Clunk no click

Body parts, seats, dash, headlining, windows and stuff!

Moderator: Board Moderators

Post Reply
BillB
Regular Poster
Posts: 125
Joined: Sat Sep 01, 2007 16:51
Model: Excel SE
Colour: Silver
Year: 1990
Location: Camberley, Surrey

Clunk no click

Post by BillB »

The driver's side seat belt buckle refuses to hold on to the belt.
Has anyone found a source for a buckle with the warning contact? I'm not keen to have a used one.
I can't find anything the right length (27cm) and most come without contacts - including the ones SJSportscars sell according to their pictures.
I'm guessing that the warning light is an MoT item.

Bill

User avatar
bash
Senior Poster
Posts: 2210
Joined: Thu Nov 03, 2005 15:34
Model: Se, V8
Colour: white
Year: 1986
Location: Doncaster
Contact:

Re: Clunk no click

Post by bash »

Its usually because they get full of fluff and debris not because its worn out. If you take it to pieces I would bet that the holding spring is clogged up, a clean with some brake or carb cleaner and a squirt of wd40 should get you sorted at no cost.

Bash
Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I'm not sure about the universe.

User avatar
Hawaiis0
Senior Poster
Posts: 4130
Joined: Sun Jun 30, 2013 18:39
Model: Excel SA (No 3); Elite 504
Colour: BRG; Dirty White
Year: 1986
Location: West Oxfordshire

Re: Clunk no click

Post by Hawaiis0 »

BillB wrote:
Thu Mar 04, 2021 12:19
.....
I'm guessing that the warning light is an MoT item.

Bill
Not sure if it is but I would follow your assumption. However, it can be easily be cobbled to bypass for an MOT test
Nothing is fool proof. Fools are clever!

BillB
Regular Poster
Posts: 125
Joined: Sat Sep 01, 2007 16:51
Model: Excel SE
Colour: Silver
Year: 1990
Location: Camberley, Surrey

Re: Clunk no click

Post by BillB »

Thanks for your thoughts.
This is now resolved.
The buckle was broken, the catch mechanism has a very delicate pivot between 2 plastic parts that had failed after 30 years.
I couldn't find any wire stalks with contacts so I got a pair of rigid buckles, about 100mm shorter.
Https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B08MQF4ZC3

They're designed to go on a seat frame so I straightened out the bend closest to the bolt eye and connected up the wires on the driver's side. I added a thick washer as the bolt eye is larger than required.
Works well for a rectangular belt tongue with a rectangular hole, not sure whether all our cars have these.

As an aside Securon list a belt 500/15EL for all our cars but the buckle design appears different and that's a rigid stalk as well

Bill

User avatar
Alan_M
Senior Poster
Posts: 1122
Joined: Sat Aug 12, 2017 01:17
Model: Excel SE, Excel SA, Elan SE
Colour: Red, red, white
Location: South Wales

Re: Clunk no click

Post by Alan_M »


TAR
Regular Poster
Posts: 132
Joined: Thu Apr 28, 2016 22:21
Model: Elite Type 75
Colour: blue
Location: Buckinghamshire

Re: Clunk no click

Post by TAR »

I'd be very suspicious of cheap stock from China. I would want correctly type approved fixings.

Hope you find something suitable. :)

Osku
Regular Poster
Posts: 148
Joined: Mon Mar 04, 2019 18:23

Re: Clunk no click

Post by Osku »

Have you contacted the manufacturer or are they bankrupt?
Usually seatbelts are made by big companys for all the cars in the world.

BillB
Regular Poster
Posts: 125
Joined: Sat Sep 01, 2007 16:51
Model: Excel SE
Colour: Silver
Year: 1990
Location: Camberley, Surrey

Re: Clunk no click

Post by BillB »

The ones I got from Amazon are made in China but do appear to have all the type approval markings on them so fingers crossed....

The wire stalk one from eBay probably would fit but I wanted to use the car before Easter 😁 and not tangle with customs.

As for the complete belts, the only thing that's Lotus about them is the sticker on the box.

Bill

Post Reply