Seat Belt Tension

[ducatist4]

New to form. This may have already been posted, but here goes anyway. If you are going to do this yourself please read all of this before you start. Seat belt tensioner is like a lawn mower starter. Just a coil spring. My car is a 1992 ls400. It is 15 years old. So is the spring. Its streached out.

Time needed to do this is 6 hours.

Tools needed.

Flat blade screwdriver, or a "crows foot" would be better

flash light. To be left in the car when done.

Meteric socket set

Needle nose plyers. They have to be small. Buy a leatherman super tool and leave it in the car.

Pair of soft cotton gloves. Leave in car when done

4 thumbs. If you don't have 4, make sure you have a helper avaliable. Don't let them stand there and watch you. They will be telling you what to do.

6 pack of Budwieser [1 person] 12 pack of Budwieser [2 people]

I started on the passenger side, back door open, front passenger seat all the way foward. Kneeling down outside the car facing in. You have to get the thresh hold up. Start prying up on the right side closest to the center pillar. Start on the inside of the car. Use the screwdriver or crows foot. Just do a little at a time. If you have the soft cotton gloves on, you can get your fingers under the trim. Be extra carefull where the thresh hold meets the center post trim. They are hooked together with a male piece on the thresh hold, and a female piece on the center post trim. The plastic fasteners that hold all the trim on are very strong, when the come loose it sounds like they break. Some of them do. Some of them pull out of the trim pieces and stay in the car body. Use the needle nose plyers or crows foot to get them out. You might have to stand on your head to see these fasteners. Well stand on your head. Use the flashlight to see, your fingers to feel. The thresh hold does not have to come all the way off. Just enough to get the center post trim off. I removed it back about 12 to 15 inches. O.K. time for a beer. Next, move to the front door. Door open, kneel down out side. Start closest to the center pillar. Remove it about half way. You now have the thresh holds off. Use the screw driver or crows foot and start with the center trim. Start at the bottom. A little at the front door, then go to the back. The trim has to be loosened and then pulled down about an inch. There are plastic pieces that go up and under the next piece of trim. If you pull the bottom of the trim piece out too far, you will break these off. O.k. that piece is off, you can see the seat belt retractor. Have a beer. There is a bolt on top of the retractor. 10mm I think. Remove it. The bolt that holds the seat belt into the floor has to be removed also. The plastic piece covers it up. Pry the plastic piece up and slide it up the seat belt. Remove bolt. The retractor sits inside a plastic housing. The housing is held onto the retractor with plastic fingers. Just pry the fingers apart. The retractor is now loose, with the exception of the wires. You have to twist the retractor a certain way to get it out from under the carpet. You have to just keep trying different ways to turn it. It will come out. Carefull not to streach the wires. You will get into a position to remove the wires. The wires do come apart. Study it and you will figure it out. This is hard to explane. If you don't get it rite away, let it rest and have a beer. O.K. you have the retractor loose and in your hand. Now you need those extra thumbs. Pull the belt all the way out of the retractor. It stops. Hold the spool. Pull the belt through the slot of the spool with needle nose. There is a plastic piece in the belt, slide it out one end or the other of the belt. Pull the belt out of the spool. You have to remember how the belt threaded in the retractor. Don't let go of the spool. It will chew your finger nails off. You have to tighten the spool. Turn it in the direction that will give it more tension. I turned mine about 3 or 4 times, looked at the spring, it wasn't tight yet, so I gave it another turn or 2. Thread the belt back in, and slide the plastic stop back in. When you do this the seat belt "stop" wants to stop the belt and the turning of the spool. Just keep working at it and you will get it. O.K you can put the retractor back in. Carefull with the wires. Pull on the belt and see how you did. I think that you can tighten up the spring alot. Unless you are a large person, the belt will never be extended to its full length. Put your trim pieces back on. Be sure to line up plastic fasteners with holes in the body. Some times a good pop with the palm of your hand in necessary. I did break some of the fasteners and found that my local body shop had the correct ones. Your done. Remember I told you 6 hours, and it only took you 1. You just had 3 beers. Don't drink and drive. I hope this helps someone. I just got my car and realy like it. It has some issues but it is 15 years old. Can't wait to drive through Glacier Park.

[pamlover]

thanks ducatist4. I searched all over for this information. Unfortunately, I didnt find this until now. Earlier today, I was frustrated, and didi this very fix on mine. Sort of. I got as far as pulling the belt as far as it would go on the tensioner. I had no idea you could remove it, and tighten the spring!! i GUESS i KNOW WHAT i'LL be doing tomorrow again.