Rear seatbelt tensioners stuck, will not extend
03-25-2010, 03:06 PM
#1
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Rear seatbelt tensioners stuck, will not extend
I have an annoying problem and I wonder if anyone can help me. I have a '97 C4S and the rear seat belts will not extend. It seem like the ratchet in the tensioner is somehow stuck so that the locking mechanism will not disengage. Has anyone else had this problem? I was considering trying to take the seat belt mechanism out to see if there is some way to clean it with WD-40 or spray it with silicone to free it up. Does anyone out there have experience with this? I am trying to avoid spending $350 on a new seat belt, since that is what the seat belt assembly costs from Porsche.
TIA,
TIA,
03-25-2010, 03:28 PM
#2
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I had the same problem.
At first, whenever the belts got "stuck", I was able to get them to extend by jiggling the belt, changing the angle and/or speed of the belt as I pulled on it, or by allowing the belt to retract all the way back to the fully-retracted position (and then pulling).
Then that stopped working.
My recollection is that my shop was not confident that there was a good fix - and that they saw the issue come up relatively often.
So I opted to buy two new belts through Sunset.
My kids ride back there pretty often - so I didn't want to play around too much with the retractors.
At first, whenever the belts got "stuck", I was able to get them to extend by jiggling the belt, changing the angle and/or speed of the belt as I pulled on it, or by allowing the belt to retract all the way back to the fully-retracted position (and then pulling).
Then that stopped working.
My recollection is that my shop was not confident that there was a good fix - and that they saw the issue come up relatively often.
So I opted to buy two new belts through Sunset.
My kids ride back there pretty often - so I didn't want to play around too much with the retractors.
03-25-2010, 04:07 PM
#3
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Same problem with the Left Rear belt in my '96! I typically do not have rear passengers, so I don't give it much thought. However, I would love to have it working again as a "just in case" measure.
03-25-2010, 04:22 PM
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I have the same problem with the passenger side rear seat belt. It usually comes loose after a lot of repeated tugging. I haven't taken it apart yet to see what is causing the problem.
03-25-2010, 04:27 PM
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03-25-2010, 05:28 PM
#7
Racer
Seems to be a common problem. My passenger side rear belt was stuck for about 6 months, when I finally got around to try fixing it... it was working fine again. So ignoring it worked well for me 
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03-25-2010, 05:47 PM
#8
Burning Brakes
One of mine stuck years ago. I took it apart and gave up - As there is an impossibly complex Rube Golberg setup with a ball bearing and multiple ratchets that becomes overly sensitive to the slightest touch and locks up. There are numerous people on here with rear seat deletes who might be able to hook you up with a working used set. That's what I ended up doing.
03-25-2010, 05:49 PM
#9
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Not on a slope, and for the last 8 months it had happened sporadically. It seems it has finally just stopped working. It created a huge problem for me when I had to take a cab home to get our other car so that I could transport my son in a car with a working seat belt.
05-05-2014, 12:30 AM
#11
stuck rear seatbelt solution for 1996 c2
For some reason Porsche designed the rear belts on my c2 such that if you keep pulling out the belt, a small leaver inside the mechanism will trip when the belt is about 1-2 inches from the end (all the way out). Once this lever trips, the belts will go back into the spool but you can no longer pull the belt out again. You must then go into the mechanism and re-set the small lever by hand.
1 take out the 4 Phillip screws that hold the rear panel on.
2 perhaps unplug the rear speakers to make things easier
3 remove the plastic cap which covers the lower seat belt bolt and remove the anchoring bolt
4 pull back the rear panel and remove the upper seat belt anchoring bolt
now you should be able the hold the seat belt retract mechanism in your hand with enough freedom to work on it
5 there is a cover on the mechanism which has 3 tabs holding it on. Remove this cover by simultaneously bending back 2 or all 3 of these tabs. You may need 2 screwdrivers and a knife in order to do this.
6 the final step is to re-set the little white plastic lever with your finger. The white plastic lever is like a little finger which is only about 1/3 of an inch long. Once you do this the seat belt will work normally again. Before putting everything back what you should do is pull the seat belt all the way out again to see how that lever got tripped in the first place.
Remember, after everything is back together do not pull the seat belt out all the way out again
1 take out the 4 Phillip screws that hold the rear panel on.
2 perhaps unplug the rear speakers to make things easier
3 remove the plastic cap which covers the lower seat belt bolt and remove the anchoring bolt
4 pull back the rear panel and remove the upper seat belt anchoring bolt
now you should be able the hold the seat belt retract mechanism in your hand with enough freedom to work on it
5 there is a cover on the mechanism which has 3 tabs holding it on. Remove this cover by simultaneously bending back 2 or all 3 of these tabs. You may need 2 screwdrivers and a knife in order to do this.
6 the final step is to re-set the little white plastic lever with your finger. The white plastic lever is like a little finger which is only about 1/3 of an inch long. Once you do this the seat belt will work normally again. Before putting everything back what you should do is pull the seat belt all the way out again to see how that lever got tripped in the first place.
Remember, after everything is back together do not pull the seat belt out all the way out again
05-05-2014, 12:37 AM
#12
stuck rear seatbelt solution for 1996 c2
For some reason Porsche designed the rear belts on my c2 such that if you keep pulling out the belt, a small leaver inside the mechanism will trip when the belt is about 1-2 inches from the end (all the way out). Once this lever trips, the belts will go back into the spool but you can no longer pull the belt out again. You must then go into the mechanism and re-set the small lever by hand.
1 take out the 4 Phillip screws that hold the rear panel on.
2 perhaps unplug the rear speakers to make things easier
3 remove the plastic cap which covers the lower seat belt bolt and remove the anchoring bolt
4 pull back the rear panel and remove the upper seat belt anchoring bolt
now you should be able the hold the seat belt retract mechanism in your hand with enough freedom to work on it
5 there is a cover on the mechanism which has 3 tabs holding it on. Remove this cover by simultaneously bending back 2 or all 3 of these tabs. You may need 2 screwdrivers and a knife in order to do this.
6 the final step is to re-set the little white plastic lever with your finger. The white plastic lever is like a little finger which is only about 1/3 of an inch long. Once you do this the seat belt will work normally again. Before putting everything back what you should do is pull the seat belt all the way out again to see how that lever got tripped in the first place.
Remember, after everything is back together do not pull the seat belt out all the way out again
1 take out the 4 Phillip screws that hold the rear panel on.
2 perhaps unplug the rear speakers to make things easier
3 remove the plastic cap which covers the lower seat belt bolt and remove the anchoring bolt
4 pull back the rear panel and remove the upper seat belt anchoring bolt
now you should be able the hold the seat belt retract mechanism in your hand with enough freedom to work on it
5 there is a cover on the mechanism which has 3 tabs holding it on. Remove this cover by simultaneously bending back 2 or all 3 of these tabs. You may need 2 screwdrivers and a knife in order to do this.
6 the final step is to re-set the little white plastic lever with your finger. The white plastic lever is like a little finger which is only about 1/3 of an inch long. Once you do this the seat belt will work normally again. Before putting everything back what you should do is pull the seat belt all the way out again to see how that lever got tripped in the first place.
Remember, after everything is back together do not pull the seat belt out all the way out again
06-15-2014, 09:23 PM
#13
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For some reason Porsche designed the rear belts on my c2 such that if you keep pulling out the belt, a small leaver inside the mechanism will trip when the belt is about 1-2 inches from the end (all the way out). Once this lever trips, the belts will go back into the spool but you can no longer pull the belt out again. You must then go into the mechanism and re-set the small lever by hand.
1 take out the 4 Phillip screws that hold the rear panel on.
2 perhaps unplug the rear speakers to make things easier
3 remove the plastic cap which covers the lower seat belt bolt and remove the anchoring bolt
4 pull back the rear panel and remove the upper seat belt anchoring bolt
now you should be able the hold the seat belt retract mechanism in your hand with enough freedom to work on it
5 there is a cover on the mechanism which has 3 tabs holding it on. Remove this cover by simultaneously bending back 2 or all 3 of these tabs. You may need 2 screwdrivers and a knife in order to do this.
6 the final step is to re-set the little white plastic lever with your finger. The white plastic lever is like a little finger which is only about 1/3 of an inch long. Once you do this the seat belt will work normally again. Before putting everything back what you should do is pull the seat belt all the way out again to see how that lever got tripped in the first place.
Remember, after everything is back together do not pull the seat belt out all the way out again
1 take out the 4 Phillip screws that hold the rear panel on.
2 perhaps unplug the rear speakers to make things easier
3 remove the plastic cap which covers the lower seat belt bolt and remove the anchoring bolt
4 pull back the rear panel and remove the upper seat belt anchoring bolt
now you should be able the hold the seat belt retract mechanism in your hand with enough freedom to work on it
5 there is a cover on the mechanism which has 3 tabs holding it on. Remove this cover by simultaneously bending back 2 or all 3 of these tabs. You may need 2 screwdrivers and a knife in order to do this.
6 the final step is to re-set the little white plastic lever with your finger. The white plastic lever is like a little finger which is only about 1/3 of an inch long. Once you do this the seat belt will work normally again. Before putting everything back what you should do is pull the seat belt all the way out again to see how that lever got tripped in the first place.
Remember, after everything is back together do not pull the seat belt out all the way out again
Pretty good post. Thanks. Fixed me right up in my new rig.
Here are some pictures of the fun:
1st - How the seat belts mount in the car for reference. Just 4 screws to get there.
2nd - With the cover off after prying off the tabs.
3rd - The bottom (sorry blurry).
I just fiddled with the mechanism for a second and it worked just fine. I am posting in case anyone searches this and finds it. This was an easy fix.
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