Front seatbelts don't lock
Turbo Mini Forums

Just before I post something in WANTED for a pair of front seatbelts I just wondered if anybody had come across this problem and had manged to fix it. Basically when you pull the seatbelts hard they do not lock!

Cheers
Rich

i use a static belt for the pasenger and a harness for the driver. so never had a problem.

the retracting seat belt works on the forward/braking momentum of the car to move the latch to lock the belt so pulling it hard may not make it lock. have you tried it whilst driving down the road?

I'll try it whilst driving but i seem to remember when the seatbelts are tested as part of an MOT the tester just pulls the belts to see if they lock?? I could be wrong though!

They should lock when stationery, Check that they are mounted on the right side of the car and that they are at the corret angle.

Have you just fitted these or have they just stopped working?

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Fusion-Fabri..._homepage_panel

www.fusionfabs.co.uk



1/4mile in 13.2sec @ 111 terminal on 15psi

The seatbelts were removed when car was resprayed. I didn't realise they had to be fixed in at a specific angle??

has to be a quick hard pull for them to lock, and as matty has said they need to be mounted correct way up.

no longer a series, but still 1.3 turbo.

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Fusion-Fabri..._homepage_panel

www.fusionfabs.co.uk



1/4mile in 13.2sec @ 111 terminal on 15psi

How old are the belts? If they are very old then they will work differently. Old belts locked when the car slowed and not when the belt suddenly payed out. I doubt that this is the case though.

http://www.twin-turbo.co.uk
http://www.hillclimbandsprint.co.uk/default.asp

A man without a project is like a like a woman without a shopping list.

my old seatbelts didnt lock when i pulled them but did when i decelerated quickly or had it clicked in but not when they were just floppy

Drives
-Ford S-max Mk2 Ecoboost
-Rover 100 VVC #2 - track project

Searching is all you need on TurboMinis

A sudden yank should lock them to pass MOT

The seatbelts I believe are the original set. The car is a 1983 and the seatbelts are made by Kangol?? Am I being a bit thick but I don't understand how having them mounted on the wrong side of the car would stop them from locking??

the angle of the mechanism.

ok, can you explain the angle thing a bit better or is it in the Haynes manual??

TBH I can't see mounting it on the wrong side having any effect. They site vertical on both sides.

If they are 83 belts they deffo should lock when given a sharp tug. I would take them out and put them in a vice or something and see if you can get them working. It could just dirt in the thing.

However, if they are showing signs of ware and not working I would also think about buying some new ones, especially concidering what they do when needed.

http://www.twin-turbo.co.uk
http://www.hillclimbandsprint.co.uk/default.asp

A man without a project is like a like a woman without a shopping list.

It seems strange that you've taken them out (I assume working) then put them back in and not work.

Im not to sure how or why it makes a difference but it does, even the slightest change in angle.

Its worth swapping them over just to see as its only a case of undoing 4 bolts to remove them and its alot cheaper than buying another set of seatbelts

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Fusion-Fabri..._homepage_panel

www.fusionfabs.co.uk



1/4mile in 13.2sec @ 111 terminal on 15psi

I had problems a while ago with seat belts mounting them on the outside of the bin. I had to fiddle with angle they sat at to get them to work properly.

1/4 Mile 14.3secs 96Mph Terminal 10psi of boost.


Fibreglass Parts? - http://www.tdkracing.co.uk/
Split Rims? - http://www.force-racing.co.uk/

I hope you all never have a crash on a hill......

http://www.twin-turbo.co.uk
http://www.hillclimbandsprint.co.uk/default.asp

A man without a project is like a like a woman without a shopping list.

The angles are all relative from the mechanism to the top mount as opposed to the angle from the ground to the mechanism.

Its all to do with the angle the belt is pulled from...its doesn't pull straight from the mechanism.

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Fusion-Fabri..._homepage_panel

www.fusionfabs.co.uk



1/4mile in 13.2sec @ 111 terminal on 15psi

I think a couple of people mentioned that the belts will only lock when car is accelerating/decelerating. After further investigation I can confirm this to be true. There is a pendulum in the mechanism and when it is hanging straight down the belts don't lock, however if you manually move the pendulum forward or back then the belts lock straight away. I noticed that there is a hole in the back of the mechanism where you can stick your finger in and move the pendulum, i can only assume this is how the MOT testers check it, either that or jackup front and back of the car.

Blimey, they are old style belts then.

http://www.twin-turbo.co.uk
http://www.hillclimbandsprint.co.uk/default.asp

A man without a project is like a like a woman without a shopping list.

How bizarre and dangerous, I curiously checked a number of MOT info sites regarding checking the seatbelts and I found out that as part of the MOT the inertia "locking" is not tested. The only areas tested are the mounting points and that the belts retract ok.

Quote:

Test Description

Most vehicles after 1965 must have seat belts. Irrespective of that requirement, all seat belts fitted to any vehicle must be inspected for:

security of seat belt mountings and locking stalks
security and operation of the locking/release mechanism
condition of webbing
retraction of the belt (it is allowed to manually feed it in).

Notes: 1. For technical reasons the inertia locking mechanism is not checked. 2. On some vehicles the belt is attached to the seat, in which case the security of the seat to the vehicle would also constitute part of the seat belt check.