Hood / Bonnet Stuck / Won't Open - Broken Hood Lock Guide
#1
03-09-2016, 09:50 AM
Hood / Bonnet Stuck / Won't Open - Broken Hood Lock Guide
Title has some keywords to help when searching. The thread below is really helpful also, but my issue was different (and just an awful experience).
https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/x...release-29427/
Attached are some pictures of my issue. The first picture is of the hood-lock mechanism removed and upside-down (after I finally got the hood open). This was the passenger side. The cable was still completely functional. If I pulled the hood pop lever in the cabin, both sides would actually release, but the passenger side just wouldn't pop up. With the lever pulled and listening over the passenger side hood lock from outside the car, I could hear something moving under the hood. If I pushed the passenger side down gently, I'd hear it lock back into place.
All of the threads I found had to do with the lever or cable not functioning. However, in this case, the black, plastic cylindrical guide tube had broken, as seen in the picture. Keep in mind I did not realize this until close to the end. Without the guide tube in place, the plunger on the hood would come down and enter the lock mechanism, slide out of place, and then its permanently hooked onto the lock mechanism. I tried MANY times to press, pulse, pull and rock the hood from outside of the car, no luck.
I cut a 1/2 inch hole through the inner fender based on the linked thread. I did not hit the wire harness, but the wires are VERY close. Do not allow the drill bit to go into the hole past the sheet metal, the wire harness is RIGHT THERE. Some instructions say put a screwdriver in the hole and when you find something that moves, PUSH. Well, the first thing you'll find that moves is the wire harness, so be carful. I poked around in there for hours, opening the hole some as I went since I wasn't having much success. Eventually I got the hole open enough to get some fingers in to feel around. Problem is, when doing this with the wheel on (turned for more space), you still can hardly see what's in the hole, let alone hold a flashlight and work some various tools in there.
I was pushing the mechanism from numerous different spots, but it was not moving any more (had the hood lever held open in the driver's cabin). This was puzzling me for a while...
I kept pulling the sheet metal back with pliers and vise grips. I could get a better look at the lock mechanism. Looked fine and could see myself pushing on the correct spots to get it to move. No movement since it was already at its full length of travel with the cabin hood latch held open.
Finally I got my hand in there and felt around some more while referencing a picture on my phone. It was then that I could feel that the back-side of the black, plastic cylindrical guide tube had broken off. The part that had broken off was out of view if peering through the hole with a flashlight. I couldn't feel much at all, just that something that should have been there wasn't. It was then that I thought the hood plunger may have been able to shift out of place. I put a chisel in there and tried to break off the front side of the plastic guide tube with a hammer, but that thing wouldn't budge. I pried the hole open some more to get an angled wrench in there to try to break off the front of the tube, no luck. Finally, I opened the wrench some, fit it around the plastic guide tube, and hoped to hook the back side of the wrench on the far side of the hood plunger, and squeezed... POP, hood is open.
This was an all around crappy experience, with thoughts of hemorrhaging money at the mechanic lingering the entire time. I searched the part # on ebay and was able to fine New, OEM replacement hood lock mechanisms for around $24 - $30. Not too bad and I'll be doing both sides for piece of mind. If you search ebay using just buzzwords, some used parts will come up, but at the moment the options are twice the cost of the new OEM part from a Jaguar dealership seller.
To stay ahead of any issues with the cable, I plan to tie some wire around one of the legs of the hood lock mechanisms, out of place, then run it through the fender, taped to the frame and hidden behind the fender mud guard. This will be an emergency release should the main cable fail down the road.
As far as cleanup, I replaced the fender mud guard. I sacrificed the single 11-oclock plastic grommet hole to access the engine bay, but the fender mud guard is completely solid in place without that grommet. And the mud guard completely covers and hides the mess I made behind it. Inside the engine bay I plan to just cover the hole with Gorilla tape, but even that doesn't appear to be necessary with the fender mud guard in place.
Good luck to you if you ever have this problem, and try to refrain yourself from saying the hell with it and taking an angle grinder to the hood.
https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/x...release-29427/
Attached are some pictures of my issue. The first picture is of the hood-lock mechanism removed and upside-down (after I finally got the hood open). This was the passenger side. The cable was still completely functional. If I pulled the hood pop lever in the cabin, both sides would actually release, but the passenger side just wouldn't pop up. With the lever pulled and listening over the passenger side hood lock from outside the car, I could hear something moving under the hood. If I pushed the passenger side down gently, I'd hear it lock back into place.
All of the threads I found had to do with the lever or cable not functioning. However, in this case, the black, plastic cylindrical guide tube had broken, as seen in the picture. Keep in mind I did not realize this until close to the end. Without the guide tube in place, the plunger on the hood would come down and enter the lock mechanism, slide out of place, and then its permanently hooked onto the lock mechanism. I tried MANY times to press, pulse, pull and rock the hood from outside of the car, no luck.
I cut a 1/2 inch hole through the inner fender based on the linked thread. I did not hit the wire harness, but the wires are VERY close. Do not allow the drill bit to go into the hole past the sheet metal, the wire harness is RIGHT THERE. Some instructions say put a screwdriver in the hole and when you find something that moves, PUSH. Well, the first thing you'll find that moves is the wire harness, so be carful. I poked around in there for hours, opening the hole some as I went since I wasn't having much success. Eventually I got the hole open enough to get some fingers in to feel around. Problem is, when doing this with the wheel on (turned for more space), you still can hardly see what's in the hole, let alone hold a flashlight and work some various tools in there.
I was pushing the mechanism from numerous different spots, but it was not moving any more (had the hood lever held open in the driver's cabin). This was puzzling me for a while...
I kept pulling the sheet metal back with pliers and vise grips. I could get a better look at the lock mechanism. Looked fine and could see myself pushing on the correct spots to get it to move. No movement since it was already at its full length of travel with the cabin hood latch held open.
Finally I got my hand in there and felt around some more while referencing a picture on my phone. It was then that I could feel that the back-side of the black, plastic cylindrical guide tube had broken off. The part that had broken off was out of view if peering through the hole with a flashlight. I couldn't feel much at all, just that something that should have been there wasn't. It was then that I thought the hood plunger may have been able to shift out of place. I put a chisel in there and tried to break off the front side of the plastic guide tube with a hammer, but that thing wouldn't budge. I pried the hole open some more to get an angled wrench in there to try to break off the front of the tube, no luck. Finally, I opened the wrench some, fit it around the plastic guide tube, and hoped to hook the back side of the wrench on the far side of the hood plunger, and squeezed... POP, hood is open.
This was an all around crappy experience, with thoughts of hemorrhaging money at the mechanic lingering the entire time. I searched the part # on ebay and was able to fine New, OEM replacement hood lock mechanisms for around $24 - $30. Not too bad and I'll be doing both sides for piece of mind. If you search ebay using just buzzwords, some used parts will come up, but at the moment the options are twice the cost of the new OEM part from a Jaguar dealership seller.
To stay ahead of any issues with the cable, I plan to tie some wire around one of the legs of the hood lock mechanisms, out of place, then run it through the fender, taped to the frame and hidden behind the fender mud guard. This will be an emergency release should the main cable fail down the road.
As far as cleanup, I replaced the fender mud guard. I sacrificed the single 11-oclock plastic grommet hole to access the engine bay, but the fender mud guard is completely solid in place without that grommet. And the mud guard completely covers and hides the mess I made behind it. Inside the engine bay I plan to just cover the hole with Gorilla tape, but even that doesn't appear to be necessary with the fender mud guard in place.
Good luck to you if you ever have this problem, and try to refrain yourself from saying the hell with it and taking an angle grinder to the hood.
Last edited by l3uddha; 03-09-2016 at 12:22 PM.
#2
03-10-2016, 02:36 PM
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Definitely sound like a bear of a situation, good work figuring it out.
I had the cable lanyard not wanting to staying in the forks on mine a few years ago. After making the inner fender hole with one of my step bits and doing the necessary procedures to fix the issue. I took and sprayed the "hole" with black primer and high temp black paint (from a recent BBQ grill respray) to prevent any rust from developing. Be sure to cover the hood pin hole from the top to prevent over spray.
I had the cable lanyard not wanting to staying in the forks on mine a few years ago. After making the inner fender hole with one of my step bits and doing the necessary procedures to fix the issue. I took and sprayed the "hole" with black primer and high temp black paint (from a recent BBQ grill respray) to prevent any rust from developing. Be sure to cover the hood pin hole from the top to prevent over spray.
