2006 X-Type bonnet latches and cable
#1
10-27-2016, 05:07 PM
2006 X-Type bonnet latches and cable
When we got this car a couple weeks ago I noticed the bonnet was up at the right front and down at the left front. The rear corners were fine, side gaps even. Just.... the front corners were katty-whumpus. So I investigated.....
Checked the rubber rests at the 2 front corners. Where the corner was low, I adjusted that one up. (sprayed the threads with wd-40, let it sit, then wiped it off and put a little white lithium grease on them)
The side that was high.....well I could push it down quite easily so it wasn't a matter of that rest being up too high. Hadda be something more...
Looked at the latches themselves. Pressing the one on the side that was low I could hear it latch (and see it stay). On the side that was high, the latch didn't latch! It just sprung open. So I felt around under the working one, found the little catch lever.... went to the non-working one... the lever was there, but stuck. WD-40...let it sit a bit...work the catch lever back and forth and generally free it up. Then blow out the wd-40 (which is really not a very good lubricant, but does other stuff well) and sprayed it white lith. Now it would latch reliably.
If I close the hood gently I don't get a good latch. If I drop it from about a foot high, it latches perfectly. (Reading the manual, it looks like they WANT you to drop it from about that high anyways)
NOW.... it latches and the alignment is such that when I look at it from the front, the gap above the headlights is the same on both sides, and aligned with the tops of the front fenders the same on both sides.
I could call this a success and walk away, but.... when operating the hood release inside the car, it FEELS like there's a bit more tension on it than before I did this. It doesn't pull harder as much as it feels like it's pulling tighter if that makes any sense.
Is it possible that I added tension and am now stressing the release cable?
I looked at possibly making the catches on the underside of the bonnet itself protrude a little more, but..... honestly... I'm not sure how to do it. It's the squared off "U" shape and only has one hex nut. I'm not sure how to adjust it. I can loosen that hex nut, but it just....get loose...the bracket doesn't move. Anyone able to tell me if there is adjustment there? And if so, the procedure?
thanks
Checked the rubber rests at the 2 front corners. Where the corner was low, I adjusted that one up. (sprayed the threads with wd-40, let it sit, then wiped it off and put a little white lithium grease on them)
The side that was high.....well I could push it down quite easily so it wasn't a matter of that rest being up too high. Hadda be something more...
Looked at the latches themselves. Pressing the one on the side that was low I could hear it latch (and see it stay). On the side that was high, the latch didn't latch! It just sprung open. So I felt around under the working one, found the little catch lever.... went to the non-working one... the lever was there, but stuck. WD-40...let it sit a bit...work the catch lever back and forth and generally free it up. Then blow out the wd-40 (which is really not a very good lubricant, but does other stuff well) and sprayed it white lith. Now it would latch reliably.
If I close the hood gently I don't get a good latch. If I drop it from about a foot high, it latches perfectly. (Reading the manual, it looks like they WANT you to drop it from about that high anyways)
NOW.... it latches and the alignment is such that when I look at it from the front, the gap above the headlights is the same on both sides, and aligned with the tops of the front fenders the same on both sides.
I could call this a success and walk away, but.... when operating the hood release inside the car, it FEELS like there's a bit more tension on it than before I did this. It doesn't pull harder as much as it feels like it's pulling tighter if that makes any sense.
Is it possible that I added tension and am now stressing the release cable?
I looked at possibly making the catches on the underside of the bonnet itself protrude a little more, but..... honestly... I'm not sure how to do it. It's the squared off "U" shape and only has one hex nut. I'm not sure how to adjust it. I can loosen that hex nut, but it just....get loose...the bracket doesn't move. Anyone able to tell me if there is adjustment there? And if so, the procedure?
thanks
#3
10-27-2016, 08:21 PM
Member
I just replaced my hood cable a couple of months back. The most difficult and time consuming think was running the cable thru the firewall. It took two people; one to feed thru the firewall and one to grab it on the other side.
The video that RobinGa shared is right on and I actually wish that I would have found it before attempting to replace my old one.
The culprit for me was rust built up inside of the cable. I used silicone lubricant multiple times and it worked for a short while but then it ended up doing the same thing again so I just changed it and haven't had a problem since.
The video that RobinGa shared is right on and I actually wish that I would have found it before attempting to replace my old one.
The culprit for me was rust built up inside of the cable. I used silicone lubricant multiple times and it worked for a short while but then it ended up doing the same thing again so I just changed it and haven't had a problem since.
