engine and drivetrain Ckeck this out!!!

[dansacto13]

Whow!!! My 74' never stops amazing me. This was driving me crazy since I bought the car 4 months ago. Actually, I realize now that , because of this, I may have be the reason of the fire I got last month.

Let me feel you in; When I first bought the car, just like any other old car, the car had several things that needed attention, mostly maintenance and cosmetics. However, the one thing that was ' unknowing' was the fact that the car would not start up sometimes. Everything would go 'dead'. You would turn the key and the lights on the board would light up but the engine would not turn over. Similar to what happens when your coil gets too hot, you have to let the car seat for a awhile and it will start.

Well, one of those times I tried to 'jump' the starter by running my jumper cables directly from the battery to the starter. I just wanted the dam thing to start. I ended up 'overloading' the system somewhere, so 20 mins later the car caught on fire at a light.

A month later, after all has been fixed, I still had that problem. BUT TODAY I JUST FOUND THE CAUSE!!! AND YOU WILL NOT BELIEVE IT.

MY CAR HAS A 'WEIGHT CONTROL SWITCH' UNDER BOTH SEATS THAT WILL STOP THE CAR FROM STARTING. I don't know if this was put in as a 'unti-theft' feature or what. I doubt that you all have it....right? This car is 40 yrs old, for god's sake!!!

It has some wires and sensors connected to a switch. when you seat on either seat (the driver's was disconnected) it activates it and the car won't start. The funny thing is that because only the passenger side was connected everytime my wife would come with me for a ride the car would not start...she then would get out and the car would start right up....we were laughing so hard, but also could not explain it.

So today I run into the passenger switch by accident and disconnected it and the car starts right up, every time. I think I will keep it from my wife a little longer just to frick her up!!! Ja-ja-ja

My problem now is that I don't know how to control it. I don't have a 'key' or any other way of 'deactivating it' without having to 'manually' separate the cables.

There you go.....what do you all think......please don't tell me now that you all have this...I'll kill myself.

Cheers,

Dan

[c.d.iesel]

don't kill yerself

all those "SEAT BELT INTERLOCK" systems were

disconnected 38 years a go - guess your car

was hiding when the call went out?!

the right seat might have something to do

with underpants ?

[williamggruff]

It's a seat belt control function. If you have weight on the seat, and the seat belt isn't recognized as being connected, the motor won't start. Perhaps yours is malfunctioning, or improperly connected, or you're not wearing your seat belts.

[Johnson]

Interesting. I never would have thought that these cars would have had something like that. Crazy Germans.....

[dbmw2002]

welcome to the 70s, have always thought these switches only controlled a buzzer and light on dashboard, never thought of it being wired as a kill switch, news to me but am new to thinkin like a German

[OriginalOwner]

in my '74tii none of that stuff was hooked up. The wires are there, nothing was connected. Maybe the dealer did it. Or maybe I disconnected everything and don't remember doing so.

Cheers,

Carl

[TobyB]

our '74 Datsun 710 had that bug.

Stupid thing didn't work for beans- sometimes it tripped for no reason,

others it didn't trip, sometimes it didn't know if the seatbelt was fastened...

God help you if you set something on the passenger seat, or the passenger

bounced up and down.

Makes airbags look like sheer genius. Which, in fact, they almost are.

Of course, they were developed for the second World War, just took a

few weeks to stick 'em in cars, and a day or two more to get 'em working

right...

Ah, progress... Pretty soon we'll have antilock brakes, like were developed

in the '50's...

t

[dansacto13]

Well fellow 02's !! I feel better now knowing that I was not the only one struggling with this. Although I have to admit that when I found out what it was I felt pretty stupid.

I held it from my wife as long as I could, she was almost in tears as the car would start every time as soon as she got out, but I finally had to tell her because she was about to kick the doors. She's not talking to me now!!!!

Anyway, I think mine are not working correctly. I can not pull my seat belt regardless if the system is connected or not. I have it all disconnected now so I can start the car. I have been driving without my seat belt, so I need advice on what to do. Hopefully there is a place where the whole system can be 'disable'. It's a shame because you could use it as an 'anti-theft' device. This cars are very easy to open.

Thanks again for all your replies.

Cheers,

Dan,

[bnam]

Not being able to pull out the seat belt is not related to the seat belt interlock. That's a seat belt reel issue.

Byas

[bluedevils]

....I can not pull my seat belt regardless if the system is connected or not. I have it all disconnected now so I can start the car. I have been driving without my seat belt, so I need advice on what to do. Hopefully there is a place where the whole system can be 'disable'. It's a shame because you could use it as an 'anti-theft' device. This cars are very easy to open.

Thanks again for all your replies.

Cheers,

Dan,

Your rusted and old Repa or Autoflug retractor is the problem. Get a new pair from BMW, nice but on the expensive side although you can't put a price tag on safety. Unfortunately, many (except a few good man) of FAQers are cheap and they would rather spend money on rims and sport suspension and other cosmetic crap than safety. It is a fact.

[Johnson]

Hey, bluedevils, is there a way to repair these retractors if they aren`t totally gone? My `70 has had inertia reels retrofitted into it up front, and mine is just starting to stick on occasion. I would rather fix it now if I can, but if not then I will get a hold of a new pair and swap them when I can.

Thanks,

Jake

[Conserv]

welcome to the 70s, have always thought these switches only controlled a buzzer and light on dashboard, never thought of it being wired as a kill switch, news to me but am new to thinkin like a German

The seatbelt interlock system wasn't a German thing, wasn't a Japanese thing; it was a U.S. Federal thing. All cars sold in the U.S. we're mandated by law to have it. It began around '73 but was rescinded a couple years later, I believe, due to widespread disdain for the system -- that, and everyone un-plugged it!

You would see lots of cars during this period with the front shoulder harnesses buckled all the time. The driver and passenger would simply sit ON the harness!

Steve

[Palindrome]

My '74 just has dead-end wires under the seats.

The seat-based engine kill switch is common (required?) on riding mowers. Makes perfect sense there given the spinning blade at ankle height.

[bluedevils]

Hey, bluedevils, is there a way to repair these retractors if they aren`t totally gone? My `70 has had inertia reels retrofitted into it up front, and mine is just starting to stick on occasion. I would rather fix it now if I can, but if not then I will get a hold of a new pair and swap them when I can.

Thanks,

Jake

Depends on the brand. Technically, they should be all replaced since they are safety items. Some Autflug brand retractors can be refurbished. Repa brand is more difficult if not impossible. I simply replace them with high-quality Autoliv retractors or late model BMW spec Autoflug or Repa retractors from 3,5, or 7 series cars (made in 1990s to 2000s) because they are very good and still work. Webbing is also the problem as it gets thicker putting extra stress on the winding and gimbal mechanisms. Please email me if you need a seat belt job,we will work something out without braking the bank.Just don't put shitty Chinese belts in your car because they are cheap.New belts from BMW are really nice but $$$$.

[c.d.iesel]

cont. .............. here it is

in all it's glory-=>