Arrrrrr my bonnet doesn't open!

[Alfadog]

Hi all

My engine recently started tapping - dad says it is the tappets. Anyway, I tried to open my bonnet the other day but the pull handle just pulled out and did nothing

Yeah so as you can imagine I am quite worried. Ithink the cable is snapped as it's pretty easy to pull out, and I pulled the actual cable and it just kept on coming out.

So ermm.. how do I fix it?

Last night in first gear occasionally my car made STRANGE noises too - like werereererer and schhhhh :(

Thanks,

Lachlan

[Zedrally]

Bad Luck,

Looks like you'll need to unscrew the bolts holding the bonnet down at the front hinge.

Incidently, Zeds have rockers, not tappets, these are for pushrod engines!

Have no idea about the gearbox, last time I had one make funny noises [260Z, late 70's], I was advised to put a bannana into it and sell the car. This I did and brought a RX7, it was the biggest mistake I ever made.

[EScanlon]

With the latch cable broken, unless you can get underneath the car, reach up and around the engine / transmission and then stick your finger or screwdriver into the latch mechanism to actuate it, you'll have to do what zedrally mentioned.

At the front, behind the grille remove the four bolts holding the hood / bonnet to the hinges. Once you've done that, get a piece of wood to push up on the hood as far as you can raise it without damaging the paint on the hood or the cowl. Then, from either side, with a 10mm wrench (not a socket, not enough room) remove the mechanism from the hood.

Notice I said to remove the latch from the hood / bonnet and not remove the latch from the body. The reason for that is that the safety catch will still prevent you from opening the hood.

By removing the two bolts holding the latch to the hood, you'll have freed the hood completely and can now either lift it off the car OR re-attach the hinges.

If you're working by yourself, it's tricky and wieldy but you can remove the hood by yourself. If you don't have a lot of forearm strength though, I wouldn't recommend it.

Once you've opened the hood / bonnet you can repair / replace the cable.

Check the cable to determine what actually happened. Did the little lead ball finally fall off, or did the cable break? If the lead came off, you can adapt a bicycle cable stop (collar & screw) for brakes to do the job. If the cable broke, now it gets more difficult as the mechanism for the handle holds the other end. It's easiest to find a replacement cable.

Hope this helps.

[Alfadog]

I will attempt to find it from under the car on ramps. I do NOT want to go taking off my bonnet for such a simple little annoying problem like that! Grrr

thanks for the help

[240 in OZ]

You shouldnt have to remove the bonnet. I have seen this done with an extremely long screwdriver.

Replace the cable, they are available from Nissan new, I purchased one two years ago for my car.

Before installing it lube it up real good. Pour some oil into it and actuate the lever back and forth until the oil comes out the other end. Keep an eye on it and do this every year or so.

[Alfadog]

OK I think I can reach the cable from underneath - but then what? What am I supposed to do with this large screwdriver?

getting worried,

lachlan

[240 in OZ]

You have to guide the screwdriver or what ever you are using past the rocker cover and onto the hood catch. You have to think about how the catch works to be successful. Go for the half that is mounted to the bonnet and you have to press the screwdriver or what ever onto the lever of the catch.

You could also try the half that is mounted to the car and try to slide the catch to the right (as from under the car with your feet up front). This may free it up.

If you cant get it you may have to take it to a workshop, they will do it in 5 min, but charge you $$ for doing it.

If you need anything else email me off the board and Ill try and help.

[smg1404]

I had this problem on my 280 several years ago... I made a tool from 3/4" X 1/8" flat stock... Maybe 30 to 36 inches long.. It was notched, bent, and rewelded to make a shape somewhat like a C that curved back the other way on top... I ground the end to fit into the hole at the botton of the latch... It took a bit of trial and error but worked great when finished.

I opened the hood by sliding my arm under the car and slipping the tool up from below. once I found the hole it opened right up.

[260z]

I had my bonnet stuck with my former z too. Those old worn cables. Fortunately I had disassembled the lock mechanism once so I knew what i had to do. I made a tool which helped me to reach the lock arm that the end of the cable is attached to. It doesn't really help if you can reach the cable because it is screwed into the cars body. I will attach a picture of my tool. I used to open my bonnet with this tool for a while. (naturally I forgot some times that the cable was stuck and closed the bonnet too hard!!) Normally i drove around with my bonnet open...

The red line in the picture is the tool. I used 8mm steel axel to make my "bonnet opener". It was pretty soft steel because I was able to bend it by hands. It is actually easy to use this opener when you find the right place to poke the tool. The tip of the tool should be placed behind the lock arm.

[Daniel]

In the days when the 240's were new.The dealers would put the car on the lift and use alot of extentions and come up from the bottom to remove the #10 bolts on the latch.I prefer that method.Removing hinge bolts=realignment and possible damage to fenders or something.Once you have access you can add a piece of wire as a temp pull until your is replaced.It will pull from the outside. Have fun!! Daniel

[moritz55]

First let me thank 260z ... post #9 .

Hello all, I thought of resurrecting this old post since I was succsful in opening my front hood after my pull cable broke. The sketch post #9 is excellent as I bought a 5/16" diameter piece of a 3 foot long soft metal stock at Home Depot (~$5.00). It may have been aluminum becuase it bent pretty well in my hand vise. I bent it such that it had a 1" loop and an 8"-9" short leg with almost a 2ft long leg. See my photos....

Jacked the car up, and from the driver side close to the firewall, I placed this Loop into the wedge where the cable pull lever is. You have to feel for it a bit as it's 1" away from the firewall and 1/2" below the top part of the wedge holding the hood. It doesn't take much to push it outward toward the driver side of the car... and it popped the hood easily. The longest part of the job was jacking the car up and removing the Driver side front wheel.

I have rigged up a temporary pull line until I get a new hood latch cable from MSA.

Hope this gives others confidence on how to open the hood when the cable is broken WITHOUT pulling the hood off!

Many thanks again to 260z member for this advice and good luck to others ...

Edited October 13, 2009 by moritz55

[Bonzi Lon]

I made a second latch opening devise 'just in case' the original decided to break.

Used a 3 ft piece of small stainless cable, looped it through the latch lever and secured with lead split shot fishing sinkers. Routed the cable behind the wiring and window washer tubes over the loom holder and down to and through a firewall gromet to the interior.

Bonzi Lon