Anybody else ever had problems with the front hood not latching? My 86SE just started to not latch for no apparent reason. It is cold here in Iowa and I am wondering if that is affecting it. There are no obstructions in the way, the hood fits correct and the latch mechanism itself appears to work when I trip it while the hood is up. Any input would be appreciated
Second that, water in the cable housing will freeze the cable in place, preventing the latch from releasing.
JazzMan
Thanks Jazzman, I'm betting thats what it is, I am going to wait till its above freezing and see what it does. We are supposedly getting warmer weather in the next few days.
IP: Logged
02:51 PM
CTFieroGT87 Member
Posts: 2520 From: Royal Oak, MI Registered: Oct 2002
If the cables don't want to free up, a temporary fix is using a thin screwdriver or flathead and putting that down the hole in the latch facing the driver's side. When the screwdriver is in there, pull the handle towards you, this will set the spring to latch when you put the hood down.
------------------ Christian Thomas 87 Pontiac Fiero GT Burgandy/Silver 5.7L ZZ4 5spd Next Mod: Holley Stealth Ram, late spring/summer
It could be the cable as noted or the latch itself. Try just spraying the latch down with WD40 or something... Don't get too sloppy or you'll be spraying stuff right into the heater intake. Heater intake is under the right wiper pivot.
The cable pulls a metal ear inside the latch that holds the big catch when you shut it... If that little ear is stuck then it won't grab the big latch when you shut the thing.
------------------ The only thing George Orwell got wrong was the year...
If the cables don't want to free up, a temporary fix is using a thin screwdriver or flathead and putting that down the hole in the latch facing the driver's side. When the screwdriver is in there, pull the handle towards you, this will set the spring to latch when you put the hood down.
thanks I'll try that then tomorrow
IP: Logged
07:30 PM
Erik Member
Posts: 5625 From: Des Moines, Iowa Registered: Jul 2002
It could be the cable as noted or the latch itself. Try just spraying the latch down with WD40 or something... Don't get too sloppy or you'll be spraying stuff right into the heater intake. Heater intake is under the right wiper pivot.
The cable pulls a metal ear inside the latch that holds the big catch when you shut it... If that little ear is stuck then it won't grab the big latch when you shut the thing.
Thanks I suppose it could use some lube on it, I've never done it before
I've had it where the hood looks like it should latch, the mechanism works, but it just wont. It kinda sounds like it does, but it just wouldn't catch. It turns out that the metal loop that goes into the latch was not adjusted correctly, too high or too low. This could be the problem. With cold weather, metal tends to shrink and throw off alignment. it's reall easy to readjust the bracket. Just loosen the bolts and keep it loose, latch the hood and tighten them when it latches.
Also, don't use WD-40 for lube, it's a really poor lubricant. It's great for cleaning, but use some spray lithium grease for lubing the latch after you clean it.
JazzMan
IP: Logged
10:31 PM
PFF
System Bot
Erik Member
Posts: 5625 From: Des Moines, Iowa Registered: Jul 2002
I've had it where the hood looks like it should latch, the mechanism works, but it just wont. It kinda sounds like it does, but it just wouldn't catch. It turns out that the metal loop that goes into the latch was not adjusted correctly, too high or too low. This could be the problem. With cold weather, metal tends to shrink and throw off alignment. it's reall easy to readjust the bracket. Just loosen the bolts and keep it loose, latch the hood and tighten them when it latches.
Thats a great idea, I will try that as well. Its supposed to be in the 40s here tomorrow and if the cable isnt frozen and it still doesnt latch then I will try loosening up the tang on the hood a bit. The hood is aligned and everything "looks" right but it doesn't latch. I haven't really had a chance to look into it in depth but with all the suggestions everyone has given I'm sure I will get it to work. Thanks guys!
[This message has been edited by Erik (edited 01-23-2005).]
jazz... At this point he probably needs a moisture displacer and light oil. WD40 is good for this sort of thing. It tends to work well for frozen locks of any kind. Plus it will wash out dirt. If you carefully warm the can it works even better. (You only want the can at 90-100F. Get too hot and the can may pop its vents or even burst. Very messy and even dangerous.) I used warmed WD40 to get into allot of lock frozen cars when I drove wreckers. I kept the can where the heater would blow on it while I was driving. About a foot or so from the outlet so it wouldn't get too hot.
Long term I'd agree to use a heavier product like you mention. Valvoline Synpower spray oil or spray grease would be good candidates. I use the Synpower spay oil for allot of things. The oil product is much heavier than WD40 or CRC 5-56. the grease product is heavier still and would probably work really well in things like the hood or deck latch. I use the oil product to recover electric fan motors that have sleeve/brass bearings that are stuck.
One product not to use... Liquid Wrench. This has been known to freeze a lock solid in cold weather. I've seen it myself. There is a newer formula but I don't know if it is any less prone to freezing. I haven't used it in awhile.
Erik... The correct fix is to adjust the latch if this is what is really wrong. The loop part isn't where you should adjust. Adjusting the latch can be a pain but that is the correct answer.
[This message has been edited by theogre (edited 01-24-2005).]
IP: Logged
11:59 PM
Jan 24th, 2005
Erik Member
Posts: 5625 From: Des Moines, Iowa Registered: Jul 2002
jazz... At this point he probably needs a moisture displacer and light oil. WD40 is good for this sort of thing. It tends to work well for frozen locks of any kind. Plus it will wash out dirt. If you carefully warm the can it works even better. (You only want the can at 90-100F. Get too hot and the can may pop its vents or even burst. Very messy and even dangerous.) I used warmed WD40 to get into allot of lock frozen cars when I drove wreckers. I kept the can where the heater would blow on it while I was driving. About a foot or so from the outlet so it wouldn't get too hot.
Long term I'd agree to use a heavier product like you mention. Valvoline Synpower spray oil or spray grease would be good candidates. I use the Synpower spay oil for allot of things. The oil product is much heavier than WD40 or CRC 5-56. the grease product is heavier still and would probably work really well in things like the hood or deck latch. I use the oil product to recover electric fan motors that have sleeve/brass bearings that are stuck.
One product not to use... Liquid Wrench. This has been known to freeze a lock solid in cold weather. I've seen it myself. There is a newer formula but I don't know if it is any less prone to freezing. I haven't used it in awhile.
Erik... The correct fix is to adjust the latch if this is what is really wrong. The loop part isn't where you should adjust. Adjusting the latch can be a pain but that is the correct answer.
Ogre, I will adjust the latch itself then if I still have problems after squirting it with wd 40. I have a feeling that it is just frozen. I did have to clean the car off of wet snow about a week ago when I brought it from out of storage to use. I ran it for about an hour because it hadnt run for several months. Then it got really cold from above freezing to the single digits that very night so now, I am figuring that it is just frozen from thawing and refreezing after I shut the car off for the night.
[This message has been edited by Erik (edited 01-24-2005).]
