NB - seatbelt tensioner sticking

[Simbu]

A very nice surprise this morning! Go to put on my seatbelt, and it stuck halfway out! Much coaxing / swearing later it eventually decides to co-operate, but not before making me 15 mins late for work

So, anyone else had this problem, and is it an easy fix?

[GC8]

Do you mean that the inertia reel wouldnt retract? Pre-tensioners are usually a one-hit pyrotechnic, fired like airbags.

Edited by GC8 on Wednesday 18th January 03:41

[Simbu]

When i went to put the belt on the pretensioner in the inertial reel was constantly locking, preventing me from pulling out the belt to put on. Hopefully that makes sense?

Oddly enough since the morning's shenanigans it has behaved fine, and the pre-tensioner is still working correctly when i pull hard on the belt. I thought perhaps cold might have affected it but this seems unlikely.

[neon_fox]

I think the OP is talking about the locking mechanism of the inertia reel, not a pre-tensioner (which AFAIK Mk2's don't have).

These are either a centrifugal clutch or a pendulum mechanism, the latter in particular is prone (with age and dirt ingress) to lock up awkwardly, particularly when parket on an incline, as I discovered in my TVR when talking to the nice French policemen. Embarrassing. Solution: percussive maintenance. Park straight and level and give it a good whack with a hammer or other heavy object to free the locking mechanism. Job done.

[Simbu]

neon_fox said:

particularly when parket on an incline, as I discovered in my TVR when talking to the nice French policemen. Embarrassing. Solution: percussive maintenance. Park straight and level and give it a good whack with a hammer or other heavy object to free the locking mechanism. Job done.

My car is regularly parked on an incline ,so this might well explain it! I'll keep a hammer in the glove box

Thanks for the replies chaps

[MX-5 Lazza]

Parking nose up is usually ok. Nose down can cause it to lock though.