In every automobile I have had, eventually the Seat Belt Return doesn't return!

The cooler the weather, the worse they get.

I my Metro, in my Jeep, in my wife's Tracker.....

Without ripping the damned things completely out, is there some way to get
them to "return"?

What goes bad, the spring or the bearings?

I've tried spraying WD-40 into the slots, but it does no good - probably just getting
the walls wet.

I suspect that it is the bearings getting full of dust and like everything else
that I own, fuzz gets into the bearings, I'll bet!

If someone is going to tell me I have to disassemble these things, then how
in the world does one get at them?

DoctorBill

[JustSayGo]

If some one were injured because a seat belt malfunctioned, the seat belt manufacture would be partially liable. The mechanical parts of a seat belt are warrantied for life. Any one who attempts to repair a seat belt would assume at least some of the personal injury liability.

Don't even lube a seat belt.

From the auto manufactures stand point, they like to see wrecked cars. Some body will need to purchase a new car to replace the wrecked one.

Obviously there is considerable benefit to the auto manufacture if the people riding in the car survive and are able to return and purchase a new car.

Most dealerships will try to sell new seat belts for $100s. If you ask what the warranty period is for seat belts in a new car they will be proud to tell you lifetime.

The dealer should insist on replacing seat belts at no charge no matter how old they are, providing the belt fabric has not worn from normal use over several years.

Auto manufactures do not make seat belts.

[Crvett69]

the spring gets weak after thousands of cylcles of of the seat belt being pulled out and returning. on a few i have taken the winder part out and put a extra couple turns on the spring but its tricky on some and could make them not work if your not carefull. on metros it usually easier to just push the slack back into the door so it doesn't get shut into the door post

[DOCTORBILL]

If the return spring actually gets weaker, then there is no help for it...

I thought maybe the bearing holding the spring and coiled up belt got all
"boogered up" with dust, hair, lint and boogers and could be lubricated and/or
cleaned out.

Is it a "swinging weight" that locks the rotating coiled up belt in an accident?

I imagine a pendulum weight like in an old grandfather clock swinging forward
and teeth going into a gear and jamming it - then releasing after the forward
acceleration is gone.

Off topic.....
Been watching the election returns...God are we going to pay for this in the years to come.

Like Robert A. Heinlien wrote in one of his earlier SF novels - ...it is time to lift ship and
get the Hell off that planet and let them stew in their own juices.

DoctorBill