PDA

View Full Version : safe to removing the seat belt retractor fuse?



johnpconde
03-26-2005, 03:26 PM
is it safe to remove the seat belt retractor fuse on a 1989 accord lxi? i would just have them replaced at the dealer, but the car has been in an accident with a previous owner. i read that it would be ok, but i'm having doubts... and instead of testing this theory with my (or someone elses) life, i figured i'd ask some of you experts out there.

any help would be great.

mouchyn
03-26-2005, 04:21 PM
why do you want to remove the fuse? fuses are cheap. why not replace it?

johnpconde
03-26-2005, 04:58 PM
the fuse isn't bad, but the retractors are remaining activated and draining my battery... so i'm thinking of just leaving the fuse out.

Oldblueaccord
03-26-2005, 09:14 PM
the fuse isn't bad, but the retractors are remaining activated and draining my battery... so i'm thinking of just leaving the fuse out.

There's a recall on the seat-belts. The dealer should fix them but I think they will try and charge you for it or cop out and say its more then 10 years old.


wp

shepherd79
03-27-2005, 06:01 AM
you can remove it. it won't hurt the safety at all.

POS carb
03-29-2005, 06:56 PM
3geez came with electric seatbelts??

mouchyn
03-30-2005, 05:12 AM
no, the retractors that wind the seat belt back up have power going to them for some reason. the winding spring and safety lock mechanism works without power.

XBoom135
08-27-2005, 08:10 PM
I've been having problems getting my driver's side seat belt to retract. It locks if I yank on it, so still servicable, but won't retract all the way. And yes, I replaced the fuse. Any thoughts. Possible swap experience?

Poncho Villa
09-16-2005, 07:42 PM
Hello all,

I have the same problem with my seat belt retractor draining my battery & am trying to find a fix. Removing the fuse on my '89 DX also kills the horn and the brake lights. Given that, I don't think simply removing the fuse is a good idea. :dunno:

I may try disabling the electricity to the retractors (if I can figure out how).

If you have any other ideas, let me know and I'll give it a shot.

Jeff427
10-10-2005, 05:49 PM
Hello all,

I have the same problem with my seat belt retractor draining my battery & am trying to find a fix. Removing the fuse on my '89 DX also kills the horn and the brake lights. Given that, I don't think simply removing the fuse is a good idea. :dunno:

I may try disabling the electricity to the retractors (if I can figure out how).

If you have any other ideas, let me know and I'll give it a shot.

There are two wiring connectors in the door (under the door panel) that lead to the seat belt solonoids (sp?). Just unplug them at the seat belt assembly and no more battery drain. As far as repairing them, I have no idea how to do that yet. If anyone else knows, please post up

lostforawhile
10-10-2005, 06:03 PM
al honda seatbelts have a lifetime warranty,don't let the dealer tell you otherwise,the recalls never run out,even if they aren't recalled it's still waranted for the life of the car. if they give you crap call honda of north america customer service,i don't have the number off the top of my head,but 800 info has it, they are in california.

3gee
11-08-2010, 02:30 PM
I don't understand what the power to the seatbelt retractors does, I had to unplug them inside the doors to fix my battery drain, just removing the fuse causes the brake lamps and horn to stop functioning.

Xaisk
11-08-2010, 02:54 PM
Hey lost,

All seatbelts have warranty even 3g ones?

If so, can I take my car in there to get them to fix the retractor? also my passenger seatbelt locks but only if you yank it way hard and I dont wanna find out if itll work in an accident.

Vanilla Sky
11-08-2010, 03:43 PM
The seat belts are warrantied against manufacturing defect, not accident damage.

Xaisk
11-08-2010, 04:00 PM
No accident damage done to my seatbelts. Im just saying over time the passenger side one doesnt lock unless jerked HARD, and I dont trust it in the event of an accident. Would that be covered by the warranty?

Just normal wear and tear

Xybris
11-08-2010, 04:18 PM
When I worked at Honda I remember them replacing retractors under warranty on some 80's CRX. From what I remember they are lifetime warranty- if the parts are still available that is.

Xaisk
11-08-2010, 05:11 PM
I might call the dealership up and make them replace em. Seatbelts with working retractors would be great.

gp02a0083
11-08-2010, 06:40 PM
There's a recall on the seat-belts. The dealer should fix them but I think they will try and charge you for it or cop out and say its more then 10 years old.


wp

i got both recalls done for free for my 87 hatch in turners-ville NJ

Dr_Snooz
11-08-2010, 11:09 PM
The seatbelts should also lock during hard cornering. If you want to test them, just take a hard turn.

2oodoor
11-09-2010, 04:50 AM
electric seatbelts.... huh?

is that why all two door 3geez have bummed up paint and door panels from the seat belt staying in the way of the door closing?:ugh2:

I am unaware of any 12v motorized retractors, now im intrigued to investigate.

Xaisk
11-09-2010, 07:18 AM
That probally is it.

I know I have seatbelt retractor fuses in my fuse box which leads me to believe that they are motorized.

Vanilla Sky
11-09-2010, 07:26 AM
The powered retractors are just to lock up the seat belts in a crash. They're not to pull them in after you close your door.

Xaisk
11-09-2010, 07:46 AM
Oh, so the reason it might not retract could just be a broken spring or lack of lubrication? even something blocking it? Im going to take a peek.

Vanilla Sky
11-09-2010, 08:34 AM
Edd Zachary.

import racer
11-09-2010, 11:24 AM
I assume your talking about the coupes from the U.S.Because the canadian ones don't have the belts on the doors.

gp02a0083
11-09-2010, 06:16 PM
The powered retractors are just to lock up the seat belts in a crash. They're not to pull them in after you close your door.

exactly , if u unplug that socket going to the retractor unit , it will lockup

CB Coupe SEi
05-24-2013, 08:08 AM
I can't believe that this thread has been here since 2005 without resolution. I also believe that the book says these are retractor lock solenoids in the retractors. A solenoid is a electro mechanical switch. It is either open or closed (locked or unlocked). I'm sure they can be stuck in one positon or the other. The monitoring system with buzzer and lights is suppose to warn you when they are not working. They (Honda) don't seem to indicate that they defalt to a locked positon when a malfunction happens. We could be unprotected by these belts. They are intended to activate (unlock) when the door is opened (only) allowing the belt to retract. So they should not drain the battery unless the door/doors are left open or a malfunction of the system.
I personally have never seen such a bad design. Along with the fact that the doors could open in a accident throwing you out of the car. It could be that once the solenoid locked the retractor, the seat belts would actually prevent the door from opening, of course the belts would be "squeezing you" in order to do this.
I don't know if we should be taking any fuses out or disabling any part of this system, but I guess if you test it like DR_snooz suggest around hard corners, this may at least assure you they are working. If you have disable them and done this, please confirm that it has worked on your car. Thanks

Oldblueaccord
05-24-2013, 04:11 PM
I went with Schroth harness's and never looked back. I don't think they will work stock the fuse pulled then its just a lap belt. And you are right the mounts being on the door very bad idea.

Dr_Snooz
05-24-2013, 05:11 PM
The belts on the door were to fulfill the new federal mandate for "passive restraints." The idea was that the belts would remain latched at all times, but to let you get out of them, they were mounted on the door instead of the B-pillar. In 1990, they went to the motorized belts that were universally hated. Then they went to air bags, crash cages, ABS, etc. which added a lot of weight and spelled the end of the go-cart feeling that we love about our old Hondas.

I can't speak to the 2g's or sedans, but on the 3g coupes and hatches with door-mounted belts, the electricity is there to prevent the belts from locking when the door is open. As far as I know, once the doors are closed, the belts function mechanically, like any other belt. I can't imagine any engineer in his right mind designing a seat belt that requires electricity to keep people from dying. That's just begging for a giant class action suit. Given that the units have a habit of becoming parasitic drains, unplugging them is probably not a bad idea. At least until one of us opens one up and finds out why they drain.

CB Coupe SEi
05-24-2013, 06:58 PM
I did test them in hard cornering as suggested by Dr_Snooz and they do work (Lockup). I didn't mention that I have opened the mirror mounted warning light/busser and had disconnected the connector there some time ago. I just hadn't thought of the possibility that I may be disconnecting the belt locking solenoid as a result, until I was paging through the factory manual last night. That's when I looked up this post. Come to think of it, I have had battery draining issues in storage until recently buying a oversize AGM battery. I sure don't want to wreck this Battery, so I will do further investigation/disconnection to prevent them from draining.
Do you guys think these belts would keep you in the car in the event of a major crash?

Dr_Snooz
05-25-2013, 09:34 PM
Do you guys think these belts would keep you in the car in the event of a major crash?

I'm not worried about the seat belts, myself. I worry more about the car collapsing onto me. I've seen some of the 3g crash test footage and it's not pretty.