Cleaning seat belt retractors.

[Dirtman]

My seat belts just dangle like an old mans nuts, I tried just giving the belts a thorough cleaning but to no avail. I want to pull the whole retractor out but it looks like the trim panel is just one giant peice that wraps around the entire back of the cab up to the back of the doors and up to the headliner. (09 regular cab). Anyone ever did this on a regular cab truck and how awful is getting that big peice of trim off/out to get to the retractors?

 

[Ranger850]

I'm going to do it , one day. If yours is like mine, there is a Torx bolt holding the retractor to the floor. If you take that loose, you should be able to wrestle the retractor through the seatbelt slot. From there you should be able to do what you want.
Edit: left out the part about the panel is in pieces, it is not one giant piece that wraps around the back of the cab.

 

[Dirtman]

We must have a different setup because my retractor is bolted to the side of the cab behind the panel not the floor, you can't even access the bolt with the panel on and the slot is literally just a slot the size of the seatbelt.

 

[pjtoledo]

they do come off without damaging anything. the Torx bolts can be a challenge.

 

[Ranger850]

Yeah you gotta pull the panel up and out of the way. Seat out would be even better.

 

[Ranger850]

1. Retractor
2. retractor behind panel
3. Where panel stops.
Edit: this is the passenger side, panel stops right behind the seat.