85 Blazer - Seat belt release switch in door jamb

[RSAP]

There's a plastic button/switch in door jamb which I am told has something to do with seatbelt release.... Mine are wasted and I can't seem to find new/replacements available anywhere....

which begs the question.. what exactly should this part do, and what will not work without it? Are there are workarounds for when/if the part no longer works? Or does anyone have a lead on where replacements or part #'s can be found for these?

 

[HankScorpio]

My K5 has the button. When I am belted in and lean forward the belt stays pulled out. When the door opens it releases and the belt retracts. Not sure I like it, I would prefer a more standard retractor.

 

[imiceman44]

My K5 has the button. When I am belted in and lean forward the belt stays pulled out. When the door opens it releases and the belt retracts. Not sure I like it, I would prefer a more standard retractor.

That's the first I hear of this. Is it an option?

 

[dyeager535]

That's the first I hear of this. Is it an option?

Now that I think about it, this "feature" (was it an option to have tug/set belts??) is probably so you don't squash the belt in the door jamb. If you tug on the belt, it will "set" at that length. If you pull on it again, it SHOULD retract.

If you "set" the belt so it's not super tight on you, and don't tug it, but disconnect the belt end, it will just dangle there, extra belt material all over the place. As soon as you open the door, the button "overrides" the set/tug feature, and forces the belt to retract.

While replaceable I'm sure, they were probably not made to be. I know someone posted replacement belt assemblies being sold not that long ago, can't recall if they had this or not.

 

[1-ton]

That door jam switch sounds more like the interior light switch.

 

[dyeager535]

Interior light switch is at the front of the door opening, facing rearward. Seatbelt piece faces outward on the back side of the door opening, inline with the interior belt retract mechanism

 

[1-ton]

Interior light switch is at the front of the door opening, facing rearward. Seatbelt piece faces outward on the back side of the door opening, inline with the interior belt retract mechanism

Of all the square bodies I have owned I never had one with that switch, and I am glad I didn't.

 

[dyeager535]

I'm glad I have it. Have had two of the retract mechanisms fail, at least it forces the belt to retract so I dont slam the buckle in the door. (As you can see, even now the retract mechanism doesn't work fully, as the belt has slack, at rest)

I want to say it's a K5 only deal? Someone else will have to chime in. For some reason I want to think it is. Then again, the belt mechanisms for the trucks and K5s are different anyways, so perhaps the different design negates a need.

 

[HankScorpio]

That's the first I hear of this. Is it an option?

Not sure, this '90 K5 is the first time I have run into it. None of my other trucks had it.

 

[1-ton]

I'm glad I have it. Have had two of the retract mechanisms fail, at least it forces the belt to retract so I dont slam the buckle in the door. (As you can see, even now the retract mechanism doesn't work fully, as the belt has slack, at rest)

I want to say it's a K5 only deal? Someone else will have to chime in. For some reason I want to think it is. Then again, the belt mechanisms for the trucks and K5s are different anyways, so perhaps the different design negates a need.

I see how the thing works. The retraction part of the belt is mounted on the side of the cab on a K5. With pick-up trucks the retractable part of the belt is mounted to the floor.

 

[Blue85]

I think the layout all has to do with a K5 being 2-door with back seat. When the door opens somebody might be climbing through that space and the belt needs to be out of the way. My 85 has the retractor button on both sides. Truck and Burb seatbelts are different.

 

[frankin5]

I think it is K5 only, due to rear access from front doors.

 

[Fordum]

'89 F250 has the same button. Normally the shoulder strap is lightly tensioned when I'm driving. If I pull it forward slightly, it will hold in that position and give me some slack.
If I pull farther, it will unlock and go back to tension. If its locked, opening the door overrides the normal locker and causes the shoulder harness to retract all the way so that it does not get caught in the door when I close it.
Due to many years of dirt and whathave you it tends to stick sometimes. I get out and the belt flops after me. If it bugs me, I just reach down and push the button in slightly and let it snap out. That causes the belt to retract normally.

If I'm on the highway on a long trip with little traffic, I will often give myself some slack for comfort. If in heavy traffic, and its slack, I will reach up, give the belt a quick yank, and it will cinch back tight.

BTW, there are several different systems for those belts in a crash.
The newer ones are often computer controlled linked to the air bag crash sensors. But the older ones used two basic ideas. Centrifugal lockers that locked when the spool started to spin fast.
You could test these by yanking on the belt. It would lock. My Mercedes uses these. If I try to pull the belt over to buckle it too fast, it locks and won't give me enough slack to buckle it until I release the pressure.

Fords and others use a weight hanging down through a hole with a wide flange on top above the hole. The locking plate lays on top of that flange.
You can spin the spool as fast as you want, and it will not lock. Any sudden movement in any direction by the car, will cause that weight to swing over, raising the locking plate.
My folk's '74 Lincoln had a notice in the owner's manual warning that you could not test the locking mechanism by jerking on the belt, because too many customers were coming into the dealer saying their belts would not lock.

When I read that, a friend of mine and I got in the car and headed down a deserted road late at night. After trying to make one lock by snatching on it, I got going and hit the brakes while he snatched on his belt. It locked just as it was supposed to.

 

[nvrenuf]

I think that button is a part of the seatbelt retractor that passes through a hole in the door jam. If so, I’d say the belt won’t work without it.