The front seat belts in my 1985 300TD like to "freeze" up in cold weather . Its like the ratchet pawls lock up. I know this must be common as my 300 D also did this. Is there a easy way for a do it yourselfer to lube something here ? I have the CD for but car but thought I would ask first.

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David McDonald
1985 300D (wrecked)
1985 300TD

The 1985 W123 cars have restraint system belt retractors just like cars with air bags, have they been tripped due to wreck? There is a RS on the belt to show that it has this system.

MB Doc you said, There is a RS on the belt to show that it has this system.

What do you mean ? Where is it ? My car has never been hit in the front, only a little tap on the back bumper. My seat belts work fine when it is warm or hot outside. Only when it is cold do they lock up.



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David McDonald
1985 300D (wrecked)
1985 300TD

Seat Belt Stuck
 

I wanted to bring this up again and clarify my earlier question. My driver's side belt will occasionally lock up when cold and then free up when the interior warms up. The passenger belt works fine so I do not believe the car restraint system itself is locking the belts. Either the pawl and ratchet is worn or the lubricant is old and dried up and more affected by cold. Is this a DIY job to lube ? How can I access the mechanism ? Is it on the CD ?

You must remove the "B" pillar trim between the doors to access the seat belt .

Two Phillips head screws at base of pillar trim and then pull trim out at bottom and then down. Is there specific lube points that you need to hit? My '85 300D has the same problem once in awhile. After pulling on the belt for some time it will release but it can be a pain in the rear. I noticed that it seems to take me longer to get "unstuck" each time, so I want to try to nip it in the bud before it gets really "stuck".

MB DOC, If it is a RS belt and tripped, what should I do to reset it?

David

My seatbelts do the same thing, please let me know whats the fix if you find out. It gets annoying after a while.

Looks like I've been hit by this bizzare seat belt problem too.

Wife notified me tonight. Said it fixed itself. Happened again tonight except on the passenger side.

I'd love to get some more info on this.

Donnie, can you elaborate any more on this issue? Is this something you've seen before?

I ended up changing the whole selt belt mechanism, you can't repair or reset. Mine was just worn out after years of use. It can't be shipped by UPS due to hazardous issues. You'll have to buy from a dealer unless you can find a mail order that will do the Fed Ex hazardous shipping. (That's how dealers get theirs)

Hazardous issues???:confused:

what the heck is hardardous about a seat belt mechanism?

Approx. how much do these things cost?

Chris
'85 300SD

the 1985's have electrically fired pyro's that retract the seat belt ! the list is about $300 I think.