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Ref: C4 Hood latch/catch male pin mounting plate bolts
Hi,
my C4 did not have the Hood latch/catch male pin mounting plates at all. My hood didn't latch. I found the plates and the pin/spring part, but I cannot determine what kind of bolts are used to hold the left and right plates to the inside of the hood. Can someone tell me?
-Art
Originally Posted by GQ-ROD
Just wanted to share my recent experience.
Could not open the hood, i had already installed an extra set of cables to ensure i could pull the locking tab back.
This did not work.
Turns out the pin was wedged against the receiving bracket.
Had to cut a hole in the hood to reach the bracket bolts holding the whole plate in.
There was no other way for me to get the hood open.
So i got the aero catch hood pins, i got these from an authorized local distributor so they cost me 85 bucks, but are authentic, not the chinese ones on fleabay, and will be installing them soon, i'll have to make a mounting plate to cover the hole, then install the new pins.
But at least the stuck hood problem should be gone forever, if these get stuck due to misalignment, i can at least get at the pins from the top and not do any more damage. Luckily for me i have experience with body work so this doesn't scare me.
But it's not always the locking tab or cable that gets stuck, though i've cleaned and greased this pin it still managed to get stuck.
Oops....just realized this thread is 2 years old. Sorry.
I forgive you, tho the ops may not; ask how I know. Some threads are useful despite age.
When I lube the latches, I gently lower the hood to see where the pins touch the latch, using grease as an indicator. Gentle closing, ala Roy, minimizes the need for realignment and proper alignment negates the need for filing parts!
What should the cables be lubed with? I lubed the pins and latch with some new grease after cleaning off the old grease. I also lubed the door hinges as they were very dry and probably never lubed since car was built in 92.
I don't think that you need to lube the cables....just the latches. If the cables start to "drag" the ID has been worn/sawed through and the cables need to be replaced. BUT, if your hood is adjusted properly, and the latches are lubed...the load on the cable will be LOW. So low, the car will eventually fall apart around the cables.
Just a tip for this forum I had my pin wedged and could not open the hood. I took the inner wells off and you can loosen the frontmost 2 bolts then with a pry bar or screwdriver press the latch outward or inward(ask my how I know). The fix is to periodically file around the pins as they get wider as time goes on.
Good luck
After having hood lock, when purchased: I used lockout kit to open and it worked. Immediately replaced broken cable and clips with new! I installed plastic ties to avoid future problems. After closing hood, hood handle was extremely hard (not so testing after new cables installed) tried pulling on ties and they would not move. Back to lockout tool. What had originally took 10 to 15 minutes now could not be accomplished after 3 hours. Using scope offered no help. My only guess is that buckle on cable tie is now wedged behind clip preventing movement. Your method sounds good, but I have no room to jack car and also have dead battery (another issue) So again somehow, I will make your way work. Thanks again...
I`m confused GC-ROD, you made your own version of the hood latch release tool but you already had installed emergency release cables. I`m confident the car was flexed which is almost always the problem.
Even if the car is slightly uneven it can make the hood difficult to open. There`s never a reason to cut a holes in the hood, always a solution. Use the proper release tool, if it`s for sure not the latch try rocking or moving the car in different directions and get a second person to push down on the hood while trying to unlock it. Take the car for a drive and steer it left and right hard while you keep pulling the hood release. Lastly if nothing works loosen the bolts from the top of the post mount through the fender and pry at different angles to open it. This is a sure fire solution. I`ve even heard of people successfully reaching through the fender and unlocking the latch by hand after loosening the top post mount.
Once opened make sure the posts are actually still completely round from wear, otherwise replace and grease all areas with white lithium grease and make sure they are aligned properly.
Ref: C4 Hood latch/catch male pin mounting plate bolts
Some threads are useful despite age.
