Stuck 240 bonnet

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Sammy - 18 Jul 2004 15:58 GMT

Hi all

I have a little problem with my old (83) 240gl. The pull handle under the
steering wheel no longer opens the bonnet and I desperately need to change
the oil, check the radiator and other things.
Can anyone here offer some advice on how I might be able to get the lid up?
I can probably fix the cable to open it properly in future then, too.
Please help, I don't want to run this great car down by not changing the oil
etc and I can't afford a mechanic to open it for me at the moment.

Also, I hope this isn't an inappropriate post: is there a faq for this NG?

Regards
Sammy

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Stewart Hargrave - 18 Jul 2004 16:21 GMT

>I have a little problem with my old (83) 240gl. The pull handle under the
>steering wheel no longer opens the bonnet and I desperately need to change
>the oil, check the radiator and other things.
>Can anyone here offer some advice on how I might be able to get the lid up?

This happened once on my old 240.

I removed the front grill, and was able to access the opener from
underneath. The grill has two lugs on the lower edge that slot into
holes in the body work. The top of the grill is held by two
quarter-turn clips. By prising carefully along the bottom of the grill
I was able to ease the lugs out of their holes without too much
damage, then reach in and grasp the bottom of the clips and turn them
a quarter turn. The grill should now come away. From here you should
see the underside of the bonnet latch.

>Also, I hope this isn't an inappropriate post: is there a faq for this NG?

All things Volvo welcome here. There isn't a FAQ as such, but most
people get guided to:

http://brickboard.com/
and
http://www.swedishbricks.net/

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Stewart Hargrave

For email, replace 'SpamOnlyToHere' with my name

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Rod Gray - 18 Jul 2004 23:49 GMT

Look under the dash. You may be able to remove the kick panel and grab the
cable with pliers, depending on where the cable broke. Another alternative
is to use a pair of long needle nose pliers and go through the grill and
pull the cable.

> >I have a little problem with my old (83) 240gl. The pull handle under the
> >steering wheel no longer opens the bonnet and I desperately need to change
[quoted text clipped - 25 lines]
>
> For email, replace 'SpamOnlyToHere' with my name

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athol - 19 Jul 2004 08:49 GMT

> I removed the front grill, and was able to access the opener from
> underneath. The grill has two lugs on the lower edge that slot into
[quoted text clipped - 4 lines]
> a quarter turn. The grill should now come away. From here you should
> see the underside of the bonnet latch.

When pushing the lever to release the bonnet, some pressure on the
top of the bonnet may also be beneficial.

Also, noting that the OP was posting from UK, I'd strongly recommend
that he convert the bonnet release to be on the left side instead, as
it makes the catch much easier to open. There's some info about this
on my web page, although the page is rather out of date ATM.

Signature

Athol
<http://cust.idl.com.au/athol>
Linux Registered User # 254000
I'm a Libran Engineer. I don't argue, I discuss.

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don hodgdon - 19 Jul 2004 14:03 GMT

> Hi all
>
[quoted text clipped - 10 lines]
> Regards
> Sammy

There are a couple of ways to release the latch. Often the clamp holding
the cable in place on the fender will lose it's grip and the hood release
will not operate. Fashion a hook with stiff wire and stick it through the
grill to pull the cable.

In the event of a broken cable, jack up the front end and look up from under
the car, behind the bumper, in front of the radiator. You should see that it
is possible to reach up and manipulate the hood latch with a screwdriver.
You may have to remove a plastic air duct or two, depending on your
particular model 240.

Good luck,

Signature

-don

'81 242t
'89 744ti

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Sammy - 20 Jul 2004 01:42 GMT

> > Hi all
> >
[quoted text clipped - 25 lines]
>
> Good luck,

Dear Stewart, Athol and Don,

Thankyou very much for the top notch advice :-).

I followed your suggestions and I've sorted the problem (inasmuch as I can
now open the bonnet) although I now need to unseize the cable and latch cam.
No problems there, though: that's something I understand. The important
thing is that I am able to change the oil, plugs and other (vital) bits and
bobs. I can worry about making the bonnet easy to open later. Importantant
thing is that I'm able to look after the engine, steering fluid and others
before they deteriorate due to me being unable to acces them..

Thanks again for your valuable and friendly advice.
Sammy

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