Seat belt problems

[Denver9]

Just returned from a looooong trip across the United States and back in my recently acquired 1993 , 27 ft Class C motor home. It is a Majestic, built on a Ford E-350 chassis.
The only problem I had was leaking window seals in the rain and the driver's side seat belt.
The belt barely pulls out enough to fasten around my waist when it decides to allow it. Right now it is about 3 inches too short to allow proper fastening.
Apparently the belt is stuck somewhere in the retraction mechanism.
I cannot readily see how to remove and disassemble the mechanism for repair.
Any ideas or suggestions ?
-Denver

[ron_dittmer]

On another vehicle which might apply here....

I recall the top metal ring that the belt passes through, it has a finishing snap-on plastic cover. Sometimes the "stop" sewn in the belt stops on the wrong side of the metal ring because of the plastic cover. Pry off the plastic cover right there where is clamps on to the metal ring itself, then pull the belt to get the "stop" in the belt to the other side, then snap the plastic decorative cover back on.

[Denver9]

Harvey 51,
The whole retractor end is riveted shut. I sprayed WD-40 through the cracks but didn't work.
Someone else mentioned the top loop for the belt gets twisted but that does not apply to my situation either. Mine is just a simple metal loop and only rotates about 30 degrees or so.
Thanks for your input.
-Denver

[Harvey51]

I had a problem with a Toyota seat belt not latching in cold temperatures only. Tried cleaning, lubricating with various things. It was a spray can of white lithium grease that worked.

[carringb]

cgmartine wrote:
I have been keeping up with this conversation, and wish to jump in and ask a question. On my 2008 Tioga, 31M, the passenger side male end of the seat belt will only intermittently click into place when inserted into the female receptacle. I wanted to replace the whole seat belt assembly, but found that it is part of a what appears to be a heavy duty cable which is connected to a plunger in a cylinder. Has anyone encountered this problem?

Be careful! The "cylinder" you see is another explosive device! It's your seatbelt pre-tensioner. In a crash, a charge in the cylinder will go off and suck the cable in, pulling the seatbelt tight. If you are not familiar with airbag systems, you might want to leave that repair to the pros.

[cgmartine]

I have been keeping up with this conversation, and wish to jump in and ask a question. On my 2008 Tioga, 31M, the passenger side male end of the seat belt will only intermittently click into place when inserted into the female receptacle. I wanted to replace the whole seat belt assembly, but found that it is part of a what appears to be a heavy duty cable which is connected to a plunger in a cylinder. Has anyone encountered this problem?

[Gonzo42]

I can readily understand the liablility issue if one were to repair the seat belt mechanism.

Having said that, it seems to me that the manufacturer or your insurance company would cover that particular repair as a safety issue in the same way as repairing a windshield.

[rockhillmanor]

Denver9 wrote:
Just returned from a looooong trip across the United States and back in my recently acquired 1993 , 27 ft Class C motor home. It is a Majestic, built on a Ford E-350 chassis.
The only problem I had was leaking window seals in the rain and the driver's side seat belt.
The belt barely pulls out enough to fasten around my waist when it decides to allow it. Right now it is about

3 inches too short to allow proper fastening

.

Apparently the belt is stuck somewhere

in the retraction mechanism.
I cannot readily see how to remove and disassemble the mechanism for repair.Any ideas or suggestions ?-Denver

BEFORE you go off and have it replaced......

There is a plastic holder up near the top of the back of the drivers seat that the belt goes thru.

The holder is on a swivel and the holder GETS STUCK up against the back of the seat preventing the belt to come all the way down. Common problem on the older models.

Reach up and move the plastic holder back into the correct position. The belt will then come down to the right length to clip in.

Been there done that and it STILL happens to me all the time.
It's just a bad design and location too close to seat and holder gets stuck. I think from when we release the belt it slaps up and pushes the holder into the wrong position for the next you use it.

To this day when I enter the MH I move the holder back into position before I even get in.

[gbopp]

Another option it check YouTube or do a google search on seat belt retractor repair. There's lots of info available.

[Denver9]

Thanks all. I think going to the dealer is the route I will take.
-Denver

[Jim_Shoe]

Since its on a Ford chassis, take it to a Ford dealer and have them fix or replace it. Not only will they be able to take it apart, they'll know how to put it back together. I'm able to do the first part of the repair (taking it apart) on almost anything. Putting it back together often creates a stumbling block.
It happened to me once on an old Studebaker. It was drivable, but I had extra parts left over. I tossed them in a box, drove to a dealer and asked if anything belonged on the car. He said "two or three things". I said, "put them on" and he did. Pretty cheap fix.

[gbopp]

Hemi RT wrote:
You are not allowed to disassemble the seat belt mechanism,

Also, you're not allowed to drive drunk, exceed the speed limit, text and fail to stop at stop signs, etc.,.......... but. 😉

[Hemi_RT]

You are not allowed to disassemble the seat belt mechanism, sounds like the belt is twisted inside. You may have to nurse the belt out, remove the twist and roll it back into the mechanism, otherwise you will have to replace it with a new or working good used one