QV seat belt retractor

The drivers side seat belt retractor on my QV cabriolet is not retracting properly. Appears that the belt is jammed up in it. The various interior panels that need to be removed to get at the mechanism seem to be a real pain in the &%@$. Any suggestions?

 

Mine would not retract well either.

Put the convertible top down and back window down so you can get at it from the top.

I simply removed the bottom back seat section and pried the top of the covers open enough until I could look down and see the mechanism. I may have removed a bolt or fastener here and there too, but I did not remove the covers.

Put as much light as you can into the cavity so you can see what you are doing.

I pulled the belt out all the way and clamped it so it couldn't retract. Then I thoroughly cleaned the retractor mechanism on all sides with an entire can of contact cleaner. Made an extension for the straw on the can to get as close as I could with the spray. I stuffed some paper towels in the bottom of the cavity with one of those retractable "grabber" claw tools to catch the cleaner and debris. Removed the soaked paper towels with the same "claw" tool.

Then I replaced the paper towels with clean ones and sprayed silicone generously into the mechanism. Removed the silicone soaked towels, wiped the mechanism as best I could from the top and let the belt retract.

Works perfectly now.

Pic below of what it looks like inside and the access you get if you remove all the covers.
Alden
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I have an 85 QV Coupe, so a little bit different.

However, here's my experience.

My rear seat (drivers side) belt retract mechanism failed. I pulled it out to find out why. Turns out the mechanism was broke, and was not fixable as some plastic (internal) pieces were crumbling.

So, I found a guy on Ebay selling used retractors with attached belts for $50. I found out the hard way, that Mondial 8 Coupe retractors are slightly different than QV retractors. The Tang on the belt is a different shape, and wouldn't fit/go in the button mechanism. I had to buy the corresponding seat belt socket mechanism (what do you call the piece that has the socket with the button, that attaches to the floor/drive tunnel?)

Sid

 

Perfect! Thanks. That all helps a lot. Damned covers are not easy to remove, so want to make certain I don't screw anything up.

 

The issue is the reel mechanism needs to be in a perfect alignment for the belt to retract. Cleaning the mechanism helps of course, (using compressed air will probably do it, and I would use a Teflon spray lube rather than silicon to avoid attracting dust over time) but the main even it is to adjust the orientation of the reel. It is held by one bolt, which probably loosened up over time and tugged the unit a bit off where it should be, and even an infinitesimal alignment issue causes the belt to bind. Once you have the reel exposed, adjust the bolt and test the belt while sitting in the drivers seat, the angle you pull the belt at affects where the reel should be. Optimal will probably not be directly straight, but maybe 2 degrees canted forward. Once you get it right, locktite the bolt and snug it up good. Unless the mechanism is actually broken, should work fine.