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Hello,

I was wondering if anyone rebuilt their seat belt retractor unit. My drivers side does not retract all the way. We pulled it off yesterday to check that it was installed properly. It was installed correctly but the spring is weak and therefore, does not go back in. I was going to switch it with the passanger side since this side works but I was told they are not interchange?

1). Does anyone know how to rebuild this?
2). Is the passanger side and the drivers side interchangable?

Thanks for any suggestions.

just install 2 new ones

Hi Md,

I wish it was that easy. The passanger side on is ok. I only need one. I just went to John Norman at Alfa Parts and he is looking into this for me. I appears that new ones may not be an option since the my Alfa is 27 years old now. I think I will need to get a used one but they may not work as well.

I was wondering if the passager side one is interchangable with the drivers side so I have more choices in terms of used parts. However, Joe told me that he thinks they are not interchangable. Joe is not an Alfa expert so I am just checking my facts.

Therefore, it looks like rebuilding the one that I have could be the best choice and therefore, I am looking for suggestions.


Thanks for any help.

cchan,

Please bear in mind what the belt is for. To save your scone.
Also bear in mind that UV light affects the fibres that make up the belts. They should be replaced every 5 years or so for safety in any case (nobody does it of course).

In Oz, it is illegal to fit used belts as a replacement part and for good reason.

If you want to have the safety afforded by these belts, fit new belts. End of story.

Forget the transposition right to left or vice versa.

That makes sense to me. I hope I can get a new one. John is getting ready for the Wine County races so he just took my order and said he will get back with me. I will be bring my Alfa finally to hopefully do some parade laps this weekend at infineon.

I think Phil will be there too and I hope he can double check my steering wheel situation.

Here in Sweden you can't pass the yearly inspection unless the belts retract properly, it's to keep the belts tight to your body. Less slack means less acceleration at impact.

5 years sounds very short life, no manufacturer in the world would be able to sell cars with belts that only lasted 5 years, especially the new ones with pyro, would be incredibly expensive to replace. Never seen a service manual that specify seat belt chenge at intervals either.

If you can't find in US:

http://www.securon.co.uk

They are cheaper if you get them through a dealer rather than direct, Quiller Triumph in the UK sell them.

http://www.quillertriumph.co.uk/Quiller/Parts/parts.htm

They are not that expensive although transport will cost a bit to the US I guess.

Thanks for the information everyone. I hope that we can source new one in USA.

International Auto Parts (International-auto.com) lists "virtually perfect match" belts for the originals at around $100 a pop.