Hood latch issue
 

My car tends to drain the battery if it sits too long. I haven't driven it since last Friday. I went out to start it tonight, knowing the battery would be dead, I went to pop the hood to charge it and I believe the cable broke :grr: . Does anyone have a clue how to get the hood open? I was able to get the car running by putting the charger directly on the starter. But how do replace the cable if you can't open the hood? :confused:

Can you get a pliers on the cable by the footwell, or is it broken further back?

I believe it's broken at or near the latch. The cable is still attached to the lever.

There is an additional cable pull installed for situations like this. It is hanging above the AC condensor. Remove the left front wheel, the plastic covering front of the wheel needs to be removed and there should be a wire look hanging from the bodywork at the midline. Give it a pull and you'll un-latch the hood.

Oh sweet! i was going to say he could go through one of those tiny drain holes and somehow attach to something useful to open it.

Thank you for the new bit of knowledge Garrett!

never knew that; good thing to know. Thanks Garrett

Here's what it looks like - you can see there are two cables there - one of them is the backup line going through that rubber grommet leading to the area above the A/C condensor.

Glad to help ;)

Yeah..... That secondary cable would be great. But....... as I recall early on when I bought this car one of the first things I did to it was replace the battery. And I remember disconnecting the + first and arching (I don't know if that's spelled right) the wrench on that cable severing it. :crying:

I don't think the early cars had the back-up cable fitted....

I'm thinking Sawzall at this point.

Get a "slim jim" (or even a coat hanger) and slide it under the hood trying to grab the latch pull - once you hook it, sliding it to the driver's side will pop open the latch. That's the approach I'd take - use the picture above so you know what you're trying to hook onto.

If all else fails, then yes, a reciprocating saw between the hood and the gasket will cut the hood's latch portion and likely the gasket too, which you'll just have to buy another... :eek: I'd spend a couple days trying the "slim-jim" approach first.

Thanks. ****ty situation but at least I know what my options are. I'll probably fix that secondary cable while I'm in there.

Once you get the hood open, I would wager that it is not broken, but that the clamp that secures the end of the cable has gotten loose.

For quite some time, my hood release lever seemed to be getting very loose, such that I thought it had failed, but after a fair amount of monkeying around, I noted that the cable clamp got loose, and thus over time, the cable it self slipped a bit, creating some slack in the line.

Anyway, here's hoping that a Sawzall is not required!

One more thing....

If it has in fact gotten loose rather than broken, it is possible that the cable may still loop around the mechanisim. If you runbolt the hood release lever from the body of the car, such that you can hold it in your hand, you may be able to give the cable enough of a pull to release the latch. I speak from experience on that matter!

Brian

My cable failed a few years back.While the cable was intact the retainer for the cable cover was broken.Once I was able to hold the outter cassing in place while pulling the release lever the hood opened.If I hadn't looked close I would have missed it.And why dose the spell cheak never work.

My 1990 C4 Cab does not have the backup cable, but the grommet and the cable clamp are there. I can see where it attaches to the latch, where does the other end go? In the wheel well? Doesn't that make it easy for anyone to open the hood if they simply know Porsches have this "feature"?

Danz C4

SHHHHH! Dont tell anybody :eek:

Can you reach the latch through the drain hole directly underneath the spare? The spare would have to be out...

Danz C4

I'm going to try a couple things tonight I'm taking it to my mechanic. If it's on a lift the drains will be easier to access. The other option is a coat hanger between the hood and bumper.

"Does anyone have a clue how to get the hood open? "
Do not sawzall , no slimjim , no wire coat hangers .

Do you have another 964 to look at ? It will help .

My mechanic may have 993 or two at his shop. I'll be there in about an hour. The spare tire is not in the car. I was joking about the Sawzall.

Sorry, I don't have much to offer, but here are some more pics to help with your strategy.

I'm thinking of two approaches:

Remove some grommets from within the tire well to give yourself access. Use one for light, one for visuals, and one to fish a stiff wire with a formed hook to grab the cable pull lever. This would be tough enough, but the carpet and plastic cover may make access to the lever impossible.

Alternatively, perhaps a string or thin wire could be fished to loop around the primary hood catch itself. I'm not sure if tugging on the catch would even release it, and this too is may be impossible due to the raised design of the plastic cover.

Upon reading your plight, and preparing to take these photos, I noticed that my secondary cable was loose in its mount. If I had needed to use it, it would have pulled right out. Crisis averted!

Good luck with your efforts, and report back on your success.

Hi Mbouder

Can you tell me how much of the cable broke off? If it broke close to the handle you may be able to still get to the end by peeling off the outer sheath and then grabbing it with vise grip pliers. Even if you can't get to the end try just pulling on the outer sheath.

Hope this helps
Bill
90C2

I have to assume it broke at the latch. I looked inside the car by the lever and it's in tact there. My mechanic has the car right now for an allignment and some other stuff. He never really has alot of 964's but last night there was a midnight blue RSA there. He can use that car for reference. It's in his hands now. Thanks.

Emergency Control
 

For those who don't have it, the emergency release cable is part # 964.512.521.00 "emergency control" and can be found on Pelican here

Of course, your local bicycle shop probably has a suitable version for a bit less money and no shipping.

Cheers,
Dave

You or your mechanic might want to check for sure where it broke off or even go as far as to pull on it, maybe it has one of those lugs with a set screw which may have come loose and if you pull it more it may catch. Can't do any harm and it's about the easiest thing to do at this point.

As it turns out the cable just slipped off the latch. he got in through the drains with a very long screw driver. I'm going to get the car in a couple hours. Thanks.

I had similar problem but the cable was not broken, just loose, and detaching the handle inside the car and pulling the cable was enough to open the latch.

I had a puncture yesterday, and my whell has the nut where you need the key to open (I think it's in the boot).
I tried to open my boot and it broke, I tried pulling the cable which broke behind the handle, but it didn't work.

Is there a way to replace the handle? Or do I have to resort to installing the cable long term?

My car is a RHD btw, so the cable would be on the right as well yes?

If you don't have the emergency cable, it's easy to install your own. Use a bicycle derailleur cable, and route it into the left front directional signal. One screw to remove to get at it. Do the same with the rear, a little tricky, since there is a double wall, but not too hard. Route to the left rear tail light.

I know this thread is old, but it was very helpful as my hood release cable snapped very close to the latch this weekend. Thanks to the photos and the mention of prior experiences, I was able to pop the latch with the use of only a boroscope and a extra long screwdriver from harbor freight. A cheap solution to a very frustrating problem. I did not have to enlarge the train hole in the front of the vehicle in order to access the latch. I plan to replace the cable and definitely add an emergency cable as well.
Hope this is helpful.