Envoy Seatbelts weird question

[eutechnyx]

Ok so Im having my seats redone in my envoy from the stock grey to an all black,Now my issue right now is finding seatbelts that are black,and I had one guy tell me the seatbelts have a sensor and if u get seat belts without a sensor it will cause the truck to "lockout"? Ive NEVER heard of this so I wanted to ask u guys,also another guy says the seat belts are built into the seat and theres no way to remove them period. Has anyone removed/replaced the seat belts on the seats of an envoy and if so was it hard?

 

[TollKeeper]

Almost all of the seatbelts have sensors in them now. They perform 3 functions. First is to tension the seatbelt during an accident, if your vehicle is equipped that way (I dont think the 360s are). Second is part of a momentum lock (like during a front end collision, however, I beleive these are weighted peices, and not sensors). And 3rd, if you have a black box, to verify you have your seat belt on, in cooperation with a switch in the seat belt latch receiver.

I dont think their was a GMT that was built without the sensor (if equipped).

Black seems to be the common color for the TB SS, and the Denali's. Might help in finding the seatbelts you need. Or you could just take yours out, and get them dyed. But that dye never seems to not rub off onto clothing, especially if they are damp/wet.

 

[eutechnyx]

So do u know if the belts are hard to remove since they have these sensors? How do I know if my truck is "black box equipped"

 

[christo829]

Well, there is a sensor of sorts (just a switch, actually) in the latch portion of the seat belt. It's what activates the seatbelt
light on the dash. Mine failed a long time ago and just seems to assume the seat belt is always latched. Even when it was
flaky, it never prevented me from driving the vehicle. If yours for some reason did, you could always just close the circuit
and leave it that way. I always use the seat belt, so I didn't need the reminder... Mine has an electrical connector below the
latch portion, where it bolts to the seat hinge area, so it's not too tough to get to.

As far as the other seat belt functions, I'll have to look at the shop manuals to get more details. What I was able to locate
in Mooseman's collection of manuals here on GMTN didn't say anything about more electrical functions associated with the
seatbelts, and there's an entire 374 page pdf on the seats, so go ahead and double check those and see what I missed. I
did, admittedly, skim.

I'll come back in after I find the relevant volume (they've gotten scattered around the house) and get more details, but you
might want to hit Mooseman's manuals and see what you can find out.

EDIT: Found the manual: The replacement of the seat belt assembly is all mechanical, outside of the one electrical connector
on the buckle side. The buckle is just a matter of disconnecting that wiring harness and removing the nut.

The retracting portion takes about 12 steps for removal:

-Remove the seat switch bezel
-remove the seat trim panel
-remove the eat belt anchor nut
-remove the screw from the front seat back belt bezel
-slide the bezel off the seat belt
-remove the seat back cover and pad
-remove the seat back panel from the seat back frame
-remove the seat belt from the retractor bracket by sliding the seat belt through the slot
-remove the lower seat belt retractor retaining bolt and nut
-remove the retractor assembly by pulling the push pin from the seat back frame
-remove the seat belt retractor bolt from the bracket and seat back frame
-remove the seat belt retractor bracket from the seat back frame

Install:

-Position seat belt retractor bracket on seat back frame
-install seat belt retractor bracket bolt to the bracket and seat back frame (40 ft lbs)
-Position seat belt retractor assembly on to seat back frame
-install push pin on the seat back retractor to the seat back frame
-install the lower seat belt retractor bolt (40 ft lbs)
-install the seat belt into the retractor bracket by guiding the seat belt through the slot in the bracket
-install the seat back panel to the seat back frame
-install the seat back pad and cover
-slide the front seat back seat belt bezel on to the seat belt
-install the seat belt bezel to the retractor bracket with the screw (53 in lbs)
-Install seat belt anchor to the seat adjuster assembly with the nut. Ensure webbing is not twisted. (38 ft lbs)
-install seat trim panel
-install seat switch panel

That's a digested version of what the Helm manual has for the replacement. The only item associated with the seat belts
electrically works through the switch in the buckle, which communicates with the SIR system and the dash light. As long
as it's closed, you don't lose any safety features.

Good Luck!

Chris

 

[eutechnyx]

THanks man! my only concern the actual seat belt thats connected inside the seat,the actual latch ill more than likely paint black. Im having a hard time finding the black seat belts that go into the seats.

 

[christo829]

Yeah, it's the belt section I figured you'd have the toughest time with, not the buckle. Hopefully the steps I listed above when I edited
my previous post will help you judge the procedure. The manual actually recommends not dying the belts (though whether this is just
to make you buy more belts is open to question). Hopefully you can find something using TollKeeper's suggestion for the TBSS belts.
Not sure how many other vehicles can be cross referenced, but I'll keep my eyes open.

Cheers-

Chris

 

[mrphoenix80]

If you are gonna tear in to the seats the best thing I can suggest is until you have done several is to remove the seat from the truck and put it on a work bench. This way you you can have full access to it without the body in the way. Also the trim lines or seams in the seat are often held in place with one of 2 methods velcro or hog rings(which need special tools). Your in luck here because these seats have the velcro. After you remove the plastic trims you can go after the covers themselves. If you are replacing the covers at the same time take off the seat bottom first it will open up the bottom of the seat back so you can get in easier to unhook the clips. The bottom of the back has a long "J" style clip that holds it together. Then you can fish your hand up in under the cover and release the velco. The hook side is hot glued to the seat foam so use some care or you could tear the foam. The headrests remove by using the button on one post and a pick in the hole of the other then lift them out. The grommet in the seat is different they are about 6 inches long and snap into the seat. Once you get the cover loose you can reach up into the seat and release them. Then you peel the cover off like a tshirt. Then you can see the seat belt assembly and getting it off is easy. And in typical service manual style"Installation is the reverse of removal".
I wish I had so pics to upload as seeing it makes it easier.
And for those that have the hog rings the pliers are cheap(under $20) and then you get the rings in boxes of 50 or 100. Removal is simple to cut them in half with side cutters and remove the pieces.
A couple tips. The seat covers are foam lined and don't like to move over the foam pad, spray silicone works great for this. After you get the cover on I find a good karate chop along the velcos seems to seat them well.

A word of CAUTION the sheet metal in the seats is RAZOR sharp. Gloves will only hinder you I have found so use care. I normally spring at least one leak in a job like this. And blood stains on the seat are not the look you want.