purpletib

Well, I managed to pull the rear seats and pry the panel open to take out the seat belt spindle, but I have no idea how to fix it or if I just need to replace it. It is apparently electronic as there is a yellow wire plugged into it. It wont wind or unwind, and it isn't out far enough for me to buckle up so I need to at least get it to unwind further if not fix it.

Also, my speedo/tach stopped working. I did the led conversion on it, and the needles aren't lighting up either, so it may be something to do with the panel or it may be the plug-in at the trans. It's an auto-tragic, so where would I need to look for the plug in? Any other ideas as to why the needles don't move/light up?

Side note - I tapped on the cluster and the tach budged, so the needles must be stuck. I guess I get to tear apart the dash again. With the seat belts, neither of the front belts work, but the back seat ones do. Does anyone know what fuse these are running on? Also, both airbags have been removed. Would they be on the same circuit and that is why they aren't working?

majik

I'm confused - what's the problem with your seat belts? I see from the title that they're jammed (rear I assume?) and then you say you pulled them out? Both belts have a problem or just one? Can you find a fuse that's connected to it, since it's using a power source (plug)?

Have the gauges lit up since the conversion? When putting the needles back on, it IS possible to have them too tight. I drove with my plastic cover off the gauges for a week so I could adjust them as necessary (tach, fuel, temp, etc.). Keep in mind, our cars are supposed to idle at 800 RPM not 0 RPM.

Airbags being removed shouldn't affect the gauges at all, except for the airbag light.

purpletib

I pulled the driver's side seat belt out from behind the panel and the frame to see if there was any way of loosening it. Apparently there is not. Since both the front seat belts are locked (not extending or retracting) I am guessing it is an electrical problem, and not a faulty seat belt. Both the seat belts in the rear function fine.

I am also having another electrical problem. Nothing on the passenger side is working. The power window wont go down, the running lights in front and back wont light up (although both brake lights work) and the passenger headlamp is also out. I haven't checked the light bulb yet, but I doubt all these problems would be caused by a bad bulb. However, the passenger power mirror is functioning.

I will try replacing the headlamp and see if that fixes anything, but I think I'm looking at a bigger issue here.

Bommello

Check fuses?

majik

^ should've done that before posting. It's faster than posting.
Check the 10amp fuses (red) for the headlight/turn signal issues.
http://www.rdtiburon.com/index.php?showtopic=15789


Did you attempt to loosen the seatbelt first, and that caused the seatbelts to lock? Or is the seatbelts locking what prompted you to try and loosen them? I'm trying to understand the order that things progressed, and what may have caused them to lock in the first place.

Also... why have both airbags been removed? Were the seatbelts working fine after that?


hm.... it could be related to a brake problem since the seatbelts lock when the brakes are pressed.

purpletib

UPDATE: The passenger side light issue was a loose ground on the wiring harness. Fixed. I still need to tear apart the dash again for the speedo, but both needles are now only occasionally sticking but are still not lighting up at night. I still can't figure out the seat belt problem. I thought about the brake scenario too. The ABS fuse slot was empty, so I put a fuse back in but that didn't resolve the issue. Maybe if I reset the ECU? The car has no airbags as it was hit in the front and has been sitting at a body shop for a while, so now that I have the car back I am finding little things like this that need to be fixed.

Stocker

Ah-HAAA!!!!!!1!

You left out the most important clue!

It was in a wreck.

Unless I am badly mistaken, the wire is to a seat belt pre-tensioner. It goes BANG and the seat belt zips back to hold you snug as a bug in your suddenly-decelerating chair. You might not have noticed it, due to all the other things happening around/to you at the same time. The seat belts are now stuck (as you have found out)

You need new seat belts. NEVER re-use seatbelts that have been in a bad wreck. Even if you could release them, the pre-tensioner is now toast, AND the belts have been subjected to something approaching their design load. They may not bear that load twice without breaking.

(They also have a pendulum inside that will not allow them to extend if the belt is pulled out quickly. If that were your problem, you could tilt them just-so and they would work fine again. This is why your belt will yank on you during a panic stop, or if you go to pull it out too fast when you buckle up in a hurry.)

majik

lol... I knew we needed more details. I thought you were driving it this whole time... one day seat belts work, next day they don't.

purpletib

I guess I'll just have to replace them then, lol. Oh yeah, and tonight the passenger headlamp went out again. I'll check the fuse tomorrow, and if it is blown then I have a short or other problem somewhere still. If the fuse is fine, it might actually be the headlight bulb this time, lol.

As a side note, I blew a transmission line on the highway today. That was fun.

Stocker

Time for a manual transmission wink1.gif