2005 S-Type 3.0. I cannot use my JTIS CD to look for illustrations or instructions due to my new desktop PC running Windows 10....

I went outside to perform my weekly fluids check a few minutes ago. I can pull my under-dash hood release black plastic lever out normally but the two hood latches remain fully engaged. There's no noise at all when I pull the hood release lever. I assume the hood release cable(s) are either stretched or broken....

I know the hood latch mechanisms on the face-lift cars like mine may be different from the earlier model years. So how do I get in there and release these hood latches manually? Do I remove the belly pan and approach them from underneath with a long thin tool of some type, or do I try to fish a stiff wire (such as a coat hanger) through the vertically-slotted (not mesh) grill and fumble around hoping to get lucky and pull the latch in just the right way? I already know that my huge hands will make it difficult to get into those tight spaces....

Any suggestions and/or instructions regarding the best procedure and the most helpful tools from those of you who have faced this problem before will be much appreciated....

 

I don't think much changed, though the UK ones (at least) have some metalwork covering the mechanism. Easier access if you do NOT have the mesh grille.
https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/s...-s-type-65618/

 

So the best approach is to use a bent coat hanger fished through the grill and hope I can get the hook placement in just the right position as I tug on the coat hanger while having someone else put some downward pressure on the front part of the hood in order to release some hood tension?

I assume I do this only to the drivers-side latch and if I am successful it will automatically release the passenger-side latch? Can anyone confirm this?

I see some major frustration ahead for me when I decide to go out and attempt this....

 

Hey Jon, since this is not an emergency. Give me until tomorrow night to putz around with joycesjag.
Maybe I might be able to come up with a simpler procedure.

 

im guessing this is left hand drive so may be opposite to mine . but here is a couple of things to note.
check the under dash connection to the hood/bonnet lever is still attached as i had one of my fords break at the leaver once , and was able to pull the cable with pliers .

also pulling the primary latch from from the grill will not work as you need to push it . to towards the headlight or outer width of the car .
however if it was just the secondary latch cable broken then you would have to pull that latch from the grill,

i noticed you could remove the access panel in the lower grill/fog light aria and reach up to the latch from there , and pull it towards the outer head lights . this may be an option . as there is quite a gap behind the solid bumper beam .

here is a few pictures of mine as its well exposed at the mo.

 

Rick,

Thanks for whatever advice you can come up with after putzing around with joycesjag. As Andy pointed out in his post below yours, since I must disengage the primary latch (on the drivers side), it must be pushed, not pulled. So that indeed may be very difficult to do through the grill. Andy mentions an access panel in the lower grill / fog light area but he has an STR and that may be different from our 3.0 cars. I haven't looked yet but will do so in a little while. I've got lawn seeding and fertilizing to do today so messing around with my S-Type may have to wait. The good news is that I have plenty of other vehicles to drive when I need to go somewhere because driving around in a car when you cannot open the hood is never a good idea....


Andy,

Thanks for your tips and your photos. Yes, the under-dash cable is still attached to the lever. That's the first thing I checked yesterday when I went to open the hood and nothing happened. I woke up this morning thinking about my dilemma and quickly realized that my primary latch would have to be pushed (not pulled) if I tried to disengage it through the grill, and just from looking through the grill last evening I soon realized that it will be next to impossible to do that. I hope my 3.0 car has that same access panel in the lower grill / fog light area that your STR does. I'll go look for it in a little while....


I'm thinking that an experienced body shop faces these types of challenges all the time. I know a guy who owns one. I plan on consulting him tomorrow morning. If I can't manage to get these damn hood latches released, hopefully he can....


Again, thanks for all the suggestions. They are very much appreciated....

 

You may not have quite the same panels for fog lights as I suspect your car is after the facelift where the fog lights became oil coolers. Worth a look, though.

 

Success! My hood is now wide open. The primary hood release cable had snapped at the drivers side latch....

Here's how I released it:

1. Raise the front end on jack stands.

2. Remove the 3 10mm bolts that hold the front of the belly pan in place.

3. Remove the 15 Torx T-30 bolts that hold the black plastic front valence in place (note that the 3 outer-most bolts on each side are different from the other ones).

4. Carefully remove the front valence by pulling it back towards the rear of the car. Do this in stages as you work along the full length of the front valence and be careful not to break the black plastic tabs as they pull out of their slots.

5. You will then see another black plastic cover that snaps into place along the bottom edge of the condenser. There are no bolts holding this cover in place. Carefully pull down along its bottom and side edges until it drops free in your hands.

6. Lay on your back directly underneath where the front valence was and look straight up. You will see both latches because you have plenty of access room in front of the condenser now. Reach up with your fingertips and gently push the primary latch towards the drivers-side front wheel. The primary latch will release and when it does, it will also release the secondary latch on the passenger side.

7. You can now open your hood as you normally would.


Since my primary-latch cable is the one that broke, it appears that I will need part no. XR826347, Bonnet Release Lever with Primary Release Cable (my car is a 2005 S-Type 3.0 and my last six VIN numbers are N50192). Do you guys agree?

And can anyone post the JTIS instructions for removing and installing the new cable assembly? Remember, I cannot run my JTIS CD on my Windows 10 PC and I know that running the new cable assembly through the engine bay and up underneath the dash is going to be a bear of a job for me....

Thanks....

 

Congrats Jon!

 

Good Job, Jon!

 

Excellent.

 

Good news , Great work ! Good idea on the under tray removal !
Side note though if your car does not have the acsess Panal
Then how do you Attach your tow hook ?
As I understand that what thay are for . Mine has the tow hook thread behind it .
You may want to investigate that befor you need a tow . (Hopefully never)

 

Rick,

This may sound strange but looking directly at my primary latch with my face just a foot away from it, I still cannot figure out where the new cable end will attach to it....

Can you snap a close-up photo of joycesjag's primary latch that shows me where the new cable end must attach to it? Thanks....

 

It hooks through the same hole as the secondary cable on the primary latch !
You can actuly see that in picure 2 on post 5 .

 

On my latch it doesn't look like that same hole on the primary latch is even close to being large enough to accept both the primary and secondary cable ends. Maybe it will become clear to me once my new cable arrives (supposedly on Thursday) and I can actually see the end of it....

In the meantime, can someone please post the JTIS details for removing the old primary cable and installing the new one?

 

i have searched as far as i can in jtis , and as far as I'm aware i searched every possible avenue . with no mention of bonnet cables . even in
handles,locks,latches and entry systems .

if you have a clue were to find it ill search it and post it .
i have to admit that I'm very green at using jtis so it may have eluded me .
i have swapped out a ford falcon cable witch is damn near identical.
it required the drivers under guard removed . two mounting clips along the cable and a rubber grommet through behind the kick panel .
I'm sure it will be self explanatory once the under guard is removed .

 

Upon closer inspection using a pair of needle-nose pliers I now see how the two separate cable ends share the same hole on the latch. I'm guessing it will be difficult to force the new primary cable end into that small hole once I remove the remaining end from which the original primary cable snapped off. But I'm not going to fool with it anymore until I have my new primary cable in hand and ready to install. Not looking forward to trying to thread the new one through the firewall. The neighbors better have their earplugs in once I start attempting to do that....

 

When you get to the firewall use the existing cable as a template. I swapped both cables out on my 00 S Type. Not too bad...

Good Luck..

 

abonano,

Did you have to unbolt the primary latch and pull it away from the frame in order to get the new cables to attach properly? I'm guessing this is a requirement....

 

Jon89 - ill take a peek in the am before my son takes the Jag and I'll let you know. If I recall I did unbolt the primary latch to fit both cable ends...