Bonnet (hood) latch stuck

[JJDraper]

It finaaly happened; the bonnet cable nipple pulled off and the cable disappeared into the engine bay.... Any neat ideas on how to open the bonnet with no cable in place?? Any ideas gratefully accepted and tried out..

Jeremy

[Emma-Knight]

Do you see any chance of undoing the four little screws on the bulkhead that are holding the springs? (from under the dash) I fitted mine in a way that I can do so.
You could also try to lever the catches back from the bonnet top. You might be able to push the bonnet forward to get a little more space at the back. (don#t forget to put a thin piece of rubber mat or suitable cloth between paint and lever)

Anna

[john.p.clegg]

Jeremy
On mine the pivot bars are 5" below the bonnetline,the right one 5 1/2" from the curve from the air intake ,the left one 1 1/2" from the curve....

If you have a peice of 1" flat ali you could put a slight bend on it and try to pry the pivots open (they open by moving towards the bulkhead) while applying a little downforce on the bonnet at the catches at the same time.

Good luck

John

[JJDraper]

Thanks for the suggestions, which I tried out in various formats without success... The final suggestion was by my wife,bless her who said "why can't you go get at the latch from inside?" After initially dismissing the idea, and trying the other methods, I looked at the problem again. I unscrewed the bulkhead things that the bonnet latch cable passes through and pushed them out into the engine bay. This leaves enough space to directly access the levers of the latches. I found a length of coat hanger wire (difficult in a house full of plastic hangers), and made a tool like a mini shepherds crook, with a handle to pull back on. This worked really well, and I was able to spring the latches with ease.

Three lessons learnt:

Put a second screwed nipple an inch or so after the main one. This will prevent you pulling the cable through if the main one loosens and slips.

If you have the opportunity, make sure the cable is a couple of inches longer than you really need. This will also help prevent the cable being pulled out. I will pass this on to the supplier of my newish cable (three months, and probably serves me right for not tightening the nipple properly).

Thirdly, the new tool willl join the odds and sods bag for continental trips.

Thanks again for your suggestions, but I think this is the definitive solution (he says modestly).

Jeremy

[john.p.clegg]

Nice one Jeremy!

John