Operation CHARM: Car repair manuals for everyone.

Service Procedure





1. Pull the affected seat belt more than 20 inches (500 mm) out of the B pillar seat belt retractor mechanism (see Figure 2).

2. Attach a binder clip (or similar clamping device) to the seat belt at the base of the retractor mechanism to allow for slack in the seat belt (see Figure 2).

CAUTION:
Be careful not to damage the seat belt fabric when attaching or removing the clip.





3. Insert the "D" ring cleaning wire (provided in the kit listed in the PARTS INFORMATION section of this bulletin) under the seat belt, between the belt and the "D" ring (see Figure 3).





4. Pull the wire back and forth across the surface of the "D" ring, sliding it over all areas of the "D" ring where it contacts the seat belt (see Figure 4) until all residue is removed.

NOTE:
It is very important to remove all residue build up from the "D" ring before the following steps of the procedure are completed. Failure to remove all residue buildup will result in poor adhesion of the fluorine resin tape.





5. Peel off the top (smaller) backing sheet from one of the two fluorine resin tape sections provided in the kit (see Figure 5).





6. Place the fluorine resin tape (adhesive side toward you) against the seat belt (as shown in Figure 6A).

NOTE:
The top section of the tape, from which the backing sheet was peeled off in step 5, should be placed so that it is pointing down toward the floor of the vehicle. The unexposed bottom section of the tape should be pointing up toward the ceiling of the vehicle (see Figure 6A).





7. Pull on the top of the seat belt to roll the tape up and around the "D" ring (see Figure 6B). The unexposed bottom section of the tape will be pulled through and hang over the top of the "D" ring (see Figure 6B).





8. As the top section of the adhesive-exposed tape rolls up to the "D" ring, center and smooth the tape around the back side of the "D" ring (see Figure 6B above and Figure 7).

NOTE:
Once the fluorine resin tape is applied to the "D" ring, it cannot be repositioned. Take care to properly attach the tape to the "D" ring. Center the tape correctly on the "D" ring and smoothly apply it to the "D" ring surface in these procedural steps so that no wrinkles or ridges are present.

Wrinkles or ridges in the tape may prevent the seat belt from moving smoothly through the "D" ring. Replace the tape with a new piece if this should occur.

9. Run your finger over the surface of the newly applied tape to firmly apply it to the back side of the "D" ring, press down the edges of the tape, and smooth out any air bubbles or wrinkles see Figure 7).





10. Peel off the remaining, unexposed bottom section of the tape backing (see Figure 8A).





11. Carefully apply the tape around the remainder of the "D" ring. Take care to apply the tape so that no wrinkles are present. Press down the edges of the tape (see Figure 8B).





12. Pull the seat belt back and forth against the tape-covered "D" ring to ensure that the tape is firmly applied (see Figure 9).

13. Remove the binder clip from the seat belt.

14. Confirm that the seat belt moves smoothly and quickly through the "D" ring by latching and unlatching it and allowing it to retract back into the retractor mechanism several times.

15. Repeat steps 1 through 14 on the remaining front seat belt.