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Topic: 88 Cougar Passenger seat Seatbelt Retractor assembly... (Read 1159 times) previous topic - next topic

88 Cougar Passenger seat Seatbelt Retractor assembly...

Hello,

I have some questions which I need answered as soon as possible. So thank you in advance! The passenger side seatbelt retractor assembly became jammed the other night because of whatever my sister did to it. I took it out, and removed the the push/pull button from inside the door jam (by rotating it 90 degrees). After looking at the retractor assembly, I managed to unjam it by removing the plastic cover from the top of the assembly and simply unjammed it. Spring wound up the seatbelt beautifully. Looking at the push/pull button mechanism, I noticed that pushing the button in had hardly any effect. Eventually I found out the reason - the steel brake cable inside broke and was not connected to the half that is responsible for acting upon some sort of release on the retractor assembly.

Now, experimenting with the seat belt retractor on the driver side, when the pin is pushed in, the seat belt retractor spins freely. When the push/pull button is pushed in, the seat belt retractor clicks. But messing with the passenger side retractor, I could not see what affect it had if the button was not pushed in.

My questions:

1. On the 88 Cougars and any other car that has this design, what is that push/pull button for when it comes to the retractor assembly?

2. Is it required for safety reasons?

3. If I cannot find a replacement retractor assembly with the seat belt color of interior (Red), can I put the seatbelt back onto the car without that cable attached? to the push/pull pin.

If no, does anyone have this part that I need? Which is the passenger side/driver side seat belt retractor? All I need is the cable from it.

Thanks!

88 Cougar Passenger seat Seatbelt Retractor assembly...

Reply #1 –
The retractor cable is part of the entire assembly...you have to replace the whole seat belt assembly to get a working one. If you try to disassemble your seat belt you'll ruin it, because of the multiple spring tensioners inside. It is a very closed system for good reason.

The push button is indeed for the retractor. When you close the door the seat belt pre-loads tension on the belt so that it can "lock up" when needed (sudden stops, going down steep hills, etc.). Thus when you open the door the tension is removed, making the seat belt easier to remove and retract.

Does it always work? Not now, ~20 years hence. The spring in the tensioner is usually the culprit. So your only choice is to replace the unit with a working one. I'm sure there are places that can refurbish your old assembly but it would be quite expensive...easier to take your chances with a junkyard replacement.

88 Cougar Passenger seat Seatbelt Retractor assembly...

Reply #2 –
i think it would be nice to see how many cars interchange with our system.
my belt sags when i open the door. If i help the belt back thru the slot, it sort of retracts on its own but not quickly.

88 Cougar Passenger seat Seatbelt Retractor assembly...

Reply #3 –
Hey all,

Thanks for the awesome response Eric! Okay, check this out...

The push button attaches to a light blue wire with a steel brake-like cable running through the center of it. This cable has molded plastic around it which snaps into a cut-out in the retractor's metal chassis. The cable has a crimped on stop on one end of cable which pulls on a release which is part of a white plastic assembly attached/clipped to the retractor chassis. This plastic assembly can be removed and disassembled which I have not done yet. The plastic assembly has no gears, a small spring which keeps the release in a "run" position (When button is out, door open, the release is placed into a "neutral" position) The plastic housing holds a circular type component which has a half-moon cutout which lines up with the retractor's center.

Now that everyone has an idea of piece that needs to be replaced, and a mental image of the set up, I can further explain that I still don't believe this thing does what Eric says it does.

Examining the retractor, there is no way that this button activates something in the retractor to create tension. In fact, the only thing this button can do is release tension on the belt, and that I believe it what it's for. My retractor, other than the broken break cable is in great condition. The retractor winds the belt with authority.

See, when the door is closed, the belt I believe is allowed to lock. When the door is open, button is out, which unlocks the belt if it is in fact locked.

So, I'm either going to try to replace this cable or make my own.

Tell me what you think of that Eric.

88 Cougar Passenger seat Seatbelt Retractor assembly...

Reply #4 –
You're missing something. There is a horizontal bar inside the seat belt assembly that is responsible for the "locking up" of the belt. THAT is what traps the belt when the door is shut. True, opening the door releases tension. But the bar does all the work when the door is closed. It works under inertia. Here is how.

The belt is on a spool, and the ends of the spool have "teeth". This bar rests on the teeth, and the tension is provided by a coiled spring. The bar going over the "teeth" is the clicking sound that you hear when you pull on the belt. In fact you can see the bar through the 1/2" hole in the back of the assembly, and you can easily see the teeth on the spool.

On the assembly, on the opposite side of the plastic gears you've discovered, is a black plastic cover marked "CAUTION DO NOT REMOVE". There is a good reason for that--underneath is that wound coil spring that the bar is attached to. The spring is under a lot of tension even when the belt is fully retracted (or extended). Directly under that black cover is a green-colored grommet...that's one end of the bar you see sticking through the grommet.

So...when the door is closed, the cable works a lever to RELEASE the bar from the spool and let it spin freely. Once you click the belt--and get it properly adjusted around your body--the bar is intended to lock the belt in place at the assembly. I say "intended" because some assemblies will lock tension immediately...others require tugging on the belt, a slight incline (11 degrees minimum, same as the seat back latch) or a sudden deceleration to lock up. If it's too worn out the bar won't lock at all--hence the major problem with these seat belts as the cars get older. But AS INTENDED, the bar locks the belt. Open the door, the LOCKED tension is released.

So again, I state: messing with a seat belt assembly is asking for trouble. Once it's disassembled it almost never goes back together correctly, nor works properly afterward. The part of yours that needs fixed may be about the only thing I'd ever mess with again. You might luck out...that part is under lower tension. I imagine you could get the cable from any number of other Ford seat belt donor assemblies. I still think it's much easier to just swap out assemblies though. I'm a glutton for punishment as much as the next guy...but I also know when to say when. ;)

BTW, I think our front assemblies were unique to our cars, at least as marked. It may be possible to use Mark VII assemblies...not sure about that. All of the assemblies I've ever seen for our cars have been marked with a "T-BIRD" stamp or sticker. Mustang assemblies won't bolt to our mounting points up front (but I use them for the convertible). The rear seat belts are all pretty similar among Fox cars though. I've interchanged them with almost no problems (except for different lengths).

88 Cougar Passenger seat Seatbelt Retractor assembly...

Reply #5 –
Excellent post again! Okay, first and foremost, there is no way I would disassemble the retractor itself. Just the components that attach or help it out. On the opposite side of the yellow, "Do Not Remove" cover, there is the white plastic housing. I unsnapped the housng from the retractor's chassis and removed the red plastic cover holding parts in place. What I found was pretty neat. There is a brown disc with carved out paths or grooves which an end of a z spring rides in. The steel cable, which broke on my set up, attaches to a metal plate. When the steel cable is pulled (Button in the door jam is out), the metal plate lifts up and moves the end of the z spring out of one of the carved paths. The paths have stops in them formed by 90 degree drops. The release in the door jam is to simply defeat the soft lock while the door is open... let me explain further...

The belt does not hard lock when jerked. It locks with inertia, like you have explained Eric. However, the belt soft locks or can, which is what that plastic housing controls. Soft lock, means, the belt cannot retract but can be extended. Hard lock prevents the seat belt from extending.

Now, I was able to get my retractor assembly to soft lock by jerking the seat belt with not too much force I might add. I then triggered the release with my finger which caused the belt to retract. That being said, this is how this belt system is supposed to work when it was first designed by Ford:

The driver or passenger of the vehicle enters the vehicle. Closes the door. The person adjusts the belt while riding which causes the belt to soft lock. (Think about it, it would be annoying to constantly fight a belt that wants to keep retracting) When the passenger or driver opens the door, the soft lock, if active, is disabled causing the belt once unlatched by the driver or passenger, to retract for obvious reasons.

Now I'm happy. I really do not need the brake cable and release because it is simply their for convenience. I was able to remove the soft lock but extending the belt and then letting it fully retract.

Eric: Let me know what you think of these findings.
 

88 Cougar Passenger seat Seatbelt Retractor assembly...

Reply #6 –
K, that sounds reasonable. I think you may have problems getting the "soft lock" to retract without the cable working--in other words, pulling on the belt a lot--but if it works for you then it's all good.