Bonnet catches letting go!

[greymrj]

Obsolete TVR are supposed to be sold out. Please let me know if they still have stock.

[SJS357]

v8s4me said:

Thanks to the guys at Millbrook on Sunday who came up with a few suggestions. As a result I cut out all the old white silicone and the outcome is quite dramatic. As you can see in the photos....







....the sliding part was clogged up with silicone and this was stopping the slider part moving all the way forward and fully engaging the pin.



Once it was all cleaned out the slide was able to move its full length of travel.



This gave an extra millimeter of travel but it has made all the difference.



I've just been out for a bounce round all our lovely South Bucks roads and it stayed shut. Even better, when I got home I was able to open it again

So if you're still having this problem, get hold of some sharp blades and, ideally some old dentists' picks and scrapers, and get all that old crap out of the way and see what happens

I'm NOT saying this is a permanent fix, but it is fixed for now

Edited by v8s4me on Wednesday 22 July 13:20

[v8s4me]

Still holding

[v8s4me]

Still holding

Instead of re-sealing the gap around the catch with silicone and possibly having the problem reoccur I've used Neoprene Sponge Cord from Wollies

Looks OK, should seal as well as the silicone and doesn't interfere with the catch mechanism.

[greymrj]

That is neat Joe, do you have a Woolies ref no? I have some new catches to fit this winter and I also want to seal them properly.

[v8s4me]

If you click on the link in my post that should take you to the product info. If not, let me know.

[greymrj]

Thanks Joe, for some reason it didnt first time. Did you glue the strip in or hold in place by bolting the lock plates down?

[v8s4me]

It's just held in by friction. I didn't want to glue it in case it fouled the catch and had to come out again.

[greymrj]

Thanks, I will look at that option when I get round to doing mine.

[ukflyboy]

Hey folks,

I have a similar issue to the original poster; popped the bonnet to check the oil and now the passenger side bonnet catch won’t hold. It seats in the holes fine (like it always has) but pushing down on it it just pops back up again.

Compared to the driver’s side, the passenger side 'slider' in the catch doesn't move nearly as much, so I'm assuming it isn't latching on properly. I've removed the silicon around it, sprayed it with penetrating spray, tried working it etc but even using pliers I can’t really extend it to the same length has the driver’s side which latches perfectly.

Can anyone tell me how to remove the whole passenger side catch so that I can try and free it up properly? If I get it out, will it even give me better access to the working mechanism of it?

As always, grateful for any help you can offer.

[AxemanS]

You have to access the two locating bolts from inside the footwell - on the passenger side the carpet hiding the electrics will probably need pulling out of the way first.
Before you try taking the whole catch out it might be worth checking that the catch actuation lever is returning to the 'closed' position fully - mine wasn't and I have now added a strong rubber band to pull the lever back up and my catches don't let go on there own anymore - they were better after removing the sealant and lubricating only but now are fine.

Dave

[v8s4me]

Clean out the old sealant as per the above post first. It's a lot easier than trying to get at the catch from the inside and it might work.

[ukflyboy]

Done that unfortunately and sprayed the penetrating spray at it from the silicon side (or what used to be) but no luck, it still doesn't move nearly as much as the other side.

[AutoAndy]

never had a problem with mine "letting go" until this August...



...think the lamp post had something to do with it

[ukflyboy]

Thanks folks, after much struggling I managed to get the bolts out in the footwell (awkward position for the wrench and covered in GRP resin!) and have removed the catch. Looks like a bit of light corrosion, a little silicon and a bunch of old dirt and grease were combining to hold it stuck in the open position. I've given it a good clean and its working great in the hand, just need to get it fitted again over the weekend. Hopefully another problem solved courtesy of this forum! Now, stand by for windows questions...