Seatbelts wont tighten up.

[NickBW]

For some unknown reason my seat belts, both driver and passanger, wont tighten up unless I open the doors... ???
So yeah, can anyone tell me whats wrong and how do I go about fixing this...?
*I swear my car is playing a joke on me now.


Thanks.

[Ivan141]

I really dont see what your doors have to do with anything, are you getting your seatbelt stuck between the doors maybe
But on a more serious note; if those seatbelts dont work properly the best thing to do is probably to get some that do...safety first. It's normal that they dont retract the last bit when they are hanging loose, they often get stuck between the door because of this, but usually when you put the seatbelt on it will work fine.

[banpei]

Do you have those little black-handles inside your door?
Mine did but those were not the source of my seatbelt trouble: I had to replace them because they didn't lock up at all.

[NickBW]

That little black thing with the arrow. Yup. I just went out and messed around with it, sure enough, if its in the possision it would be when the door is closed it would wont tighten up at all. (and when they do tighten up, its quite slow to retract...)
Someone suggested to me that I get the hole seatbelt replaced. Does anyone know if the ae86 seatbelts are their own designe or would I be able to pull them off of any older toyota. I'm hoping I can get one off of a first gen mr2 thats being parted out.
Or, since I hope to be autocrossing and using it for track days maybe I should get a couple of harnesses? Has anyone used them on standard seats before? Are there any major safety issues with that?
Thanks.

[Ivan141]

It depends if you can succesfully use harnesses on the stock seat. In theory you could feed one (3-point with Y section) through the center under the headrest, but if your shoulders are taller than the base of your seat then it's not really safe.

[JonT]

As long as the harness is positioned correctly, i.e. not to high across the waist etc then they are fine to use on the road [local laws permitting i guess]

[Ivan141]

Well it's just that if your shoulders form the highest point that the harness passes over then it will try to compress your spine upon impact.. I have one in the volvo, but I wouldnt want it on a daily driver..all that hassle with the harness every time you get in/out is a bit annoying.

[NickBW]

I'd have to go out and double check but I'm almost possitive that the head rest is just slightly agove my shoulders so as far as the angle of where the harness is connected I dont think I should be worried...
Does anyone have a picture of a harness setup on factory seats? OR does anyone recommend a specific harness to use?

This is, of corse if I cant get the factory 3points to work propperly.

[Ivan141]

I have a Sparco (sabelt) harness in the track volvo...It was a cheap model, ie. no FIA approval. If you're not getting a racing seat then I would go with a harness that has a single attachment at the rear. Offcourse a full 4-point harness is better, but I think the 3-point is easier to find mounts for and it passes neatly through the hole under the headrest.

[NickBW]

I have heard only bad things about using a 4 point harness though becuase they tend to ride up into your gut in the event of an impact. Many of of them even say that the 3points are safer. *shrugs
But that doesnt matter becuase I just went out and I am much taller then the bottom headrest so using a harness that is angled downward wouldnt do me any good.
I have the money I think I will just go ahead and get a new seatbelt for my car. About $110(£61) for a retractable one or, $60(£33) for non retractable.(this is per, belt not as set).
I think the non rectractable ones be great since they stay tight ALL the time unless I loosen it up myself. Cheap and effective.
Not sure about any negative effects of one though...