seat belt tensioner?

[BerniniCaCO3]

Bought a "new" car, 1989 grand marquis, and the driver's seat belt is fickle about retracting.
Is this a replacement item (i.e., the fix, is to replace)? If so, where the hech do I find one? Tried rockauto and ebay without fortune.
Or is it something serviceable? I've actually never looked at a seat belt tensioner, but I figured it was toothed cams and a spring somewhere.

[BerniniCaCO3]

by the way, I prefer new parts only on the theory that if it broke on my car, it will have broken or is going to break in the near future, off a junkyard car.
But if this seat belt tensioner that doesn't want to retract, is not broken or guaranteed to break in the future on every 1989 grand marquis, then I'll go to the junkyard.

[marquisman]

sounds like the spring inside is wore and binding. best way to make sure. remove the trim peice covering the retractor and observe its operation, also check for obstruction. j/yis your best bet unfourtunatly. also, you can sometimes NOS stuff on ebay but, color might be wrong.

[turbo2256b]

It could have something to do with the acuator cable. Its plunger is located in the door jam. The cable attached to it is part of the seat belt assembly and isnt servaceable its part of the seat belt/retractor assembly. Sometimes the seat belt itself gets twisted inside the trim pannel that covers the door jam area. Its a pain to twist the belt back and through the belt guide. The cover has to be removed to see this. Also the retractor iit self can be freed up and oiled a bit. What causes the belt to lock in an accdent is a little pengulem thingy at the bottom of the retractor. If its the cable like mine did the plunger broke and well 2 doors are unique but the same setup. I had to cut the cable and jam something in it to push the cabe into the casing to retract and lock properly. It would then work like when the door is opened at all times.