I know it's stupid to ask...........pillar post........

[Toploader]

But on the bottom of the lock pillar post on my Tudor is a large black plastic button, (both doors) what in the world is this button for?
I honestly lever noticed those buttons before:-(

[WagonMan]

Its to engage the ratcheting gear in the seat belt mechanism. WagonMan

[kishy]

Its to engage the ratcheting gear in the seat belt mechanism. WagonMan

To expand upon this:

It is to "undo" or release the comfort feature where you can pull the belt out a few inches and have it not retract, which was widely considered to be a massive safety defect in cars so-equipped.

The button is released when the door opens, which causes the seatbelt to quickly retract all the way back into the mechanism, so (in theory) you won't leave it hanging out the door. If your seatbelt mechanism is at all slow to retract, you won't really see it happen though.

[Toploader]

The button on the passenger side goes in and out, the one on the drivers side is stuck in, tried to pull it out but seems to be frozen in the in position. Should I order a new switch? If so what do I ask for?

To expand upon this:

It is to "undo" or release the comfort feature where you can pull the belt out a few inches and have it not retract, which was widely considered to be a massive safety defect in cars so-equipped.

The button is released when the door opens, which causes the seatbelt to quickly retract all the way back into the mechanism, so (in theory) you won't leave it hanging out the door. If your seatbelt mechanism is at all slow to retract, you won't really see it happen though.

[kishy]

It's integral with the seatbelt retractor, it all comes out of the car as one piece from the inside.

I suspect it's probably the sort of thing you could take apart and get eyes on to see if it can be home-refurbished, maybe part of it just needs lubrication. I have one of those seatbelt retractors in the garage so I'll try to grab a pic of it next time I'm out there.

[Toploader]

You mean that black button that is at the bottom of the lock pillar post is somehow attached via wires to the retractor behind the rear window molding?

It's integral with the seatbelt retractor, it all comes out of the car as one piece from the inside.

I suspect it's probably the sort of thing you could take apart and get eyes on to see if it can be home-refurbished, maybe part of it just needs lubrication. I have one of those seatbelt retractors in the garage so I'll try to grab a pic of it next time I'm out there.

[kishy]

Except in the very early cars, there is one retractor for each seatbelt (early ones have two; the lap belt has a separate retractor visible beside the seat). The front shoulder belt retractirs are mounted low on the B-pillar, directly behind the button you're referring to. This is the same for all body styles.

[Toploader]

Thank you!!!

[gadget73]

Its got a cable mechanism if you pull the pillar trim off. Possible this has gone rusty, or maybe its just jammed. One of mine was stuck and it had a dirt dauber nest built around part of the retractor. Knocking that out and shooting some oil in the cable got it free.

[kishy]

Pulled from, IIRC, a 1985 Mercury.

If the 2-door is different than the 4-door, I'm not aware of it. I've never had mine apart that much.

[Brown_Muscle]

To expand upon this:

It is to "undo" or release the comfort feature where you can pull the belt out a few inches and have it not retract, which was widely considered to be a massive safety defect in cars so-equipped.

.

I had no idea that it was SUPPOSED to do this. Ive always HATED how it will only retract tight against you if you pull on it hard, or open the door... Definitely a safety defect

[DerekTheGreat]

LoL I'm the opposite, I want that M'er-F'er as tight as possible. I'm always pulling the belt away enough to get it to retract against me tight.

[kishy]

Yeah, it's intentional. It's bone-headed design, though. https://www.nytimes.com/1988/10/22/s...or-lethal.html

American manufacturers say that in 1976, to increase the comfort and thus the use of lap-shoulder belts, they introduced devices to relieve the tension that shoulder belts exert on the torso. The devices automatically loosen the shoulder belt as a person leans forward or sideways, and locks in the extended position when there is a pause in body movement. Thus a passenger can involuntarily introduce several inches of slack into the belt. Lap-shoulder belts on foreign cars also slacken to permit passenger movement, but those belts automatically retract any slack.

Government crash tests in 1982 indicated that even an inch of slack -the maximum American automobile makers recommend - increased the likelihood of head injuries by more than 40 percent in a 30-mile-an-hour frontal collision.

''With more than an inch of slack, the belt can slip off the shoulder in a crash and result in massive head injuries and possibly death,'' said Mr. Biss, the safety consultant.

That being said, the use of a seatbelt with slack is still preferable over not using one at all as it prevents you being ejected from the car and keeps you approximately situated correctly in the car during a collision, but the slack increases the risk of injury over that found when using belts without slack. The interpretation of these stats is interesting. It is possible that, wearing no belt at all, your risk of head injuries specifically might be much lower, but your risk of immediate death from internal organ damage could be significantly higher.

OP - if the mechanism is working, with the button pushed in, your seatbelt is permanently in the ratcheting slack mode. This presents two issues: one, convenience, because the belt is hard to convince to retract properly, and two, safety, if you cannot get it to tension properly.

[sly]

I always contemplated removing that mechanism (catch gear) from the Mad Marquis... but never got around to it.

[DerekTheGreat]

Annnd that 40% increase in injury is why I like the F'er tight. Me undermahstands phisiks slightly...