I couldn't open the bonnet of My pride and joy, a 1988 928S4.
After 26 years, some of the road muck and minor rust made trying to open bonnet hard, and the driver's side handle dislodged off it’s cable holder inside the driver's side, and just hung there after popping off the triangular plastic guide – too much brute force applied.
So I had 2 problems, both related. The first priority was to pop the hood, but how to do? Rang Porsche service who'd suggested that the front bumper needed to come off. WRONG, as the bumper is screwed on from inside the engine bay. After hunting the www for a solution, which suggested some things like sticking your hand up the grill and manually opening, I made my own, because the hand fix wouldn't work either.
First task - to get to the under hood latch.
1. Push back the black plastic air guide behind the grill that helps direct air to radiator. This is a simple task as it just sits in little channels top of the "grill".
2. Get a good torch small enough to get through the grill, and shine up towards the latch.
3. As my hand / arm was too stumpy, and my biggest screw driver too short, so I made my own "McGiver-tool" by joining a biggish wrench.
4. Manoeuvre screw driver (with extension) through the grill towards hood latch.
5. Using a small hammer or similar, tap the end of screw driver (extension) to push the latch open – need to push AWAY from the spring.
Photo shows end of screw driver at latch, though it should be on RHS to push towards driver’s side. Trust me, this took some patience, and there's no way it could be done by hand as the latch was stuck solid.
This popped the hood, and I was able to see what (if any) potential obstructions. As it was, a good clean of the top of the plunger and the plunger holder, and a good dose of WD40 to loosen things up was all it needed.
Second task - Now, inside the driver's compartment to fix the cable handle, which came out of the plastic guide at the cable end.
1. I found the plastic triangular shaped guide for the hood opener handle under the side carpet which I partly removed. It must've been there for years as was never noticed the x times I've popped the hood.
2. As the cable had detached from the side wall mounted guide, (I used a bit of force to open which dislodged this part), this had to be pushed back into the front guard by 2-3 inches. You can also try to pull the cable into the front of the car.
4. As there was nothing to secure the triangular outside guide to the wall guide, (it looked like it originally had a snap on clip) I screwed in a small self tapper to ensure handle doesn't come off again.
6. Don't forget to put plastic air guide back into its little grill slots, or else it will block some of the fresh air to the radiator and overheat the engine.
A couple of shots of my sweet ride with much smaller Momo steering wheel. Car feels hugely more responsive (like a go-cart), and looks fresher.
So I had 2 problems, both related. The first priority was to pop the hood, but how to do? Rang Porsche service who'd suggested that the front bumper needed to come off. WRONG, as the bumper is screwed on from inside the engine bay. After hunting the www for a solution, which suggested some things like sticking your hand up the grill and manually opening, I made my own, because the hand fix wouldn't work either.
First task - to get to the under hood latch.
1. Push back the black plastic air guide behind the grill that helps direct air to radiator. This is a simple task as it just sits in little channels top of the "grill".
2. Get a good torch small enough to get through the grill, and shine up towards the latch.
3. As my hand / arm was too stumpy, and my biggest screw driver too short, so I made my own "McGiver-tool" by joining a biggish wrench.
4. Manoeuvre screw driver (with extension) through the grill towards hood latch.
5. Using a small hammer or similar, tap the end of screw driver (extension) to push the latch open – need to push AWAY from the spring.
Photo shows end of screw driver at latch, though it should be on RHS to push towards driver’s side. Trust me, this took some patience, and there's no way it could be done by hand as the latch was stuck solid.
This popped the hood, and I was able to see what (if any) potential obstructions. As it was, a good clean of the top of the plunger and the plunger holder, and a good dose of WD40 to loosen things up was all it needed.
Second task - Now, inside the driver's compartment to fix the cable handle, which came out of the plastic guide at the cable end.
1. I found the plastic triangular shaped guide for the hood opener handle under the side carpet which I partly removed. It must've been there for years as was never noticed the x times I've popped the hood.
2. As the cable had detached from the side wall mounted guide, (I used a bit of force to open which dislodged this part), this had to be pushed back into the front guard by 2-3 inches. You can also try to pull the cable into the front of the car.
3. The bullet shaped end of the cable, connected to the handle, must go back into the little trench / channel that secures the end of the cable to the wall mounted guide. Again, a bit of patience is required as is a bit fiddly.
4. As there was nothing to secure the triangular outside guide to the wall guide, (it looked like it originally had a snap on clip) I screwed in a small self tapper to ensure handle doesn't come off again.
5. Replace all carpets, test the handle BEFORE shutting the bonnet, then shut the bonnet, and open the bonnet. Should work a treat.
6. Don't forget to put plastic air guide back into its little grill slots, or else it will block some of the fresh air to the radiator and overheat the engine.
A couple of shots of my sweet ride with much smaller Momo steering wheel. Car feels hugely more responsive (like a go-cart), and looks fresher.
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