Help .... The bonet is stuck & the cable is broken !

[Rich S]

Hi a friend of mine is desperately trying to get his Chimera up and running , and whilst all looks good post the wintering , ie fresh battery , free brakes etc, the engine was turning over fine , but just wouldn't catch.

No problem we thought , just pop the bonnet and get the ever reliable AA homestart to check it out.

It was then that disaster struck as the bonnet release came off in his hand !
Try as we might we can't see how to release the bonnet , or see how we can get to the catch.

Can anyone give any advice , we realy don't want to have to break the bonnet , as having a new one painted & fitted would be an expensive fix for a broken cable.

Cheers

Rich

[thegman]

the bonnet is held on by a single catch - hopefully the owner knows where this is. getting a lever into said catch shouldnt be too difficult. the bonnet is not particularly well secured.

Edited by thegman on Tuesday 19th February 10:04

[Rich S]

Oh we can see the catch , but can't get to it , neither can the AA , the local garage , or the RAC !

[StreetDragster]

Whilst i know this will be a difficult and nightmare job, can you get the the bonnet hinges from under the car, reaching round the radiator? Its held on with 4 hex-head bolts and if your REALLY stuck you could maybe try and undo them.
It certainly will be tight on space though, and a nightmare job, its not the funist job even if you have the bonnet open

Matt

[Rich S]

Thanks for the tip Matt

Edited by Rich S on Tuesday 19th February 10:26

[L33]

Junior hacksaw followed by a dab of body filler?

[Mike Hawthorn]

Sorry to be the bringer of bad news but this happened to me not so long ago. I tried everything but no luck. I was also told that if I remove the starter it's possible to get a stick or something up from underneath and trip the catch. Unfortunately I tried this but to no avail. I think it may be possible but because the bonnet is closed there's no light so you’re stabbing in the dark. I reluctantly had to cut 2 small holes about 2 or 3 inches long under the front lip of the bonnet were the hinges are. then remove the Allan screws. It was a bh of a job and took a couple of hours each side. Mostly because I wanted to keep the access holes as small as possible therefore I could only get a very slight turn on the Allan key. Then the bonnet lifts right off. Truly hope you find a better way.

Luckily the holes don't notice unless you lay down and look up at it.

[Rich S]

Thanks Mike, I had a feeling it would come to something like this !

[TheGriffalo]

Two pairs of mole grips on the cable? Use one pair to act as an abutment for the cable and the second set on the actual wire.

[Zumbruk]

If my experience is anything to go by, just drive it flat out down the main straight at Bruntingthorpe and the bonnet will pop open by itself.

[spend]

TheGriffalo said:

Two pairs of mole grips on the cable? Use one pair to act as an abutment for the cable and the second set on the actual wire.

Get someone to press down on the bonnet whilst you are doing it.

If theres not enough cable you have to pull it through from underneath, then do a similar thing from under the car (pull through with a bit of wire tied to it so you have something to feed a new one back )

Dave

[TheGriffalo]

spend said:

TheGriffalo said:

Two pairs of mole grips on the cable? Use one pair to act as an abutment for the cable and the second set on the actual wire.

Get someone to press down on the bonnet whilst you are doing it.

If theres not enough cable you have to pull it through from underneath, then do a similar thing from under the car (pull through with a bit of wire tied to it so you have something to feed a new one back )

Dave

And if the wire has broken inside the sheath you can cut the sheath back a bit....

[DaveG]

Hi, I realise the following comments will not help, but a cautionary mod for other owners. I noted this problem on the Griff forum and installed a second cable. The second cable attaches to the existing latch and travels behind the bulkhead in the engine bay, through an existing hole in the sidewall (temp sensor)and exits into the passenger footwell. I just formed a loop in the bowden cable and left it hanging (out of sight). I put a spring at one end to take up any slack. If the main cable breaks you can simply release with spare cable! Save a lot of aggravation.

[tvron]

You can do it . I fiddle for a long time with bits of stiff wire until I managed to hook round latch and pull to release.Guard bonnet with tape or cloth as could easily scratch.Get someone to pull bonnet up as much as poss as any bit of vision of latch will help.
Remain patient