72442455

72 convertible cutlass - passenger side seat belt retractor stuck - I carefully removed cover and was able to “work out“ the seatbelt And tighten it up for the trip home - once retracted a second time it locked up again - is there a fix for this? Or do they need replacement? Thanks all!

Fun71

Just about anything can be repaired with the right tools, information, skills, and money, but if you don't have all of those it sometimes is better to replace the item.

So what seems to be not working? Is there no tension like the retractor spring is broken? Or does it seem more like the reel that the belt is rolled up on is stuck? Can you manually move the locking bar so the reel moves?

I haven't done this on the Cutlass, but on my Jeep I took the mechanism apart and cleaned out a bunch of dirt, leaf debris, etc. from the inertial locking mechanism and it worked correctly afterwards. Maybe you can clean it out without taking it apart by soaking it or using some pressurized air or liquid to flush out debris. I see a lot of debris around the mounting are so maybe there is some of that is in the mechanism as well.

Vintage Chief

A couple of strawberry twizzlers, a Dairy Queen Blizzard, assortments of dog hair and pine needles can bind them up. I agree with Kenneth, pressure air hose, soak them and clean them up might work well. I spray mine down with HD Silicone spray after cleaning them.

72442455

I can remove the Black plastic cover cap and then work it “in” all the way - once in I can pull it out but can’t do it with cover cap on - and it retracts slowly - I saw a video where they carefully turn the spring a few turns to create more tension to retract faster (I also saw the mess it makes if you let the spring out) not really concerned with the rate of return at the moment - the debris is not getting in the mechanism - the Cover cap has never been off except in that photo and the debris is the White backing of the seat plastic deteriorating and flaking to the floor - cap has done a good job keeping it all out because when I fully extend belt it’s all super clean in there - So why is the belt simply locking and not allowing it to extend without working it in first - would opening up the non spring side (gears) and lubing that all up help with this problem? Or should I tighten the spring?

BackInTheGame

There could be some debris in the holes of the bracket into which the spindle is inserted. It easy to safely remove the plastic cap in which the spring is housed. Just as others have alluded, be careful that the spring does not pop out. It is not difficult to reinstall, just tedious. The spring housing itself may have debris within. The mechanism is very simple in design. It is easy to disassemble, clean, and reassemble. You should have no trouble if you tackle it with care.

Vintage Chief

Personally, I would not suggest the use of any grease (lube) lubrication as it would most likely enable adherence of debris. Pressure (air) clean the mechanism, soak it, spray it w/ something such as a carburetor throttle body cleaner which rapidly evaporates (possibly brake cleaner) and then spray w/ a HD silicone spray lubricant would be my suggestion. Avoid grease lubrication, IMO.