Okay you people!! Nautilus Installation Questions in '01 Grand Caravan

Baylor · Oct 26, 2010

Now I am losing my mind. I had installed the Nautilus in the rear seat with the belt. Then in searching online it said not to install with lap belt. So I moved DS6 to the driver side most rear and installed with shoulder belt.
Here is my issue.

I had to remove the headrest on the seat.. the bench seat not his seat. If I don't it leaves about 4 inches of open air because it tilts forward toward the seat.

If that makes sense.. Can someone please let me know what is right before I have to drive my children anywhere??!!

aeormsby · Oct 26, 2010

Re: Okay you people!!

What vehicle? I've never heard of the Nautilus not allowing a lap belt installation.

And removing the vehicle headrest is often needed to get a better install, I do it in my Outlook. Especially with a seat like the Nautilus that needs full contact with the vehicle seat.

jnamommy · Oct 26, 2010

Re: Okay you people!!

Where did you find that you could not install it with a lap belt? There is nothing wrong with a lapbelt install on a carseat (and usually, it is easier). The Nautilius manual provides directions for a seatbelt install as well.

And removing your car headrest is not a problem - we have to do that in one of our vehicles as well.

carseatcoach · Oct 26, 2010

Re: Okay you people!!

Installation with lap belt (and preferably top tether) is fine. Installation with lap/shoulder belt and no vehicle headrest is also fine.

monstah · Oct 26, 2010

Re: Okay you people!!

Are you using it harnessed or as a booster? How much does the child weigh?

As a booster, it must have a shoulder belt. That's probably where the confusion comes from.

With the harness, a lap belt is fine. Do you have top tethers?

Baylor · Oct 26, 2010

Re: Okay you people!!

Okay I am good then with the headrest thing. When I was researching my seat according to NHTSA site..

http://www.nhtsa.gov/nhtsa_eou/info.jsp?type=combination&i=76

To be honest.. I was not feeling good about the lap belt install. It was tight but I just did not like it.

I am reading it again now thinking they are talking about only using a lap belt for the booster part of the seat..

He has a good fit now on that side.. I wasw worried about the headrest though.

Baylor · Oct 26, 2010

Re: Okay you people!!

He uses the harness. He is 6 and 52 lbs. Slender tall kid. I just made him sit in it again to make sure the red shoulder strap guides were in the right place.

It is tethered in the back.

wendytthomas · Oct 26, 2010

Re: Okay you people!!

The red guides don't mean anything harnessed. The headrest needs to be above the slot the straps go through. If that puts the red guides well above his shoulders, so be it. Those are the booster guides.

You definitely can install with lap belt only, preferably with a tether.

Wendy

Baylor · Oct 26, 2010

Re: Okay you people!!

wendytthomas said:
The red guides don't mean anything harnessed. The headrest needs to be above the slot the straps go through. If that puts the red guides well above his shoulders, so be it. Those are the booster guides.

You definitely can install with lap belt only, preferably with a tether.

Wendy

Hmm That is not what the video I watched said.. It said to keep those at shoulder height.

Baylor · Oct 26, 2010

Re: Okay you people!!

In case you were wondering.. yes this is making me nuts.. lol... Get one thing right another thing wrong.. Move one thing and you start all over!

wendytthomas · Oct 26, 2010

Re: Okay you people!!

Yes, within reason, and generally. However, if that pulls the headrest down over the slots the harness is going through, or covers them at all, it needs to go up. According to Graco, and it makes sense. If you have the headrest over the harness, then the harness will kink, and it may not work properly (I'm assuming that the rollers on the back of the Nautilus work just fine, but maybe that's why they need rollers, not just go over. I don't know).

Also, make sure his shoulders are below the top slot height. If they're above he needs to move to the booster. You say he's tall and slender, but you don't say if the height is in his torso or legs.

Wendy

Baylor · Oct 26, 2010

Re: Okay you people!!

He is good strap height. I check that each time we get in the car. And I just ran out to check and the headrest is above both boys straps.

WHHHOEEWWWW...

Oh and of course I pick my son up from school and there are kids jumping in cars with no belts whatsover... NICE.

Baylor · Oct 26, 2010

Re: Okay you people!!

oh and it is a Grand Caravan 2001. One thing I can say is it has anchors everywhere. I have 5 for each rear position.

Baylor · Oct 26, 2010

Re: Okay you people!!

Wendy, I am sorry. I think he is leggy.. He is in the top strap position with room to grow still.
Sorry I am answering in spurts.. with both kids home.. It gets nuts!

Baylor · Oct 26, 2010

Re: Okay you people!!

Can some one explain what a proper lap belt install would look like? It is the kind of lap belt with the hard cover on it. A slide...

wendytthomas · Oct 26, 2010

Re: Okay you people!!

That's called a locking latchplate.

You route the belt through the belt path, buckle it in, and pull tight. That's it. If you're having trouble getting it tight, pull back the cover and pull the tail back though the belt path. And/or twist the female end down up to three full twists to lower it away from the edge of the belt path.

Wendy

Baylor · Oct 26, 2010

Re: Okay you people!!

Here is my question about it. When looking at installing it online it said to make sure it was lying flat to be locked. That when it is bent that is what I allows the belt to slide. WHen locking it in and tightening the seat, I noticed that it actually lies against the GN and bends as it goes in..
Does that make sense?

BookMama · Oct 26, 2010

Re: Okay you people!!

Wendy has given you some great responses today. :thumbsup: As she said, a lapbelt install is (usually) super easy. Just thread the lapbelt through the beltpath, buckle, and pull tight until you have less than 1" movement in any direction.

Another board-related tip: It's usually best to make your thread titles a little more descriptive of the content. Something like "Need Nautilus install help" or "Questions about removing vehicle headrest" might get more people to read it, as well as generating more meaningful responses than "Okay you people!!" :twocents:

BookMama · Oct 26, 2010

Re: Okay you people!!

Baylor said:
Here is my question about it. When looking at installing it online it said to make sure it was lying flat to be locked. That when it is bent that is what I allows the belt to slide. WHen locking it in and tightening the seat, I noticed that it actually lies against the GN and bends as it goes in..
Does that make sense?

If you twist the buckle stalk as Wendy described, it should pull the buckle away from the belt path enough that it will lay flat.

Baylor · Oct 26, 2010

Re: Okay you people!!

That is okay? I will try it.. I am all seat belted out today..

As for the title is was meant to be humorous.. kind of like.. HEY YOU GUYS!! From the Electric Company or.. Susan Pouters STOP THE INSANITY...

Sorry if you thought I was yelling at people..

Okay you people!! Nautilus Installation Questions in '01 Grand Caravan

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