okay my seatbelts do not lock at all when they are sharply pulled (the reason i was looking into racing seats) but i really like my stock seats i might mount a harness to then in some fassion.... but i would like to have some dot aproved seatbelts i cant seem to find them on autozone fierostore or ebay... anyone know where i can get them?
or mabey sugest a dot aproved harness
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11:27 AM
PFF
System Bot
Jax184 Member
Posts: 3524 From: Vancouver, Canada Registered: Jun 2005
This is something that freaked me out at first too. Then I poked around to figure out how the seatbelt mechanism works. In most cars, there's a spring loaded arm on the spindle the seat belt is wound around. Pull the belt fast enough and centrifugal force causes the arm to lock the seatbelt. This is what all those blasted cars which take an afternoon to buckle up in use. The Fiero on the other hand uses a hanging weight which swings forward and locks the seatbelt when the car suddenly decelerates. This means you can pull the seatbelt just as fast as you want and it won't lock, but it'll snap tight when it's actually needed. You should be able to test them by braking hard from a decent speed.
[This message has been edited by Jax184 (edited 11-09-2006).]
Yes the Fiero uses a pendulum-type tensioner. I actually think the design is a HELL of a lot better than the more modern ones, which will usually lock when you're trying to put the belt on, requiring you to get all the slack out of it again, and try putting it on again. or the ones that tighten up as soon as you accelerate hard, and nearly choke you until you come to a complete stop.
oh lol wow add this to my dumb questions stack first it was wheres the gas cap opener then how do u release the e-brake now why arnt my seatbelts locking lmao okay i feel super dumb ^_^ so the seatbelt should lock if i hit the brakes hard ill try it out
While wearing the belt, you should be able to pull the shoulder strap a few inches forward, and slowly release it, it should become tight. The lap belt should always be tight.
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04:51 PM
Xanth Member
Posts: 6886 From: Massachusetts Registered: May 2006
oh lol wow add this to my dumb questions stack first it was wheres the gas cap opener then how do u release the e-brake now why arnt my seatbelts locking lmao okay i feel super dumb ^_^ so the seatbelt should lock if i hit the brakes hard ill try it out
The gas cap release is behind the driver's seat mounted in the pillar.
To release the E-Brake, pull the handle all the way up till you feel tension then press and hold the button while pushing the handle to the floor. If everything is adjusted/working properly the brakes should disengage and the brake light should shut off. If its not quite adjusted its possible for the brake like to remain on even though the brakes are disengaged.
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09:29 PM
jscott1 Member
Posts: 21676 From: Houston, TX , USA Registered: Dec 2001
To release the E-Brake, pull the handle all the way up till you feel tension then press and hold the button while pushing the handle to the floor. If everything is adjusted/working properly the brakes should disengage and the brake light should shut off. If its not quite adjusted its possible for the brake like to remain on even though the brakes are disengaged.
Someone once posted a large sticker with e-brake instructions on it... We need to have someone reproduce those I need one to stick in my car at inspection time. I just took the indy in and I believe they drove it with the e-brake on the whole time, then complained that the handle wouldn't stay up...
omfg lol yeahn no ninstructions on mine i had those questions answered before when i try pulling the bel to tighten it it just sits a fe inches outward i have to messwith it to get it to pull a little tighter but if i move at all it slacks completly...
anything i can do to tighten it/ ?
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11:13 PM
jscott1 Member
Posts: 21676 From: Houston, TX , USA Registered: Dec 2001
It sounds like you may have a bad retraction mechanism. If the belts are really dirty or soiled it couldhave gummed up the retraction mechanism. I removed my seatbelts from the car and washed them in the sink. It took a lot of scrubbing to get them clean. If that doesn't help you can replace them. I have a couple of extra sets in boxes around here.
got any decent grey ones jscott? ill try and clean em up i also have to get to remounting my driver seat so it doesnt have the slider so it sits lower my head actually sits out the sunroof if i sit up straight ^_- lol head trauma waiting to happen good thing i slouch to drive lol
