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Mail From: rsorrent (Richard M Sorrentino)

Since I sent this out on a Sunday, I am hoping someone might have missed it.
My wife can no longer go on long trips with me because her seat belt on the
passenger side of my '99 keeps locking up on her. I cannot figure out a way
to fix it, even after having a new seatbelt installed. I just found out that
another club member has the same problem with his '99.



We would greatly appreciate any suggestions anyone might have.



Dick and Saph 10 AE

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Mail From: john.freas (John Freas)

Previously on Seatbelt fix, Richard M Sorrentino <rsorrent at uwo.ca> said...

> Since I sent this out on a Sunday, I am hoping someone might have missed
> it. My wife can no longer go on long trips with me because her seat belt on
> the passenger side of my ?99 keeps locking up on her. I cannot figure out a
> way to fix it, even after having a new seatbelt installed. I just found out
> that another club member has the same problem with his ?99.
>
I'm curious because by the way you describe it this is a recent
development. Obviously the seatbelts are designed to lock in the event of a
crash, and as an added "feature" modern seatbelts will lock when tugged
sharply or pulled to full extension. This is typically the source of
frustration for people who get "locked in". I don't, however know how to
explain why a belt that was previously acceptable gradually or suddenly
became too easy to lock.

I'm going to go out on a limb and say that if the problem developed rather
than having been there all along, and knowing the basic mechanism for
locking the seatbelt, perhaps it's a behavioral issue with the wearer.
Here's a test: *you* sit in the passenger's seat and see if the seat belt
locks up on you on a long ride. If so, note how and when, if not you have
another data point. I know it'll be tough, but you can suck it up for the
sake of science, and it's just one trip.

I'm thinking that either your wife is tugging on the belt at some point, or
she's fully extending it at some point, both of which will cause it to
lock. Is there some pattern to when it locks? When she first puts it on,
or after riding awhile? Is it while she's just sitting there, or after she
moves to reach something on the floor or behind your seat? Cruising, or
after hard braking?

The belt "locks" (it doesn't really lock, it goes into ratchet mode where it
won't extend but will retract and then hold the new position) when it
detects rapid motion of the belt, or when the belt is fully extended. I'd
be looking at possible triggers. For example, I know some people who like
to grab a big fist full of seat belt and haul it over them, click in and
then let the belt retract to take up the slack. This does make it a bit
easier to latch the belt without dragging it across you, but it also risks
hitting the end of the belt, or triggering the lock if the motion is too
quick. Another scenario: If we're riding in the Audi and my wife needs to
turn around to insert a pacifier, more times than not her belt will lock
because she extended it too far. The solution (though I can't officially
endorse it) is to release the belt, let it retract, and then put it back on.

FWIW.

-John
------------------------------
John Freas <%20john7690 at comcast.net>
1992 *YELLOW* "Sting<john.freas.home.comcast.net/pix/sting/sting.html>
"
1995 Black R Package
"Spike<geocities.com/clash_girl/Spike_Scrapbook.html>
"
Elizabethtown, Indiana
- Standard Disclaimer
<john.freas.home.comcast.net/disclaimer.html>Applies -
Team LS1,2, SP, the Gap...
I love my Miata
girl<geocities.com/clash_girl/Spike_Scrapbook.html>and my
Miata
Boys <john.freas.home.comcast.net/pix/evan_and_sean.jpg>!
"I have no idea what those dimple things on the windshield frame are for."
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Mail From: Larry (Larry Alster)

Simple solution is to get a seatbelt clip and latch the belt at the top loop
so it can't retract past a certain point.



Larry

White Knight 1991 Crystal White #99 CSP
Silver Bullet 1992 Silverstone #17 SM2 FM I+ Turbo
Honey B 1992 Sunburst Yellow #99 SM2L JR Supercharger
Whooosh 2004 Titanium Mazdaspeed MX-5

LowCountry Miata lowcountrymiataclub.net
Masters Miata
RAGS 074

From: miata-bounces at realbig.com [mailto:miata-bounces at realbig.com] On Behalf
Of Richard M Sorrentino
Sent: Tuesday, June 30, 2009 9:32 AM
To: miata at realbig.com
Subject: [Miata] Seatbelt fix again

Since I sent this out on a Sunday, I am hoping someone might have missed it.
My wife can no longer go on long trips with me because her seat belt on the
passenger side of my '99 keeps locking up on her. I cannot figure out a way
to fix it, even after having a new seatbelt installed. I just found out that
another club member has the same problem with his '99.

We would greatly appreciate any suggestions anyone might have.

Dick and Saph 10 AE
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Mail From: jon (Jon Etkins)

Larry Alster wrote:
> Simple solution is to get a seatbelt clip and latch the belt at the top
> loop so it can?t retract past a certain point.

On the contrary, Larry, the only way to get it out of retract-only mode is to let it retract all the way. In order to prevent it from engaging that mode in the first place, one would need something which would prevent the belt being *pulled out* all the way. Perhaps something like the little plastic button which prevents the buckle from sliding down to the floor when not in use, though I would be wary that it might interfere with the way the belt coils around the spool when it retracts.

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This read-only message was archived from a public mail list.
Mail From: Larry (Larry Alster)

The point is you don't let it retract so far that it is choking you.



Larry
?
White Knight????? 1991 Crystal White?? #99 CSP
Silver Bullet??????? 1992 Silverstone???? #17 SM2? FM I+ Turbo
Honey B???????????? 1992 Sunburst Yellow #99 SM2L? JR Supercharger
Whooosh?????????? 2004 Titanium Mazdaspeed MX-5
?
LowCountry Miata? lowcountrymiataclub.net
Masters Miata
RAGS 074

-----Original Message-----
From: miata-bounces at realbig.com [mailto:miata-bounces at realbig.com] On Behalf
Of Jon Etkins
Sent: Tuesday, June 30, 2009 3:16 PM
To: miata at realbig.com
Subject: Re: [Miata] Seatbelt fix again

Larry Alster wrote:
> Simple solution is to get a seatbelt clip and latch the belt at the top
> loop so it can?t retract past a certain point.

On the contrary, Larry, the only way to get it out of retract-only mode is
to let it retract all the way. In order to prevent it from engaging that
mode in the first place, one would need something which would prevent the
belt being *pulled out* all the way. Perhaps something like the little
plastic button which prevents the buckle from sliding down to the floor when
not in use, though I would be wary that it might interfere with the way the
belt coils around the spool when it retracts.

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Delivered using the Free Personal Edition of Mailtraq (www.mailtraq.com)
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Miata mailing list
Miata at list.realbig.com
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Mail From: jon (Jon Etkins)

Larry Alster wrote:
> The point is you don't let it retract so far that it is choking you.

Ah, OK, I see your reasoning. So this would effectively make the belt a static fixed length like we all used before inertial reels came along, since it could neither extend (due to the ratchet mechanism) nor retract (due to the clip).


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Mail From: Larry (Larry Alster)

Didn't say it was a perfect solution, just an easy one.

And sometimes people will cause it to lock up after they are strapped in by
the way they lean forward and backward. If that were the case this stops it
from happening.



Larry
?
White Knight????? 1991 Crystal White?? #99 CSP
Silver Bullet??????? 1992 Silverstone???? #17 SM2? FM I+ Turbo
Honey B???????????? 1992 Sunburst Yellow #99 SM2L? JR Supercharger
Whooosh?????????? 2004 Titanium Mazdaspeed MX-5
?
LowCountry Miata? lowcountrymiataclub.net
Masters Miata
RAGS 074


-----Original Message-----
From: Jon Etkins [mailto:jon at snikte.net]
Sent: Tuesday, June 30, 2009 5:11 PM
To: Larry Alster
Cc: miata at realbig.com
Subject: Re: [Miata] Seatbelt fix again

Larry Alster wrote:
> The point is you don't let it retract so far that it is choking you.

Ah, OK, I see your reasoning. So this would effectively make the belt a
static fixed length like we all used before inertial reels came along, since
it could neither extend (due to the ratchet mechanism) nor retract (due to
the clip).


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This read-only message was archived from a public mail list.
Mail From: rsorrent (Richard M Sorrentino)

I found this on Google:



vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual
<vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&VideoID=573338
3> &VideoID=5733383



I'll give it a try.



Thanks for your help everyone.



Dick and Saph 10 AE

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Mail From: rzander01 (Ron Zander)

Nice video, anyone who gets tangled up in their own seatbelt shouldn't
be allowed to drive.
I hope the product is better than the advertisement.

Ron

On Jul 1, 2009, at 7:18 AM, Richard M Sorrentino wrote:

> I found this on Google:
>
> vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&VideoID=5733383
>
> I?ll give it a try.
>
> Thanks for your help everyone.
>
> Dick and Saph 10 AE
> _______________________________________________
> Miata mailing list
> Miata at list.realbig.com
> list.realbig.com/mailman/listinfo/miata