hood alignment adjustment

bigkev414 · Post by **bigkev414** » 27 Feb 2012, 02:43

Hi all

A simple question from a simpleton......some time during its life my S70 had a bang on the front side (the evidence is there) the hood is not properly fitted because there is a gap on one side of about 5/16" and only about 1/8" on the driver's side. One of the releases doesn't always let the "U" bracket come up and out of the jaws in the latch and I can't open the hood. How can I re-align and centre the hood?
Please note the US terms I have used here in the spirit of co-operation between allies.

thanks a lot...........Kev

Post by **MoVolvos** » 27 Feb 2012, 03:05

Hi Kev,

Bought my s70 with a little bumper damage and 2 dents on the fender as someone try to open the hood using the fender for leverage. If you are by yourself and need to open the hood at this point use a very large screw driver (pry bar is best as it has a bent tip and more weight) and put a towel on the tip and wedge it between the bumper and hood below the grill area in the front. As you pull the lever it should have enough of a weight to unlicked it from the latch. It this is not enough have a person lift while you pull the latch lever.

Assuming it opens take a look to see if one side of the hood is higher? Does pulling the lever release one latch (open) only on either the passenger or drivers side? Let me know as this will help tell me what needs to be adjusted.

Blessings,

BKM

bigkev414 · Post by **bigkev414** » 27 Feb 2012, 05:41

Thanks mate

Both latches open OK and if I wedge (using a plastic brush handle) something in the gap between the hood and mudguard and move the hood across a bit it releases OK. Been trying to see how to move the whole hood across about 1/8 to 3/16 to even the gaps between it and the mudguards but can't really work it out. The problem is the hood position, not the latches. Of course now that I look at the different width gaps it's annoying heck out of me because I keep the car immaculate and want everything right.

cheers, Kev

Post by **MoVolvos** » 27 Feb 2012, 13:08

Hi bigkev414,

Is mudguard the bumper (UPDATE: I got it, Fenders)

? I loosened the four bolts to the hood and just slightly slide it around to even out the gap. The hood is designed to move fore and aft and side to side a little (more side to side if I remember correctly). Mark your original position and do not loosen all bolts entirely so it does not freely move. Adjust and close recheck gap and close again until it is where you want it. The trick is not to loosen the bolts so much that you lose the position that you have adjusted it to as you may need to open the hood (is that called a bonnet) and shut it several times before getting it to where you are satisfied with it.

The reason for asking all those questions is that the latch can be adjusted up and down and side to side also. If the hood is move too much the latch will try to pull it back into your original position causing it to be difficult to release.

If your cable is slack remove the knee bolster cover and adjust the pull cable from the rear. It is like your accelerator cable with a nut for adjustment. WOW, An Earth Quake here in BayArea CA. Like somebody ran a car into the house!!!

Blessings,

BKM

-

Post by **cn90** » 27 Feb 2012, 13:58

Actually the usual cause is the "side" latches (driver and passenger's side) not releasing the hood Right and Left U loops.

1. At factory, these latches are somehow adjusted too high, so when you pull the hood cable the U loops are still inside the side latches.
- get a black marker, and mark the existing location of the side latches in relation to the body panel as a reference.
- using a 10-mm socket, loosen the 3 bolts holding the side latches (see pic) and bring the side latches down a bit (maybe 1-2 mm)
- if properly adjusted, when closing the hood, it is a tight fit with VERY SLIGHT clearance: Now close the hood down, then pull the hood up, you should not be able to pull your hood up more than 1 mm.
*** If you can pull it up and down quite a bit then your side latches are too high: so when you want to release the hood by pulling the hood release, the U loops are still inside the side latches.

- By adjusting the side latches down a bit, you allow the hood U loop to barely touch the latch release, so the hood U loop pops OUT of the side latches when the hood release is pulled.

2. Then all is done and happy, spray some WD-40 on the latches then some grease (use a BBQ skewer to apply some grease at where the hood cable enters each latch.
- Do not forget to grease the center latch.
- Do not forget to grease the cabin cable (open driver's door and reach your hand touching the release cable and apply some grease there)

3. Then write a Follow-up thanking me (joke).....

It works like a charm (I adjusted this for a friend of mine who brought the car to the dealer for 5 x, and the dealer could not figure out what was wrong with the hood latch, and my friend could not open the hood without a second person. I fixed it for him in 5 minutes!!!!!!!!!).

bigkev414 · Post by **bigkev414** » 28 Feb 2012, 00:23

Thank you very much; you are a true gentleman and there are not many of us left.....(is this OK or do you want more thanks...)
I did this and it does open and together with the other advice will sort the problem out......once again, you are so kind and considerate.....OOhh...you are a girl I hope? Otherwise cancel the last bit.......(grin)

bigkev414 · Post by **bigkev414** » 28 Feb 2012, 00:30

BKM98 S70 T5 wrote:Hi bigkev414,

Is mudguard the bumper (UPDATE: I got it, Fenders) ? I loosened the four bolts to the hood and just slightly slide it around to even out the gap. The hood is designed to move fore and aft and side to side a little (more side to side if I remember correctly). Mark your original position and do not loosen all bolts entirely so it does not freely move. Adjust and close recheck gap and close again until it is where you want it. The trick is not to loosen the bolts so much that you lose the position that you have adjusted it to as you may need to open the hood (is that called a bonnet) and shut it several times before getting it to where you are satisfied with it.

The reason for asking all those questions is that the latch can be adjusted up and down and side to side also. If the hood is move too much the latch will try to pull it back into your original position causing it to be difficult to release.

If your cable is slack remove the knee bolster cover and adjust the pull cable from the rear. It is like your accelerator cable with a nut for adjustment. WOW, An Earth Quake here in BayArea CA. Like somebody ran a car into the house!!!

Blessings,

BKM

-

And I thought I got it all right with the 'hood' instead of 'bonnet'. Humph!. OK, 'fenders' then. In England i think they call mudguards 'wings'. (strange people). Anyway, thanks I didn't want to loosen those bolts because I wasn't sure if it would move a bit and the paint is pristine, even on the bolt heads. I will follow your excellent advice and do it!

Have you really just had a 'tremor'? (that's what we call a little earthquake) Hope you are all OK and it didn't last long.

Post by **MoVolvos** » 28 Feb 2012, 00:50

bigkev414 wrote:
BKM98 S70 T5 wrote:Hi bigkev414,

Is mudguard the bumper (UPDATE: I got it, Fenders) ? I loosened the four bolts to the hood and just slightly slide it around to even out the gap. The hood is designed to move fore and aft and side to side a little (more side to side if I remember correctly). Mark your original position and do not loosen all bolts entirely so it does not freely move. Adjust and close recheck gap and close again until it is where you want it. The trick is not to loosen the bolts so much that you lose the position that you have adjusted it to as you may need to open the hood (is that called a bonnet) and shut it several times before getting it to where you are satisfied with it.

The reason for asking all those questions is that the latch can be adjusted up and down and side to side also. If the hood is move too much the latch will try to pull it back into your original position causing it to be difficult to release.

If your cable is slack remove the knee bolster cover and adjust the pull cable from the rear. It is like your accelerator cable with a nut for adjustment. WOW, An Earth Quake here in BayArea CA. Like somebody ran a car into the house!!!

Blessings,

BKM

-
And I thought I got it all right with the 'hood' instead of 'bonnet'. Humph!. OK, 'fenders' then. In England i think they call mudguards 'wings'. (strange people). Anyway, thanks I didn't want to loosen those bolts because I wasn't sure if it would move a bit and the paint is pristine, even on the bolt heads. I will follow your excellent advice and do it!
Have you really just had a 'tremor'? (that's what we call a little earthquake) Hope you are all OK and it didn't last long.

Actually, I thought you folks called it a bonnet (hood) but is the mud guard a fender or hood? Here it is Hood and Fenders and rear fender is Quarter Panel. We live in the Bay Area where part of the Bay Bridge collapse quite a few years ago beside a stretch of freeway that I use to travel on everyday (no longer exist) and a friend got sandwich in the double decker freeway but survive with a broken arm and a few ribs but many were not so fortunate. There is a major fault in a City called Hayward close by.

3.6 quake hits Berkeley (Today) - 20 miles from me.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.c ... 1LN3MT.DTL

Use some electrical tape in the socket if it can fit over the bolts to eliminate chipping the paint on the bolts if you really want to go all out.

Blessings,

BKM

bigkev414 · Post by **bigkev414** » 28 Feb 2012, 05:39

Yep we do, but i keep being 'corrected' by you guys as there are only a few Aussies and assorted others on the forum so I thought I would try to identify better. The 'hood' is a bonnet. The trunk is the boot. The mudguard is an old term for fender because I'm old and still even remember my grandad's Ford 'buckboard' (do you know what that is?) The rear quarter panel is correct, so You got one right!
Glad all are OK after the quake - had one where we lived when I was a kid and I remember the walls moving...only lasted for about 30 seconds and cracked the wall above the doorframes. Frightening.
Was an interesting snippet in the paper a while ago about the close ties between us and you guys; apparently somewhere in Afghanistan the US have 'sublet' the catering to the Dutch, who served Dutch food, while we do our own. Reports came in that the food consumption shot through the roof because your boys kept sneaking into our mess to get 'proper food'. (same as us - steaks, burgers etc). Good I thought.
All the best. Kev