Emergency!! - hood latch broke!!
08-09-03, 10:57 PM
#1
Emergency!! - hood latch broke!!
im bleeding brakes for an autoX tomorrow and goto open the hood, and 'pop' latch moves but hood dosnt open!!!
anyone know how to open the hood without the latch... it seems like the line broke at the latch connection.
help?
anyone know how to open the hood without the latch... it seems like the line broke at the latch connection.
help?
08-09-03, 11:11 PM
#2
Rebreaking things
Join Date: Jun 2001
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I don't have an answer but I recall reading about a fix at http://www.scuderiaciriani.com/rx7/
08-10-03, 02:16 AM
#5
ok, found somthing out very interesting, my latch was actually pulling ht emechanizm correctly, however, I did the 'plunger' idea from a previous post, where you use a plunger as a sucktion cup on the hood and pull up on it while a another person pull on the latch release lever, that worked, then i inspected the hood latch and noticed some uneven wear on it, what i speculate was that somthing happened at the track today to get my latch alignment a bit off, just a very tiny bit, but enough to make the hood latch rub agains the side of the bottom latch slot so that it would not open, even when the mechanizm was pulled to release it...... so i adjusted the latch mechaism to the right a bit and viola, no friction and it opened every time....
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08-19-03, 01:53 AM
#8
Call me gramps!
I'm having a similar problem, in order to open my hood, I have to have one preson pressing on the hood, while another pulls the interior-latch. Once the person lets the pressure go, then the hood will pop back up. Someone suggested I adjust it, but the blow-up diagram on iluvmyrx7.com is unclear. Anyone fix this, yet?
08-19-03, 08:39 AM
#9
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Sometimes the cable actually breaks, as mine did. Here's how to proceed in that case:
Use some thick rubber (maybe a couple mousepads?) and jam them in between the hood and front clip halfway between the middle of the hood and the driver's headlight. Insert a screw driver between the pads and pry the hood as far as you dare without cracking the front clip. Shine a flashlight in there and study the latch for a moment. You will probably see the release cable and can then guess where it went. There is a small slot on the bottom of the latch and about a quarter inch through that slot is the release lever. Get a coat hanger and bend a small hook in it; it has to fit through the slot. Feed the hanger in from the junction of the headlight and front edge of the hood. You will be reaching all the way under the hood across to the latch. Keep fishing in the slot until you grab the release and give a little tug. Keep the hood pried up and shine the light in to see what you are doing. You don't have to pull hard at all to pop it so if you feel a lot of resistance you missed.
I freaked out when mine broke but doing this I got into it in less than 15 minutes. Leave a wire connected to your latch so you can open it until you get the cable replaced. That job wasn't bad either; took me about 30 minutes.
Use some thick rubber (maybe a couple mousepads?) and jam them in between the hood and front clip halfway between the middle of the hood and the driver's headlight. Insert a screw driver between the pads and pry the hood as far as you dare without cracking the front clip. Shine a flashlight in there and study the latch for a moment. You will probably see the release cable and can then guess where it went. There is a small slot on the bottom of the latch and about a quarter inch through that slot is the release lever. Get a coat hanger and bend a small hook in it; it has to fit through the slot. Feed the hanger in from the junction of the headlight and front edge of the hood. You will be reaching all the way under the hood across to the latch. Keep fishing in the slot until you grab the release and give a little tug. Keep the hood pried up and shine the light in to see what you are doing. You don't have to pull hard at all to pop it so if you feel a lot of resistance you missed.
I freaked out when mine broke but doing this I got into it in less than 15 minutes. Leave a wire connected to your latch so you can open it until you get the cable replaced. That job wasn't bad either; took me about 30 minutes.
08-19-03, 10:21 AM
#10
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I just wanted to comment that DamonB's idea works pretty well and was what I did when my cable broke last year.
I thanked you then DamonB, but I'll thank you again!
I'll also add that I couldn't get a coat hanger to work but used a stiff wire instead. It took me almost 1/2 hour to get the wire shaped correctly and fed in there. It only took about 1 minute to get the hood open from that point. BTW, make sure your alarm is not activated while you are trying to do this. It's a little startling when it goes off with you sitting 6-inches from the horns......
I thanked you then DamonB, but I'll thank you again!
I'll also add that I couldn't get a coat hanger to work but used a stiff wire instead. It took me almost 1/2 hour to get the wire shaped correctly and fed in there. It only took about 1 minute to get the hood open from that point. BTW, make sure your alarm is not activated while you are trying to do this. It's a little startling when it goes off with you sitting 6-inches from the horns......
08-31-03, 05:27 AM
#12
Originally posted by DamonB
Sometimes the cable actually breaks, as mine did. Here's how to proceed in that case:
Use some thick rubber (maybe a couple mousepads?) and jam them in between the hood and front clip halfway between the middle of the hood and the driver's headlight. Insert a screw driver between the pads and pry the hood as far as you dare without cracking the front clip. Shine a flashlight in there and study the latch for a moment. You will probably see the release cable and can then guess where it went. There is a small slot on the bottom of the latch and about a quarter inch through that slot is the release lever. Get a coat hanger and bend a small hook in it; it has to fit through the slot. Feed the hanger in from the junction of the headlight and front edge of the hood. You will be reaching all the way under the hood across to the latch. Keep fishing in the slot until you grab the release and give a little tug. Keep the hood pried up and shine the light in to see what you are doing. You don't have to pull hard at all to pop it so if you feel a lot of resistance you missed.
I freaked out when mine broke but doing this I got into it in less than 15 minutes. Leave a wire connected to your latch so you can open it until you get the cable replaced. That job wasn't bad either; took me about 30 minutes.
Sometimes the cable actually breaks, as mine did. Here's how to proceed in that case:
Use some thick rubber (maybe a couple mousepads?) and jam them in between the hood and front clip halfway between the middle of the hood and the driver's headlight. Insert a screw driver between the pads and pry the hood as far as you dare without cracking the front clip. Shine a flashlight in there and study the latch for a moment. You will probably see the release cable and can then guess where it went. There is a small slot on the bottom of the latch and about a quarter inch through that slot is the release lever. Get a coat hanger and bend a small hook in it; it has to fit through the slot. Feed the hanger in from the junction of the headlight and front edge of the hood. You will be reaching all the way under the hood across to the latch. Keep fishing in the slot until you grab the release and give a little tug. Keep the hood pried up and shine the light in to see what you are doing. You don't have to pull hard at all to pop it so if you feel a lot of resistance you missed.
I freaked out when mine broke but doing this I got into it in less than 15 minutes. Leave a wire connected to your latch so you can open it until you get the cable replaced. That job wasn't bad either; took me about 30 minutes.
Thanx,
Ken
08-31-03, 02:32 PM
#13
You need like a welding rod. Use a flashlight, wedge the hood up so that you get as big a gap b/w the hood and front bumper as possible. Shine a flashlight and aim for a hole in the middle of the latch. Wiggle the rod in the middle of this hole in a flicking motion of the wrist upward. This should pop the mechanism. REason for failure is the little green thing at the end of the cable. Get new cable about $40 which has the green thing.
08-31-03, 05:09 PM
#14
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Originally posted by rynberg
I just wanted to comment that DamonB's idea works pretty well and was what I did when my cable broke last year.
I just wanted to comment that DamonB's idea works pretty well and was what I did when my cable broke last year.
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