Hi, I have a 96 850 T5. On Sunday the seat belt got stuck. I removed to plastic on the pilar and I found that it is not releasing.

I have to disassemble the mechanism on the pilar but I'm afraid to set the SRS light or have a problem with the pyro tensioner.

Is there a writeup on this? Any tips?

Thanks in advance

 

You will have to disconnect the battery to avoid setting off the SRS light.

If you are worried about setting off the seat airbag, there should be a red plastic clip in the housing to put in the SRS switch.

 

What was said on
https://volvoforums.com/forum/volvo-...-jammed-37720/
was,” There should be a red plastic clip in the housing to put in the SRS switch.”
My 1999 S70 T5 started not to retract well a few weeks ago. I removed (broke into 2) the covering where the belt retracts and found I could just pull it, then push the take up spool with my finger and it would work. Then it didn’t release on Friday. It would take a little, click click click and then would not feed out. It took up all the slack a little bit at a time this way.

Driving around without a seatbelt is just too stupid, even for me.

I have been a mechanic in name many years ago, for bicycles and cars, but that was just to please the bosses at the shop/station. As I age, I break more than what it costs to pay someone better. Now I go to a nice place near my home that is well known for their Volvo only service. They can do all the dealer does, but unfortunately, like the dealer, they do not know performance tuning, which is my step big step since I think I’m about stage 0 now...

But this time I can’t wait for an appointment next week. It’s Labor weekend. My first real 3 days off in over a year!

So I opened the panel on the tower on the top and saw a bolt head. I did see a red switch and wondered what it did. I moved it back and forth. Nothing seems to happen as I was looking for a seatbelt or post release. What followed was my backassed way of learning and I’ll spar you the mistakes.

Here’s what I saw and what you should do with at least something similar to my 1999 S70 T5.

The belt retracted but wouldn’t feed out. Eventually the belt is tight.

You need to first know how to access the belt connection at the bottom. If you just need to feed a little more in, you can do that if you undo the bottom. If you are going to need to replace the assembly, you will need to do the bottom first anyways.

On my car, there is a large plastic clip at the rear end of the seat adjustment arm/panel/cluster under its rear part that holds it in place. With mine, I pulled the clip down and back while pulling up on the adjustment arm and the whole thing rotated up and out of the way. Then there is the single bolt/screw with a star head (that my Allen wench fits) that holds the belt end in place. It can now be seen and worked.

If you are putting more belt into the take up cylinder and it is still not letting out, I suggest replacement. I checked today and my local official dealer wanted about $380.00 and two days to get it. About $700 to replace and install.

I decided to try it myself.

I found the interior body panel on the door tower that houses the assembly is mounted with snap in and out connectors. I can peel back the door stripping and then pull the middle panel out with my fingers. Once one is off, the rest follow easily. Nothing broke and everything went back in place later.

There is one large bold (14mm) at the top and one near the bottom of the assy. Then there is a screw holding the lower cylinder part that the Allen wrenches also handled. That’s it. Unit should be free.

I went to one dismantling yard and didn’t get it (There one had been cut) and then a second where I found a 1998 850 that had the same looking bottom bolt (Volvo has used several bottom bolting configurations and being safety, it should match). It also has the same looking electronic plug configuration along with all the mounting locations. So I pulled it and installed it at the yard parking lot.

Works great at $12.00 plus my hour or so of learning. A 14mm socket with flexible head, 2 Allen wrenches, and a gentle hand with the interior panels, and it saved almost $700.00. Actual time with the parts in hand – 15 minutes tops, which the dealer would have taken $300.00 for! I’m all for fleece the rich but I’m with a $3700 car and working for worker wages. B-tards. This is a DIY job even for the challenged like me.

(Go to the yards. I also found a matching ashtray lighter panel for the rear seats that had been broken for $4).

But the SRS light is on. It went on after I took the old unit out. I figured it would and it did.

So now that I’m fixed mechanically, does the red switch on the top of the column under the panel do something? Or must I go and get my car re-set at the dealer or my shop? I think they do it for free at least so it’s just my time. Interesting concept that thing called time. I don’t claim to understand all of it but I do know the time I spend, sitting at the dealership, waiting, on my weekend, will not be refunded.

Love your Volvo, often.

 

old post i know, but im going through the same issue now.

the red tab only held those 2 plastic pieces in. you can turn it and pull it out and those beige pieces on the side will fall out. im guessing its so the top part of the pillar's plastics dont rattle against the cover.

 

If the belt is stuck, it's best to replace it. To avoid setting off the SRS light you will need to disconnect the battery prior to disconnecting the seatbelt real.

 

i gave up on the SRS system. the light comes on and off about 2 times a year. last year was the longest it stayed off, going about 9 months before it turned back on.

tried cleaning all the contact points, no go. dont like airbags anyways.

 

Have you had the system read? You will like them less if one goes off because it's faulty. I read about a passenger side bag discharging on someone while they were in front of it. They woke up in the hospital.

 

wont go off anymore. the relay is non-existant.

dont like the thought of something punching me in the face if i get into an accident.

 

here:

Volvo Driver seatbelt temporary fix with dental floss, and final replacement - YouTube

On Saturday, the driver's seatbelt on our 1996 Volvo 850 would not extend and would only retract, i.e. get tighter. After a nerve-wracking drive home without a seatbelt, I took it apart and rigged a temporary fix with dental floss to get us through the weekend.

AS FAR AS I CAN TELL, THE TEMPORARY FIX DID NOT INHIBIT SAFE AND PROPER RESTRAINT OPERATION OF THE SEATBELT, BUT I CANNOT SUBSTANTIATE, AND DO NOT GUARANTEE, ANY SUCH CLAIM. IT JUST GOT US THROUGH THE WEEKEND.

The dental floss made manual the ability to extend or release the belt under normal driving conditions, which operation is normally automatic. It was annoying because as you drove, the belt would only get tighter and would not release without a gentle pull on the floss, which was needed to look around at intersections, while backing, and such. A piece of soft foam between the belt and collar bone would have been a welcome improvement.

On Monday I got a used replacement from Ithaca Foreign Car Service (Thanks, Dave et al.!) and replaced the bad unit.

This video shows the replacement, the inertial device which seemed okay but was apparently no longer doing its job, then some details of the temporary fix with the floss.

I did forget to video the feeding of the seatbelt through the side door post plastic panel. Also, posts in some fora state that a SRS error will be generated if the battery is not disconnected during this operation.

 

question:

when i removed the passenger side seatbelt bolt, it stripped like a mother on the way out. i had never messed with it until this issue popped up. i mean, its DESTROYED. there is no threading left, just looks like warped metal.

do i have to buy another passenger seat or is there a fix?