Jump to content

help - bonnet stuck


Recommended Posts

Really annoyed with myself :angry: & car (although only temporary). Yesterday I adjusted the bonnet catch because the bonnet kept popping up whenever I went out for a run. Having adjusted it I decided to road test it again; I chose the bumpiest roads I could find and to my joy the bonnet stayed put. I got the car back and immediatly went to check that everything under the bonnet was as should be AND was 'slightly disappointed' that I could no longer open the bonnet. I think the bonnet release cable may be caught as it dosen't seem to pull as it used to. I've had a friend push the bonnet as I pull at the cable but nothing happens. Short of cutting a hole in the bonnet(I'm not doing that) I am now stuck. Help would be greatly appreciated.

 

thanks, an anxious Richard awaighting a miracle or a very very small human who can crawl into my engine compartment...

Link to post
Share on other sites

If you are very lucky you might find that banging on the bonnet in the area of the catch whilst tugging on the release cable might free it off. Otherwise, when this happened to me the coiled spring had become sort of bound and snagged in the catch. My car is a 4A but as far as I know you should be able to use the same approach:

 

You will need a pencil torch.

 

Remove headlights

Undo the hinges

Prop the front of the bonnet open with a plank of wood as far as you possibly can. It must be secure as the next bit is potentially dangerous. For that reason you should have someone you trust at the front of the car to make sure the plank cannot slip, because if it does the bonnet is going to shut with force and you don't want any arms or fingers in the wrong place when that happens.

 

Also be aware that you are going to be reaching in blind in the vicinity of the battery, so take great care. With the bonnet propped open you should now be able to stand at the edge of one wing and peer through the gap to see the catch. Your first attempt should be to get a broom handle or similar in there and prod away at the pin to try and release it.

 

However if, like me, you are unlucky you may need to get in with a ratchet and socket, and remove the striker pin from the bonnet - from memory it's two 7/16" screws. The danger is that you are reaching in through a tight gap, and if the plank slips the bonnet is going to close on your arm.

 

Andy

Link to post
Share on other sites

If you are very lucky you might find that banging on the bonnet in the area of the catch whilst tugging on the release cable might free it off. Otherwise, when this happened to me the coiled spring had become sort of bound and snagged in the catch. My car is a 4A but as far as I know you should be able to use the same approach:

 

You will need a pencil torch.

 

Remove headlights

Undo the hinges

Prop the front of the bonnet open with a plank of wood as far as you possibly can. It must be secure as the next bit is potentially dangerous. For that reason you should have someone you trust at the front of the car to make sure the plank cannot slip, because if it does the bonnet is going to shut with force and you don't want any arms or fingers in the wrong place when that happens.

 

Also be aware that you are going to be reaching in blind in the vicinity of the battery, so take great care. With the bonnet propped open you should now be able to stand at the edge of one wing and peer through the gap to see the catch. Your first attempt should be to get a broom handle or similar in there and prod away at the pin to try and release it.

 

However if, like me, you are unlucky you may need to get in with a ratchet and socket, and remove the striker pin from the bonnet - from memory it's two 7/16" screws. The danger is that you are reaching in through a tight gap, and if the plank slips the bonnet is going to close on your arm.

 

Andy

 

Unfortunately being a 6 removing the headlights gets you nowhere as the wings and front panel are different and you cant remove the grill as its screwed from the inside. On a right hand drive 6 the only real access is through the speedo grommet or the other two under the mechanism as in Guys link or sometimes through the column grommet(not usually feasible due to the tightness of access and on a later 6 the different seal.)It is very much a shot in the dark so insulate whatever tool you use. If push comes to shove then drill a 1" hole with a hole cutter under the horizontal flat section of the bulkhead below the column 2" back from the swage that extends to the front of the panel under the column. This will be directly under the side of the mechanism and can be grommeted afterwards.

Best of luck. Thats why most people fit some sort of emergency pull mechanism.

Stuart.

Edited by stuart
Link to post
Share on other sites

Really annoyed with myself :angry: & car (although only temporary). Yesterday I adjusted the bonnet catch because the bonnet kept popping up whenever I went out for a run. Having adjusted it I decided to road test it again; I chose the bumpiest roads I could find and to my joy the bonnet stayed put. I got the car back and immediatly went to check that everything under the bonnet was as should be AND was 'slightly disappointed' that I could no longer open the bonnet. I think the bonnet release cable may be caught as it dosen't seem to pull as it used to. I've had a friend push the bonnet as I pull at the cable but nothing happens. Short of cutting a hole in the bonnet(I'm not doing that) I am now stuck. Help would be greatly appreciated.

 

thanks, an anxious Richard awaighting a miracle or a very very small human who can crawl into my engine compartment...

 

Richard

I've had the very same problem recently following a bonnet adjustment. It would be very unlucky and an amazing coincidence if your catch or cable failed imeeadiatly following you trying to adjust the catch. Therfore Don't panic. It's very likely that the knob inside the spring of the bonnet part of the catch has caught in the slot inside the tube part of the catch fitted to the bulkhead. Following me so far? You may disloge it by banging the bonnet as advised or you can move the bonnet by just loosening the hinges, I managed to do this by thin arm up the side of the rad (TR5) I didn't have to take the H/lights out but I have heard of people accessing the hinges this way before. If you want to discuss any other ways PM me and i'll phone you.

Good luck

 

Dave B

Link to post
Share on other sites

I suffered the same problem on a friend' TR6, we ended by opening the bonnet from under the car, easier if you have ramps at home :rolleyes: ....

 

Good luck,

Chris.

Link to post
Share on other sites

I have removed the exhaust down pipe (4 nuts, and some exhaust fittings), and use a long steel tube (that's what I had near my hands !)to open the bonnet mechanism.

 

BUT, this was on LHD TR6, I am afraid that the steering column will cause you some more troubles on a RHD car :rolleyes:

 

Chris.

Link to post
Share on other sites

Don't make any new holes :blink: !

 

I've opened mine in 10 minutes ( OK, its LHD ) using a large screwdriver to push the catch arm over, accessing this through the rubber grommet through which the heater and choke cables pass. I did have an assistant press down on the bonnet directly above to relieve friction on the mechanism meanwhilst.

 

So pleased have I been with this method ( used 2X on the same day and not since ) I'll never resort to extra holes nor hardware for that purpose.

 

Finally - you may be the unlucky owner of a recently mf'd bonnet release cable sheath. These can suck into the quill when pulled tightly, instead of pulling the cable as intended. You end up with a droop of extra cable in your hand, and stuck bonnet :angry:

Link to post
Share on other sites

And when you do get it open, make an emergency bonnet release mechanism before you close it again. That should only take an hour or two, and it is now my preferred method of opening the bonnet (small 3mm cord runs into the driver footwell and tucks neatly out of sight). Several threads on here describe the manufacture.

Link to post
Share on other sites

Before you try it the hard-way try to unlock it by standing in front of the car and give the bonnet a good push pull while a second person is pulling the release handle.

In 90% of the cases it pops open :huh:

 

That was always a good one for freeing off stuck Jag XJ6 bonnets as they were very prone to it and whats worse they had two catches!

Stuart.

Link to post
Share on other sites

Quick update - as mentioned the front grill is screwed from the inside so unless I break that & the radiator cowl behind there is no access here. Have tried pulling / pushing / banging the bonnet whilst a friend pulls at the bonnet release; didn't pop up. Have also tried carefully prising open at the front and side in the hope that I can at least see the little beasty. Again nothing.

So tomorrow evening in a cold garage armed with a long wooden stick, some ramps and Simon with his torch we are going to poke about and fingers crossed the damn catch will give up.

Thanks for all the help so far, this has to be the best forum on the net.

Link to post
Share on other sites

Well the bonnet is now released. We managed to pop it out after undoing the left hand bonnet side hinge bolts amd wiggling the bonnet whilst Simon tugged the pull. Can't explain my relief when it poped out. As far as I acn see there is NO other way to release the bonnet other than this. It looks like the cable pull cord got caught internally so as a precaution I've fitted the Moss emergency bonnet pull.

 

Thanks to all who helped

Link to post
Share on other sites

Im glad youve got it open without any damage. Now buy one of these http://tr6.danielson...ood_release.htm.

Youll never have that problem again. I never use the original pull anymore.

steve

Link to post
Share on other sites

MHO is that an additional unlock devise is only fine when the original cable snaps :rolleyes: for other reason it's no help, like here. In case the locking pin is positioned off-centre in the bracket the only way to unlock it is to slightly displace the bonnet in on or another way ;)

 

Be sure as soon as you have fitted an emercency devise the original cable will never brake :lol:

Link to post
Share on other sites

Totally disagree Jean. I made a pull very similar to that described above - except I put the lever on the inside of the bonnet catch so it is less visible and not as critical to adjust. Also, instead of a cable I ran some strong 3mm nylon cord down into the driver's footwell (RHD) that can be tucked out of sight easily. I now use this as my primary bonnet opening and closing mechanism.

Link to post
Share on other sites

Stallie, I have absolutely no objections about any emergency unlock devise, I have one on my TR6 since 1990 and fortunately I never had to use it. I just experienced in several cases that as soon as the pin is firmly locked in the catch through bad adjustment no additional devise can unlock it. Rocking the bonnet gives you a 90% chance to unlock it under the condition that the 2 bonnet buffers are not set too tight :blink:

Link to post
Share on other sites

To check adjustment after fiddling with bonnet or catch, stick some masking tape across the receptacle, put a blob of dirty grease on the pin, and carefully lower. Adjust, repeat as necessary with fresh tape.

 

Ivor

Link to post
Share on other sites

I used a length of nylon strimmer line (very strong) knotted round the operating pin and brought sideways in front of and past the clutch master cylinder before feeding it through a convenient grommet in the bulkhead and then forming a large loop. I also took no chances and replaced the inner steel cable. As Jean says once fitted it is unlikely to be needed!

Link to post
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Restore formatting

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

Please familiarise yourself with our Terms and Conditions. By using this site, you agree to the following: Terms of Use.