Vin 3802 For Sale - £21,500 (unregistered) NOW SOLD

[A Van]

Shit only just seen this ... Ok so your in then , run a spare release cable for future

[Mark]

Running a spare line is top of my list of things to do now! Just got to decide whether it would be better to add a solenoid to the passenger side of the catch to push the lever to open it and only use the cable as the back up or to just add another cable connected directly to the lever to omit a bolt failure again... Although the new nut and bolt will have a lock nut and lots of lock tight.

I tried to fish the lever but just couldn't do it... I tried from under the car with the drivers wheel off through the brake reservoir inspection cover but my car has a strut brace so made it impossible to get to. Then I tried using a coat hanger to fish and then bend a super long screw driver into a shape similar to what I found someone had done on YouTube with a Junior Hacksaw but just couldn't get in there! Walked away at that point after an hour and a half as I was more than frustrated. After a cuppa and a cool down I returned to the garage. I then tried pulling on the middle of the hood and by chance the bolts holding the latch were slightly loose which allowed me to pull the latch mechanism up just enough to place another long screwdriver onto its jaws to manually operate it! I was in!

What a pig! I am just glad I was at home and wasn't at a Petrol Filling Station with no fuel trying to get in the hood miles from home... It would have been an RAC collect on go situation if it was that.

The Bonnet release is high on the priority list too... I need to Inspect it and add a reserve line to that... God only knows what you do if that one goes... One thing I hope I never find out.

[A Van]

Bonnet release is a lot easier, remove back left light and you can reach in an operate lever to release it

[A Van]

This is one way of having a cable

[Mark]

Bonnet release is a lot easier, remove back left light and you can reach in an operate lever to release it

That's great... Didn't think of that. Haven't had the rear light out yet but it is on my list of things to do for my Fog Light mods. Guess there is no point adding another line if it's easy to get to? Or would you add one anyway?

[Biff]

Didn't see this post, but funny enough fitted an emergency release on mine yesterday.
The mechanism is actually very light, as long as you are pulling at the correct angle.
I would suggest to A Van, a may be an idea to re-route your cable ever so slightly. Under where the original cable is held, there is a small hole in the bracket, if you feed through there, your new cable will pull at a better angle & it will look alittle neater too.
Just a thought.

[A Van]

That's not my cable ......

[Biff]

Ahhhh ok
May help owner/others then.

[A Van]

Lol! Yes

[Mark]

Reserve chute installed!

I purchased a new inner cable from Cycle King in Stony Stratford for the sum total of £3.25 which is really for a bicycle gear shift but works perfectly for the hood.

The old cable was perfectly ok but I thought it was best after yesterday's events to swap it out. I haven't wasted the old one though and utilised it as my "reserve chute" if my primary fails. I made a new bracket which sits below the original cable holder and that hosts the reserve cable as I didn't want to drill into the other bracket and weaken it. I have replaced the nut and bolt with a larger one and added spring washers and lock nuts to stop it rattling loose... Over kill I know but want to be 100% sure it won't happen again or at least I've done my best to prevent it.
I ran my reserve cable through some small gauge pneumatic poly hose which can be pushed out the way behind the centre console ready and waiting never to be used in anger... Hopefully!