auto seat belts!

[johnboi85]

ok so my seatbelts have been acting funny lately. most of the time, when i open my door, my belts retract, but up until now they haven't been working properly. sometimes they just stay there w/ the door wide open. what could cause this? thanks in advance

-jon from hawaii

[GoT_DaT_Mx3_Se]

you should check the home page under "recalls". there is a recall on the automatic seatbelts... it should tell you what you need to know to get it fixed. ive already had mine worked on once due to the same problems. hope this helps

[large member]

Both my automatic seat belts failed i went to my dealership and they said they can't fix it under a recall because of a salvage title so i mickey moused it

[PlatinumTLC]

Mine has a salvage title and they fixed both for free.

[hgallegos915]

hmm so the dealer fixes them?? I got a 92 gs.and they wont even move..they are stuck in the closed position, I just slip em on.

[bubbaflaat]

mine haven't worked since I got the car a year ago.. I just don't use umm. Closest mazda dealer is 100 miles away.. and i'm lasey.

[bubbaflaat]

i took the fuse out too, cause with it in. they click all the time. They don't move just click.

[Gro Harlem]

convert to manual seatbelts & save 15ish lbs.

My manual belts rule

[psyense82]

if mine were manual.. i wouldnt wear em. thats why i like mine. my passenger sides been acting up... its funny watching people get choked when getting out, lol. i find if u just close the door, and reopen it, they work. either that, or mine will go after like 30 secs.

[johnboi85]

how do you go about an auto to manual seatbelt change? what do you need?

[Gro Harlem]

A repost from this thread:
http://www.mx-3.com/ubb/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=15;t=004266#000000

just installed my manual seatbelts today b/c my old drivers belt was shredding and I figured I'd just convert to manual belts anyways b/c the poewr belts are so annoying. I also weighed all the parts and figured out how much weight I saved.

First lemme write a checklist of what you need if you want to do this conversion.

Parts you need from donor car:
-Left & Right A pillar plastic trim
-Left & Right B pillar plastic trim
-Left & Right seatbelt reels w/anchors
-Left & Right seatbelt latchs off of both seats (important!!)
-Center console (the part that covers the Ebrake) WITH the bracket that holed it to the floor (this is important)
-Passenger side "O Sh** handle".
-Headliner
-cut peice of black carpet out from donor car (to cover where the lapbelt panels went)

I pulled my belts from a teal 95 RS which didn't have a sunroof, so I just reupholstered my headliner stretching the fabric around where the old A pilar trim covered. It looks fine and you can't tell. If you can find a 94-96 model with the proper headliner, you might as well pull it if you want it to look right. I have yet to get a center console b/c the one in the car I pulled my belts from was cracked and scratched up too much. I paid a total of $21 w/tax for all 4 trim peices, and both seatbelt assemblies.


Steps for removing your auto-seatbelts:
-A pillar trim
-B pillar trim
-rear lower panel (don't have to remove, just pop it out enough so you can get a wrench to remove the seatbelt assembly)
-power seatbelt reel assembly (1 x 16mm lower bolt, 1 x 10mm upper bolt for the assembly, then there are 2 8mm and 5 10mm holding the reel itself to the frame of the car)
-lapbelt reel (2 x philips screws & 2 x 17mm bolts)
-repeat these steps for other side
-remove center console (4 x philips screws)
-remove shoulder belt reels (2 x 12mm bolts)
-remove lower shoulder belt bracket (2 x 10mm nuts & 4 hex screws)
-remove power seatbelt brainbox under drivers seat(2 x 10mm bolts)

Instaling the new belts:
-bolt up seatbelt assembly behind rear panel first, then bolt the top anchor through the B pillar trim & finally bolt the lower anchor to the carpet (you will need to cut a peice out to do this)
-cover void where lapbelt reels were with carpet you cut out of donor car
-install headliner
-pop in B pillar trim
-pop in A pillar trim

Your done!!

Now for weight savings

Old belts weighed:

-Each reel/motor assmembly = 5.25 lbs.
-Each lapbelt reel assembly = 1.75 lbs.
-Center shoulder belt reels = 3.50 lbs. (together)
-Power seatbelt "brainbox" = 0.50 lbs.
--------------------------------------------------
Total for both sides = 18 lbs.

New Belts weigh:
-Seatbelt assembly w/bolts and anchors (all one peice = 3 lbs. each
--------------------------------------------------
Total for both sides = 6 lbs.

Total amount of weight savings: ~12 lbs. + the added perk of getting rid of those POS power belts!!

[Ricksmx3]

I took mine to my dealer and they checked my vin # and said that the recall has already been used on my car and would have to pay this time for them to fix it. Is this true or should they fix them anyway?

[heavenzjai]

I'm having the same problem as some of ya. my driver side, wouldnt move and would just click, click....
So I pulled out the motor of it, and checked everything. seems to be working fine w/o resistance, but when hooked up, something was acting up. couldnt figure it out, so I put the clip at the end, and unpluged the power for the motor. I think I had the recall done when I bought it, and dont think theyll fix it. Ill give local maz'dealer a ring and see if they'll fix it for free (crosses fingers)

[waterdrop]

Seems we should as for another 12 years warranty on the belts. The engine is perfect, belt sucks big time.
Q:
1. How much does the auto repair (per door) cost if I have to replace it?

2. Same if I just have to replace the retracting mechanism (the motor still clicks).

3. How much does the manual conversion COST?

4. How much TIME does the manual conversion take to a non-mechanic with reasonable home (non-auto)mechanics capabilities?

[Gro Harlem]

i spent about 40-50 on the manual conversion parts....but i have a really nice pick-it-pull-it yourself type of yard. If you had to pay for the parts pre-pulled they would probably cost much more.

Good thing is i turned around and sold all of the automatic seatbelt parts on ebay for over 100 dollars so i ended up making money.

As for installing, i don't think its hard at all. As long as you an assortment of metric sockets and a screwdriver anyone could do the conversion easily. The stuff is just bolt-in and the a & b pillar panels pry off and pop out