[s-cars] hood latch

[Tom Green]

You could always put the coat hangar hook in the tool box, Teddy, and  
save
all that time looking.  :-)  Another Audi special tool.

Isn't it a great feeling to successfully complete the timing belt  
replacement
job successfully with so few problems?  The belt replacement is a simple
thing in itself, but there are so many details in gaining access and  
then
replacing everything--so many places to go wrong.  :-)  Congrats!

Tom



> -----Original message-----
> Date: Mon, 26 Mar 2007 18:55:01 -0700 (PDT)
> From: Theodore Chen <tedebearp at yahoo.com>
> Subject: Re: [s-cars] hood latch
> To: djdawson2 at aol.com, ezveedub at hotmail.com, s-car-list at audifans.com
> Message-ID: <476124.16139.qm at web50602.mail.re2.yahoo.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1
>
> dave,
>
> the hood is open!  i used a coat hanger and fished through the grille
> to open the latches.  thanks very much for your advice, especially the
> speed with which you delivered it.
>
> the bentley is completely useless for figuring out how the mechanism
> works.  and the advice on audiworld was mostly geared to the situation
> where the clips are broken but the cable is still attached.  i saw
> something about taking off the belly pan and using a broomstick, but
> didn't see any more details.
>
> i spent more time finding a coat hanger and cutting and bending it
> into the right shape than it took me to hook those latches and pop
> the hood.
>
> now i have to put the belly pan back and reinstall the hood release
> mechanism.  if this happens again, even if it's a broken clip, i'm
> just going to fish with a coathanger because it takes a lot less time.
>
> thanks, everybody, for the help.
>
> -teddy
>
> --- djdawson2 at aol.com wrote:
>
>> There is an arm at each hood pin.  Each one needs to be pulled  
>> towards the
>> centerline of the hood to release each pin.  IME, it is easiest to  
>> use a
>> coat-hanger or welding rod.  You need to have a straight length of  
>> stought
>> wire... and you need to bend a hook into the end of it.  Once  
>> you've created
>> a hook, you need to fish it through to each hood pin latch...  
>> where the cable
>> used to pass through.  It looks like a loop formed out of round  
>> metal stock,
>> that is formed into a circle where the cable passes through.  You  
>> need to
>> hook each loop, and pull until it releases the pin... one on each  
>> side.  They
>> do not need to be pulled at the same time... releasing one at a  
>> time works
>> fine.
>>
>> I have done it through the front grille, as well as from beneath  
>> the car.
>>
>> This is sort of hard to describe accurately, but that's the best I  
>> can do.
>> Take a good light source, and try and locate those lock/release  
>> arms while
>> looking through your front grille.  Once you've spotted them, plan  
>> your path
>> to hook them, and then pull each towards the center.
>>
>> Good luck,
>> Dave
>>
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: tedebearp at yahoo.com
>> To: ezveedub at hotmail.com; s-car-list at audifans.com
>> Sent: Mon, 26 Mar 2007 7:07 PM
>> Subject: Re: [s-cars] hood latch
>>
>>
>> it won't release at all.
>>
>> i don't think it's a broken clip.  i just looked through the grille
>> with a flashlight, and i can see the end of the cable on the  
>> passenger
>> side.  it's not attached to anything.  i can't figure out how to
>> release the latches.
>>
>> i looked under the car with the belly pan off, and i think i can see
>> the bottom of the passenger side latch.  i don't know how the  
>> mechanism
>> works, though.  what do i have to do to release it?  i thought it was
>> a couple of semi-circular pieces holding the latch pin, and tried to
>> pry them apart with a really big screwdriver, but it's not working.
>>
>> what am i supposed to do with a stick to open it?  i haven't been
>> able to find the answer so far in searching the archives.
>>
>> -teddy
>>
>> --- Ez Veedub <ezveedub at hotmail.com> wrote:
>>
>>> Will it release from the pass side or none at all? I had it  
>>> happen to my
>>> hood, but was able to get the passenger side released. From there  
>>> I was
>> able
>>> to get a long wire tool under the hood from the side and release the
>>> driver's side. I have sinced tiewrapped the ends to keep the  
>>> cable parts in
>>
>>> place. I will be changing all the parts soon though.
>>> Ezveedub
>>>
>>>
>>>> From: Theodore Chen <tedebearp at yahoo.com>
>>>> To: s-car-list at audifans.com
>>>> Subject: [s-cars] hood latch
>>>> Date: Mon, 26 Mar 2007 17:28:02 -0700 (PDT)
>>>>
>>>> bugger.
>>>>
>>>> the only issue i'd had after the timing belt job was that the  
>>>> driver's
>>>> side of the hood wasn't latching properly.  this morning, i made  
>>>> a quick
>>>> adjustment to the latching post on the driver's side, and was  
>>>> gratified
>>>> to find that the hood stayed shut the first time.
>>>>
>>>> i just decided to top off the coolant, and pulled the hood  
>>>> release lever.
>>>> there was a snap, and the hood stayed closed.
>>>>
>>>> at the beginning of the timing belt job, we started to remove  
>>>> the driver's
>>>> side plastic clip for the hood cable, and then we left it alone  
>>>> instead,
>>>> moving the whole lock carrier to the firewall with the cable  
>>>> attached.
>>>> it looks like those tender ministrations were the death knell  
>>>> for that
>>>> clip, and when i got the driver's side latch working, that clip  
>>>> broke.
>>>>
>>>> now i can't get the hood open.  fortunately, the coolant  
>>>> temperature
>>>> looked normal and there weren't any dire warnings about low  
>>>> coolant.
>>>> i hope i won't need to refill it on the way home.  i had a phillips
>>>> screwdriver, and took out the hood release latch and pulled on it.
>>>> doesn't seem to be doing anything, though.  does this mean i  
>>>> have to
>>>> go fishing under the car with a stick?
>>>>
>>>> -teddy