NOW you tell me.  Where were you last night?  :)

BTW, before I reinserted the belt I wound the inertia reel a couple of
turns tighter than it was previously.  This to make up for the loss of
spring-a-tude over the past 30 years in the mechanism.  The belts now
retract nicely all the way.  I'm SO happy.

On 12/30/2010 6:20 AM, Mike wrote:
> It's controlled by a pendulum. Any acceleration/ deceleration/ hard
> leans left or right will also lock up the reel.
> This is how all seatbelt mechanisms have worked since they first
> installed inertia reels in production vehicles (since around 1972 or so).
>
> Mike B.
>
> -----Original Message----- From: Bret Berger
> Sent: Thursday, December 30, 2010 2:06 AM
> To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
> Subject: Pro Tip - Vanagon Seat Belt Inertia Reel
>
> For some future helpless sap to find via Google.
>
> I just spent an hour trying to unwind a the seat belt off an inertia
> reel on my 1982 diesel Westfalia which I had removed to lubricate and
> wash the seat belt. The reel will NOT unwind unless it is oriented the
> same way it is mounted in the van! That makes sense... keeps the
> (belted) occupant strapped in while the Vanagon is upside down.
>
> BTW, after washing the seat belts in my (front load) washing machine and
> giving the inertia reel mechanisms a very light squirt of (non WD-40)
> lubricant they work like a charm.
>
> Bret in St. George, Utah