Sticking Seat belts in a Chim

[tonyrec]

The seatbelts in my Chim are now starting to give me problems.

They have been fine until the last few days and the problem is that they keep locking whilst trying to put them on. Sometimes it can take 10mins to get them out!!! (oer madam) in order to put them on.

Is it possible to dismantle the reel itself and repair whatever is wrong or is it just worth buying new ones. If so, does anyone know which vehicle are they from please.

I dont like to waste 10mins of my driving time!

[davidn]

IIRC you can get replacement reals from Europa, the ones designed for convertibles have an easily adjustable pendulum to compenate for an angled fitting to stop them locking, may be worth a look.
David

[TonyRec]

Thanks for the reply....read a previous thread from AngusFaldo who says that it could be the angle of the reel itself.......i will go and check them now.

[the dodger]

........just don't dismantle them! I've heard they will never work after (SH I think it was).

[JonRB]

Mine stick if the car is on an incline like parked up half on a kerb. Won't unlock until it's on the level.

Does yours lock all the time or just in certain circumstances like this?

[gixxer1000]

I've had 3 TVRs now and all have had sticking seatbelts. Both Chimaeras suffered from the belts not releasing at times (was definitely something to do with the angle of the road that car was parked on).

The Cerbera, and the 2 Chims, also often suffer from the seat belts not retracting back into the reel.

It astonishes me that TVR can't even get something as simple as the seat belts right. I could buy a beat up old fiesta for £50 at an auction and it's seat belts would still be perfect.

Sort it our Wheeler!

[RichB]

gixxer1000 said: It astonishes me that TVR can't even get something as simple as the seat belts right.

It astonishes me that you have neverexperienced this in any other car, certainly happened to me in things other than a TVR - perhaps you haven't been driving for that long? Rich...

[big_treacle]

my chimaera does this. weird part is tho, the drivers one locks easily when on an incline but does retract OK. Whilst the passenger one is fine on an incline but doesn't always retract properly.
i've decided to just get used to it as i don't trust myself to mess about with them!

[RichB]

Take a look at the assembly which houses the belt mechanism. Try to angle it so that it is horizontal to the ground i.e. imagine that the spindle on which the belt strap is rolled on is horizontal. In some cars it can become angled off-line and this causes the self locking system to engage. Rich...

[sagalout]

Loads of cars lock occasionally Gixxer100.

[tonyrec]

Never had this before on any car.....very frustrating.

I think that i might have fixed the problem.The actual reels were tilted slightly and now ive straightened them they are working sort of correctly for now.......still a bit slow to recoil..but hey...you cant have everything!

[gixxer1000]

RichB said: certainly happened to me in things other than a TVR - perhaps you haven't been driving for that long? Rich...

---

Been driving for 20 years thanks with 8 of those in TVRs. Whilst I have experienced the odd time in other cars where the belt has played up, it happens all the time in every TVR I have owned or been driven in. Different story altogether.