After some fiddling with the adjustment mechanism - which I
have made too tight, I suppose - my hood is now stuck on the
left. On the right it is released (a little) when I pull the
lever, but on the left I do not even hear the latch move.
Searching the archive revealed little …
Could anyone please confirm that pulling on the cable might
be a way to proceed (I have already tried driving a bumpy
road, to no avail).
Thank you for any input on this,
Frank
Wetzikon, Switzerland
XJ81 DD6 1994 (U.S.MY)–
Frank Gerber, 1988 V12 Le Mans spec. ed. no.50
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In reply to a message from Frank the cl sent Sun 10 Apr 2005:
Try having someone press down gently on the corner of the bonnet
where the catch is while you operate the release handle. One person
each side should do it. Then, while they’re pushing, pull release,
and then bonnet should be able to come up.
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In reply to a message from Frank the cl sent Sun 10 Apr 2005:
Here is an update on my stuck bonnet! (And a solution to the
problem!)
I was unable to move it at all, no matter what I tried.
Neither did Scott Roberts’ idea work on my car. (Thanks though!)
Today - as luck would have it - on my way home I overtook an
Audi on WOT. After passing him I went off the throttle and
saw white smoke behind my car, initially thinking it might
come out of the exhausts. But as appeared when I had pulled
to the side, clearly a coolant hose had ruptured.
I had to call for help, being unable to open the hood. And
now the interesting part follows:
After I had briefed him on my bonnet situation, the mechanic
took out an inflatable device, looking like a small cushion,
made out of PVC or something like it, without air in it
maybe only as thick as a credit card. He slid it under the
rubber seal near the latch mechanism and inflated it in this
position: the bonnet popped open almost immediately!
And I had already entertained nightmarish thoughts of a body
shop having to cut the bonnet open …–
Frank Gerber, 1989 V12 XJ-S, 1994 DD6 (XJ81)
Wetzikon, Switzerland
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In reply to a message from Frank the cl sent Tue 12 Apr 2005:
You mean you don’t have the balloon opener for the bonnet? I
thought everyone did- even came as standard boot kit in the states,
and they wouldn’t even give us tools!
lol… Glad to hear you got a resolution- Just hope you reset the
catches before driving home after the repairs…
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In reply to a message from Scott Roberts sent Wed 13 Apr 2005:
Hi Scott,
you might not know that you are not supposed to work on your
car in Switzerland. People over here are not willing to
trust anybody on anything who does not have a certificate
for doing it. So normally no one touches his car,
considering it a first-rank safety risk to do so.
All my collegues consider me a total alien because
first I am driving two Jags (British unreliable POS)
secondly, I am doing my own maintainance (unheard of in
SWITZERLAND)
So, it is quite normal that I have never seen the balloon …
but I am going to get one for myself right now!
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In reply to a message from Frank the cl sent Wed 13 Apr 2005:
Frank,
Be sure to post the details of this magical device!
Just to confirm - are you saying that the hood was firmly closed
with the catches holding it shut and this baloon device, when
inflated, levered the hood strikers out of the sliding catches?
And it did that without bending the hood or damaging the catches???
That has to be a neat trick!–
The original message included these comments:
So, it is quite normal that I have never seen the balloon …
but I am going to get one for myself right now!
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In reply to a message from Bryan N sent Wed 13 Apr 2005:
Bryan,
yes indeed: both catches were firmly engaged (I had the
moment before almost pulled the cable out of the left
mechanism, when desperately trying to get it to release from
within the cabin …) and the left one was really stuck, not
only holding the hood down.
The balloon opener just popped it open, first try.
Absolutely no damage done to whatever …
The mechanic has told me that people normally use it to lift
furniture just a little bit in order to move it so that you
can put your hand under the piece.
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