What to do if the seat belt does not stretch. The Complete Seat Belt Repair Guide

If the seat belt does not function in the car, it is necessary to urgently eliminate the cause of the breakdown, since it is dangerous to drive with faulty or problematic belts, this is contrary to the rules of the road.

1 The main causes of failure of inertial belts

Among the common breakdowns that occur during the operation of seat belts and the mechanisms that control their operation, the following can be distinguished:

• jamming of the belt when trying to buckle up, even in the case of a smooth pull;
• belts do not stretch due to frost or wear of the roller mechanism;
• belts do not retract when unfastened;
• the coil lock is broken or the main mechanism is damaged.

Of course, there are other problems, but they are less common, which means that the risk of encountering such a breakdown in your car is minimal. Many believe that with some breakdowns it is possible to drive with faulty belts, but according to the rules of the road, if the vehicle is operated with a faulty seat belt mechanism, an administrative fine can be imposed on the driver.

In addition, the car manufacturer is not responsible for a traffic accident, even if the car is under warranty, if the owner did not contact the specialists about replacing the seat belts. Therefore, before you repair belts with your own hands, you need to understand that all changes are made, as they say, at your own peril and risk.

Most often, the owners decide on independent repairs because of the very expensive maintenance. For example, replacing a belt mechanism or a complete replacement of belts on a standard middle-class passenger car will cost the owner at least 15 thousand rubles. Not everyone is willing to pay that kind of money, especially when it comes to a simple breakdown, for example, the need to lubricate or replace the gear of the main mechanism.

2 The principle of operation of the mechanism and tools for repair

In every modern car, they work according to a fairly simple principle - a coil with a lock based on a gear mechanism, with which the coil is rotated. The gear mechanism itself is closed by a small pendulum with a ball or spheroid support with a system of levers. When the belt is pulled out smoothly, the support rotates with the reel gear, and with a sharp jerk, the flywheel is blocked. In this system, blocking most often lies a malfunction.

Thus, to repair the coil and other mechanisms, it is necessary to remove it, for which almost all cars will need to remove the trim, and on some models, the seats on the side on which the belt is not working. For removal and self-repair, you will need tools, which should include:

• a set of flat and Phillips screwdrivers;
• a set of spanners of various diameters;
• lubricant, wire, wipes and material to protect the seats and upholstery.

Depending on the complexity of the repair (sometimes a complete replacement of the coil is required), other additional tools may be required to work. Do-it-yourself repairs are much easier on a VAZ, especially on older versions, since these cars do not have side airbags, the trim is easily removed and installed, and there is no need to remove the seats.

3 Do-it-yourself seat belt reel repair

Regardless of the car model, in order to get to the mechanisms that are responsible for the correct operation of the seat belts, it is necessary to remove the plastic lining of the side panel. On almost all models, it rests either on clips on the top and bottom or on bolts of various diameters. To access the lining, you must move the seat as far forward as possible, or remove it according to the instructions (unscrew a few front and rear mounting bolts and remove the seat from the slide).

To comply with safety regulations, especially for cars with side airbags, before starting work with the belt reel, it is necessary to remove the negative terminal from the battery and, if possible, the contacts to the airbags (you can see it by the color of the wires in the car's wiring diagram). This is to prevent the squib from firing, which could result in injury. The coil, as a rule, is closed with a plastic case with the inscription "Do not open", but in order to eliminate the cause of the breakdown, it still needs to be opened. This plastic casing is attached with several bolts to the rack.

If the seat belt does not retract well, then the return mechanism spring may simply have fallen off or is damaged. If it's the spring, it can be replaced. At the replacement stage, you should be careful, since it is not difficult to remove the spring mechanism, and it is quite problematic to install it back on the coil. There is no specific installation scheme, it all depends on the model and complexity of the mechanism.

Another common reason for the belt not retracting is the wear of the metal belt of the tensioner or the breakage of the steel angle that tucks the belt into the hole on the shaft. Because of this break, the shaft spins idle, that is, it does not wind the tape around itself. If the corner does not break off much, you can bend the tape with pliers and correct its position by bending the tip a little closer than intended.

4 Further inspection and elimination of simple breakdowns

Upon further inspection, it can be found that the plastic shaft is connected to the metal rod that comes from the coil. In one part of the shaft there is a hole for mounting on the rod, on the other hand there is a small hole that looks like an eye on an ordinary needle. To spin the shaft and assemble the entire mechanism into place, it is necessary to thread a piece of metal wire or a thin knitting needle into this very eye. The shaft is twisted counterclockwise until it stops, support the mechanism with a screwdriver and a wrench.

Now you can wrap the belt around the shaft and remove the wire, thus connecting the two halves of the mechanism, and the cover will snap into place.

There are other causes of failures when the belt does not retract or extend, some of which can be solved without replacing the spring or major parts. For example, on many VAZ models, especially the tenth family, due to the mechanism, it begins to jam in frosty weather. Most often, this is not caused by a breakdown, but by thickening of the lubricant, which is not resistant to sub-zero temperatures. When disassembling the coil, additionally lubricate the mechanism with frost-resistant grease of the type Litola or silicone.

Sometimes, for better stretching and retraction of the belt, it is enough to reduce the bending angle of the metal "foot", which is affected by the ball mechanism. If the reel is upright, then the latch should not cling to the gear teeth, but should only work when the tape reel is tilted. In case of more serious malfunctions, it is recommended to replace the coil with a new one from the same car model.

Perhaps not every motorist knows what a wedged belt is? In a new car, of course, everything works flawlessly, but over time, a problem may appear - the mechanism responsible for the operation of the seat belt will begin to jam. It usually prevents the belt from being pulled out of the reel. Even if you try to pull it very slowly, what can we say when you want to buckle up in winter!

The problem is quite simple, and in order to solve it, you need only ten minutes. You don't even have to get out of your car. Here is a detailed photo report on the repair of the driver's seat belt.

But first, stock up on the following tools:

1. Screwdriver short cross-shaped.
2. Slotted screwdriver.
3. Ring wrench (“17”).
4. Clothespin, best of all ordinary stationery.
5. Plastic bag to protect the seat from possible contamination.
6. A piece of ordinary hard wire.
7. Medical syringe with a tube.
8. Gasoline "Galosha" (gasoline for lighters).

Now let's get straight to the point. We take a short Phillips screwdriver and unscrew the four screws on the lower trim of the middle door pillar. Then remove the overlay by gently pulling it up and slightly towards you.

at the next stage of the repair, we pull out the seat belt completely. Important! Do not forget to lock it with a clerical clothespin on a special eyelet.

Now, using the wrench, unscrew the bolt that secures the seat belt reel. Now this coil can be easily removed from a special bracket. To prevent the belt from winding, fix it with the same paper clip on the spool itself. Be sure to fix the belt so that it does not prevent you from further performing the necessary operations.

Don't forget to cover the seat with a plastic bag so you don't accidentally get it dirty. Now you can put a reel from the belt on it, and transfer to the next seat yourself.

Look for the cover under which the inertial mechanism itself is located. Usually it is a little thicker - in the photo it is on the left. You can also shake the coil itself - where it rattles, this mechanism is located there.

But before removing the cover, you must first remove the four plastic pistons. They just need to be squeezed out with wire. Just hold on so they don't fly apart. Now you can pry off the cover with a slotted screwdriver, and then remove it.

Under this cover is the primary mechanism of the belt - a box with a cylinder, in the middle of which there is a ball and a "rocker". You can also pry it with a wire and then freely remove it with your fingers.

Carefully check the "rocker", does it rotate freely on the axis or not? If you place the “rocker” vertically and start tilting it towards the ball, then it should take up a vertical position very quickly, without any jamming!
If there are such jamming, then you should flush the axis of rotation so that it begins to rotate freely again!

You will see that in the very center of the serrated hole is a eccentric with teeth. It is he who jams the belt if it is pulled out sharply. The area under this device should be thoroughly cleaned. To do this, you just need to pour a little gasoline around the entire perimeter of the hole, as well as in the center. In this case, it is necessary to remove the clothespin from the belt, and with one hand holding the belt so that it does not wind up.

At the next stage of our repair, take the coil with one hand so that you can hold the guide with the spring with your index finger, but with the other hand, tighten and wind the belt at the same time a couple of times. Just pull sharply a couple of times so that the mechanism itself comes into full engagement. Now again we fix the belt on its coil, and then repeat the same procedure again a couple of times.

Now your seat belt will work like clockwork! It remains only to assemble the coil and put it in its place, but now all actions must be performed in reverse order.

I read a lot of forums on the topic that belts wedge when pulled out and fastening becomes a test of nerves. Even if you pull slowly - wedge. All solutions that were proposed were either replacing the belts with new ones, or removing part of the mechanism with a ball.
I did not want to remove the ball that blocks the belt when the car is turned over. Nevertheless, it performs a useful function and there are no trifles in the matter of ensuring security.
Yesterday I took it apart and realized that there is nothing tricky and I consider it my duty to share it.
I didn’t take my fotik with me, and when I realized that my experience could be useful, I started taking pictures with my phone. In the twilight of the garage, the pictures turned out to be completely non-existent, but you can catch the essence.
Let's start.
Remove the belt reel. Nothing tricky, and there are many photo manuals on the internet showing the process with the seats removed. It is not necessary to remove them, just move them forward and tilt the backs forward:

You can only remove the coil, but because of the darkness in the garage, I removed the belt completely. If you hang it for something, it is very convenient:

The coil is closed on both sides with covers. On the one hand, we don’t need a spring - we don’t need it (moreover, knowledgeable people warn that opening a cover with a spring is dangerous for the eyes and fraught with cuts to the hands, and putting it back together is on the verge of the impossible), but we need an inertial mechanism. It is under a thicker cover:

We push out four pins and remove the cover. Be careful - the insides can crumble! Remove the cover in a horizontal position and do not shake the coil. Under the cover you will find something like this:

Beneath the plastic blue gear is an inertial mechanism that is activated when the belt is quickly unwound. Nearby in a rectangular case with a foot there is a ball that blocks the belt when the reel body is tilted. He is the cause of our troubles. This is easy to verify - if you assemble the mechanism without a module with a ball and pull the belt - the inertial mechanism will still work, but it will not block when pulled out calmly.
With a screwdriver, it can be easily disassembled,

In the foreground, a copper bracket is visible, which will need to be bent.
you can wipe the parts with a cloth, remove dust and dirt and reassemble

Next - the essence.
We need to slightly bend the copper foot, which is affected by the ball. I was not able to properly photograph this small detail with my phone, but I think you will figure it out on the spot. Just under the influence of time and the weight of the ball, it slightly unbends and the belt works worse and worse. It is necessary to reduce the bending angle of this copper tab and ensure that when the coil is in a vertical position, the latch does not engage with the teeth of the coil:

We make sure that when the coil is tilted, the latch works

and, satisfied with ourselves, we collect everything in the reverse order.
Do not forget to wipe the belts from dirt after assembly.

In my opinion, it is impossible to completely throw out this block with a ball. This lock works not only when the car is overturned - it is also an inertial mechanism and will block the belt even during heavy braking or strong shaking of the body. BEFORE the strapped body begins to pull the belt

Any vehicle node is not eternal and tends to break. Sometimes it is not so noticeable and may appear after some time. In other cases, as, for example, with a seat belt, the problem will be noticed immediately. What should I do if the seat belt does not retract? For what reasons can this happen? Learn more below.

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What does wedge belt mean?

If the seat belt does not pull out of the installation slot, it is most likely jammed. To understand what this means, you first need to understand its principle of operation. When the belt does not stretch, this indicates a failure of the locking mechanism or that the belts were jammed as a result of an accident. But first, let's look at how it works.

Inside the blocking device there is a sensitive element that is directly responsible for blocking, which is made in the form of a ball. This ball, moving through the system of levers, clings to the gear housing of the coils. If the belt is retracted too fast, the reel wheel will press harder on the helical surface, thus blocking the ball.

If the lock is jammed and cannot be turned off, then this means that over time the security mechanism began to function incorrectly.

In such cases, the strap does not retract and there is no way to turn it off. In such cases, even an attempt to slowly latch the element may not help - it just jammed and no longer retracts, does not work.

Causes

If your vehicle's security element does not retract, the lock is jammed and cannot be disengaged, there may be several reasons for this. Before we move on to how to disassemble and disconnect a belt that does not work and does not retract, let's talk about the reasons. There are not many of them, so we will not dwell on this point for a long time. Indeed, in order to repair the latch of an unfastened strap, you need to know what and why does not work. So the reasons are:

1. First of all, the belt usually does not retract due to wear. Or rather, not specifically the wear of the belt, but in principle the locking system. Also, it may not be related to the entire system, but to one of its components. If the lock of the unfastened strap is jammed, does not retract and you cannot turn it off, then, without a doubt, the matter is in the mechanism. But if the element was not fastened, this is still half the trouble. It will be much worse if it jams during operation.
2. The second reason is the failure of one or another component. As a rule, it does not concern an unfastened strap, but a fastened one. If a breakdown occurs or a defect appears in the operation of one of the components, then this is usually associated directly with the fastened structural elements of the system. In this case, only repair will help you and nothing more. Well, or, of course, you can always replace failed parts.
3. Another reason is blocking after an accident. Typically, the design of the strap is made in such a way that in the event of a traffic accident, the squibs of the mechanism are triggered. In this case, the lock of the device wedges and it is no longer possible to turn it off.

Depending on the vehicle model, the driver may receive a signal that the straps are jammed. This signal can be both sound and appear on the instrument panel. Also, the signal may be displayed on the on-board computer screen, if any. In any case, if the car is equipped with "brains", the driver will receive the appropriate signal.

Another point about signals. The driver warning may look different. The signal may be in the form of a loud click, which is not typical for the security system. The motorist will hear this signal even when driving with loud music. As you understand, such a signal also indicates the need for the belt to be cleaned.

Repair process

Now that we have dealt with the signals and reasons for blocking the fastened and unfastened strap, let's move on to the repair process. Cleaning the seat belts is one of the main tasks in this process, so we will consider this procedure separately. So, what to do if you receive a signal that the lock is jammed? How to clean it or turn it off? You will learn more about this below.

Tools

To disable the lock, if a corresponding signal appears, the entire mechanism will need to be cleaned. To do this, you need to thoroughly prepare in advance and collect all the necessary tools. so what to prepare:

• Phillips screwdriver, preferably short;
• screwdriver with a flat tip;
• wrench on "17", it will be more convenient to use a cap;
• stationery clothespin;
• syringe with a tube;
• some gasoline (lighter fuel is optimal).

Step by step instructions

When the entire list of tools is ready, you can start repairing and cleaning.

1. Using a Phillips screwdriver, unscrew the screws that secure the protective trim of the straps.
2. If the lock does not work, pull the strap to its full length and secure it with a clothespin.
3. Take a wrench and unscrew the screw that secures the element coil. The screw must be removed from the installation site. To prevent the element from starting to wind up, you can fix it directly on the same coil using the same stationery clothespin. In any case, in order to disable and clean the lock, it must be fixed so that further actions are easier.
4. Set the coil aside and sit in the seat next to you. To disable and clean the lock, you will need to find the cover behind which the inertial device is hidden. As a rule, a little thicker in design. Shake the coil - under which cover you hear the noise - under that one it is located.
5. Now, to dismantle the protective lining, you will need to dismantle the four plastic clips. This can be done with a slotted screwdriver or thin needle. The caps should be supported by hand so that they do not fly out and you do not have to look for them and collect them throughout the cabin. Then pry the trim with a screwdriver and remove it. Set the cover aside.
6. Your view will now be presented with the first mechanism of the component. It is a kind of box with a cylinder and thus a blocking ball and a so-called rocker inside, which wedges the lock. This mechanism is dismantled freely from the installation site.
7. Check the performance of this rocker - ideally, it should move freely along the axis of rotation. This device should be positioned vertically with the top of the device tilted towards the blocking ball. One way or another, but the rocker should be located vertically so as not to jam. If you feel that the so-called rocker does not pass freely, then you need to clean its axis of rotation. Pour some gasoline and flush the device until it spins freely on the axle, without the slightest jamming.
8. Now let's move on to the second, inertial device. It is located under the gear, which is made of plastic and in most cases is made of steel. The gear is removed freely, so dismantle it.
9. Notice the center of the jagged hole. It has an eccentric with teeth. It is these teeth that jammed the strap when it is pulled out sharply. The space under this very eccentric must be cleaned. Pour a little prepared gasoline around the entire perimeter of the hole, add a little fuel to the center. At the same time, hold the strap at the same time, preventing it from winding up, for which you can temporarily dismantle the clerical clothespin. Make sure that the liquid gets into all parts of the element, otherwise cleaning it will be useless.
10. Take the dismantled coil with one hand so that the plastic guide with the spring can be supported with one finger. With the other hand, pull and wind the safety element several times. Also pull it a few times so that the device itself engages. Next, hook it on the reel one more time. These actions should be repeated several times.

5. This is how the inertial mechanism looks like, which should be filled with gasoline

At this point, the cleaning process of the mechanism can be considered complete. You should carry out all further assembly in the reverse order. Do everything right, because an incorrectly assembled mechanism will cause a breakdown in the near future with regular use of the straps.

Also, check in advance whether all the elements of this node work correctly and move freely. If this is not the case, then the cleaning should be repeated, because what is the point of it if everything is not cleared. Only with the right approach to such repair work can you avoid major mistakes and carry out all actions correctly.

If you are not sure that you can do all the steps described in this article correctly, then we recommend that you contact the service station with this question. Indeed, in the case of locking the seat belts, everything must be done correctly, and incorrect actions will only cause further breakdowns that you are unlikely to want to face. In any case, washing the components is not the most radical measure, because you always have time to change the mechanism.

Video "How to repair seat belts?"

How to properly repair the seat belts of your vehicle, it is said in the video.