Speedtoys

88 S4 Auto..

My hood is hard to open, in fact, it requires someone push down on the front, before it will release.

Is this fixable by screwing out the hood release pin a little?

danglerb

Pull the lever and it pops up a little, then push down slightly on the hood while working the latch, is the normal sequence. Otherwise if you pulled the lever while driving, away goes the hood.

Speedtoys

Nope..pull lever until you are SURE youre gonna break something, and it wont budge.

Get 20lbs of push down on the emblem up front, and the primary release lets go..but still with a bit of effort.

I cant find what might be causing the hood to be PULLING up on the release up front..but it does take a little effort to close it fully as well....hmm...

Tails

The hood has two stops at the front corners of the hood. If these are too high they will exert an upward force on the release catch. Screw them down and see whether this makes a difference. If so then adjust them until the front of the hood lines up with the fenders and see whether it now works correctly

In addition the release bowden cable could need some lubricant in addition to the hood latch mechanism,

Release the cable from the hood latch and test the lever to see if the inner cable is binding within the outer sheath. If it is binding then release the retaining clip and hold the cable vertically and squirt some WD 40 onto the inner cable and let it run down inside the outer sheath, A second pair of hand would be helpful working the lever backwards and forwards inside the cabin to assist the flow of WD 40 along the cable until it moves without too much friction.

If it is still stiff then you may need to remove the release cable and pull the inside cable out of the sheath and clean it up and lubricate it with oil or grease and re insert and see whether it is now free.

If it does not become free, invest in a new bowden cable ensuring that it is suitably lubricated before reinstalling.

Tails 1990 928S4 Auto

Mrmerlin

dont forget to lubricate the lock mechanisim you may also have to loosen the lock nut on the hood pin and screw it out a turn or so, .
But as Tails suggested the hood height adjusters may be all thats needed to effect adjustment

Mike LaBranche

Yep, it's all alignment and lube, probably a frayed release cable somewhere, or the cable is kinked/snarled (technical terms) somewhere in the run back to the cabin. I'd plan on replacing the cable at some point, fairly cheap as I recall. Align the hood/latch is a pita, but a prerequisite. I have a really big hammer we can use manana if you cruz on down...

Mrmerlin

ahh forgot, make sure to l;ube the hood hinges the hood will open and close much easier if this is done,
use a good oil lube on the hinges not WD40