Hood Hitting Something - Causing it to Crack
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Jul 2008
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From: Bangor ME
Hood Hitting Something - Causing it to Crack
Hi,
Noticed today a small spiderweb type crack in the paint on my hood. I then opened the hood and discovered the liner ripped in the same spot - is the hood hitting the coolant reservoir cap while I'm driving and causing this? Or did the hood get hit once by something on the outside and it happened? I'm afraid to keep driving the car since it will cause the hood to crack more.
Any ideas? If I can stop it from doing this any more, how much do you think a body shop will charge to fix this crack?
Noticed today a small spiderweb type crack in the paint on my hood. I then opened the hood and discovered the liner ripped in the same spot - is the hood hitting the coolant reservoir cap while I'm driving and causing this? Or did the hood get hit once by something on the outside and it happened? I'm afraid to keep driving the car since it will cause the hood to crack more.
Any ideas? If I can stop it from doing this any more, how much do you think a body shop will charge to fix this crack?
Last edited by Skeld; Sep 2, 2008 at 10:00 PM.
Moderator
Joined: Jun 2004
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I doubt that the cause of your crack, cant really tell what it looks like in the pic though. Your coolant cap should be low enough that it dosent cause a problem and the imprint in your hood insulation would be allot deeper and more defined it that cap was pressing that hard on it.
Safety Car
Joined: Nov 2002
Posts: 4,394
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From: Melbourne FL
If the crack is located above the coolant tank cap. I would suspect that is your problem. But, the tank cap should not be that high. Check to make sure it is tight. The liner appears to be a little wet also. So it may be leaking or not screwed down all the way. If it is tight; my next step would be to check the clearance b/w the cap and the inside of the hood. You can do this with modeling clay or maybe even Playdo if you have kids. Place a small ball of it on the cap then close the hood. Open the hood then measure the thickness of the clay to see how much clearance you have.
I'm not sure how much it would cost to fix the crack. Under $300 would be my guess.
I'm not sure how much it would cost to fix the crack. Under $300 would be my guess.
Pro
Joined: Aug 2008
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From: Syracuse NY
it would cost more if its close to another body panel requiring them to blend that panel as well. i have some scratches on my hood that are close to a fender, gunna cost me 350 ish to have them fixed, but i know the guy.
as far as having clearance, the playdough should do the trick for measuring... maybe someone sat on your hood something
as far as having clearance, the playdough should do the trick for measuring... maybe someone sat on your hood something
Instructor
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From: Round Rock Texas
Team Owner
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it would cost more if its close to another body panel requiring them to blend that panel as well. i have some scratches on my hood that are close to a fender, gunna cost me 350 ish to have them fixed, but i know the guy.
as far as having clearance, the playdough should do the trick for measuring... maybe someone sat on your hood something
as far as having clearance, the playdough should do the trick for measuring... maybe someone sat on your hood something
No more Hooters girls on the hood, m'kay? 
BTW, I no longer let my hood slam when closing. Stress cracks can develop around the hood latches on both sides. I just lower it and then use my hand to give it a firm push to latch. It takes a second longer since you have to do each side one at a time, but I'm used to it now.
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Jul 2008
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From: Bangor ME
Hmm interesting. I did have it at the dealership for an alignment - it's possible they could have done something. I'll check the clearance somehow. I don't have any clay but I'll find something.
It's also possible someone sat on the hood when it was parked at my work or something. You never really know what goes on. What concerned me slightly is that there are some marks where the air cleaner seems to be rubbing too which made me think the hood was off or something more serious was wrong. But the gaps and everything look ok.
It's also possible someone sat on the hood when it was parked at my work or something. You never really know what goes on. What concerned me slightly is that there are some marks where the air cleaner seems to be rubbing too which made me think the hood was off or something more serious was wrong. But the gaps and everything look ok.
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Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Jul 2008
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From: Bangor ME
Yeah that was my initial thought. But the hood looks good, and the fender looks good too when compared to the door. If I raise the adjuster, the hood will stick up and not seal I think. And how much could I really gain here? 1/8" at most? Doesn't seem like it would be enough to fix the problem if the hood is hitting when it flexes.
Tech Contributor
Joined: Dec 2006
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From: Van Buren Arkansas
Wounded Warrior Escort '11
The bolt is under it and not easy to see, near the bottom. Somehow I don't remember an adjustment though therefore I'm wondering if your right fender well is mounted correctly? Possibly leading to a misconception that the hood to fender lines appear correct yet they are really too low? Anyway, check out the coolant tank first as its the obvious choice. Was the fender ever off the car?
Thread Starter
Instructor
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From: Bangor ME
Hard to say. I have only owned it for a month and I purchased it from a used corvette dealer. Probably a bad move since he can't tell me **** about it.
With regard to the fender, there is a hairline crack in the fender well on the top (under the decal), but it appears to be fine other than that. How could I go about finding out if the fender is mounted incorrectly?
With regard to the fender, there is a hairline crack in the fender well on the top (under the decal), but it appears to be fine other than that. How could I go about finding out if the fender is mounted incorrectly?
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 176
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From: Bangor ME
Tried the Play-Doh trick and discovered that there's a 1/4" of clearance between the hood and the coolant cap when the hood is latched. Does this seem normal? Does it seem likely that the hood could flex enough to hit the cap?
My 1 year old daughter now also has a 24 pack of Play-Doh also, so good things all around!
My 1 year old daughter now also has a 24 pack of Play-Doh also, so good things all around!
