My car finally succumbed to the stuck hood latch problem. The cable popped out of the housing, but that isn't my real problem. The problem is, even with a pair of pliers tugging on the cable, it just doesn't move more than an inch or so.

I'm assuming the latch itself is rusted up and needs to be lubed, but I can't find a way to do this with the hood closed. Any suggestions on how to get the sucker to budge?

Also, anyone want to buy a 2009 JCW?

 

Generally the latch doesn't rust, however it has a history of corroding and in some cases the white lithium grease some shops use to lube it has a bad habit of attracting sand like debris and getting a little sticky.

You may find your self having to open the bonnet from taking the left front wheel and inner fender off... Best of luck.

Motor on!

 

Thanks! I did remove the fender liner (or at least most of it) but still didn't find a way to open the hood. I'll keep banging away. Have to bleed the brakes this weekend!

 

Its the cable and the latch then sticks. Go through the wheel well . You can see in the link how its set up and in our pics its two cables that connect.

http://www.ecstuning.com/Search/SiteSearch/51232751378/





Diagram:

http://www.realoem.com/bmw/enUS/show...diagId=41_1781

 

I'll try to remove the entire liner this weekend. Thanks everyone.

 

Welcome.

The liner has those clips that always seem to twist and break. Use a fat head Phillips and a split head pry tool to hold them so the head will not just spin. And goodluck.

07130702966 Plastic Rivet

http://www.ecstuning.com/Search/SiteSearch/07130702966/

 

My previous R50 had a stuck hood, which is hard to diagnose because of the dual latches under the hood and 2 bowden cables coming from the latch release, but I learned elsewhere on the boards here a trick on getting it open - have someone push down quickly on the hood while you pull the latch. It sometimes frees up a stuck latch enough to release, even with a slackened bowden cable.

I was lucky that trick worked, since my battery was dead and I didn't want to add a tow truck service to the price of a new battery...

 

I damaged my latch and it won't budge at all. Can't reach the latch from underneath on the driver side with a long screw driver because there are things in the way that I can't remove from under the car. Broke the grill and scoop trying to find a way to get the hood off. I also tried taking the driver side wheel off and removing the lining but mine doesn't have the cable ran through the wheel well area. Any suggestions outside of getting a side grinder out and cutting the hood off?

 

This trick worked for me and I've been doing this ever since. Today, I failed inspection because he couldn't get under the hood, and he ended up breaking the plastic lever trying to manhandle it. I blame myself for forgetting about the hood release in the first place.

So, I've ordered the parts above –*has anyone done this install?

 

Final update (from me anyway)

My wife didn't feel like helping me (sigh) so I piled up some books on the hood to press it down while I pulled on the latch.

Replacing the hood release is surprisingly simple, except getting the cable through the firewall. That was a pain, but mostly because it's difficult and awkward to reach. Took me about an hour, but mostly cuz I was solo. With a competent helper it would take half that, if you're taking your time.

Hood pops open when I gently breathe on it. It's quite a feeling.

 

Thanks for the update. Glad you have it fixed now.

 

Mine isn't broken but it's getting a bit sticky. What's the best product to lubricate the cable and how best to actually lube more than just the ends? Is it the latches themselves? Anything but having it break... >.

 

I spray mine with rust check (same as Krown or ACF-50) and it seems to do a good job of keeping the corrosion at bay without attracting too much gunk. Then once a year give it a good degrease, blow it dry with shop air and inhibit it again.
The latches are pretty crude and aren't plated so they corrode easily.

 

I spray mine up front near the locks with free-all or wd40. Wipe off the old grim before you spray.

 

Hey Guys, thanks for the tips. Got something to remove the grease and something else to help with the lubrication and rust stop. Thanks for the tips. NAM is invaluable!

 

Welcome.