Engine lid stuck closed

[spinnaker]

Evening all. So my car's engine lid appears to be stuck closed. If I pull the release button on the driver's side sill I hear the actuator sound as normal but the lid just doesn't release.

I have tried pushing down when someone pulls on the release and also trying to lift up when the release is lifted but to no avail.

I'm guessing this isn't an issue with the buttons as I can hear the sound at the back. I know there is a manual release under the passenger side light but it seems as though the light is butted up closely to the bumper so will be difficult to snag and pull.

Any genius suggestions on how to get this open?

 

[T8]

This thread refers to a 996 but will probably be the same.

http://www.911uk.com/viewtopic.php?t=65320&start=0&postdays=0&postorder=asc&highlight=lid+stuck

 

[spinnaker]

Thanks T8, I'll have a crack at getting the release out and report back.

 

[spinnaker]

Okay so mixed new here...

- I managed to lift the rear light with some silicon kitchen spatulas and masked the area off. I then used some twisted garden wire to hook the release cable out. It took a couple of hard pulls to release the deck lid. I gave the latch a wipe and a good squirt of oil and it now seems to release from the switch fairly reliably again - yay!

- I put everything back to normal (stashed the cable, removed masking tape, etc) and then closed the driver's door. Imagine my surprise when the deck lid popped open again when the door slammed closed. If I gently close the door it is fine, if I close it hard the deck lid latch releases.

I can't see how this is happening. There shouldn't be any sort of pressure build up that pops the boot. There shouldn't be any obvious reason electrically that I can think of.

Nobody else seems to have reported this here or anywhere else as far as I can see.

Any thoughts?

 

[T8]

Given the close proximity of the actuator switch to the driver's door I'd be suspicious that the switch is actually broken and that the hard shut of the door is enough to jar it into making the contact required to pop the lid.

Initially you said that you could hear the actuator whirring but maybe then it was not actually doing its job. The emergency procedure you followed may just have altered the way the problem manifests itself. :dont know:

 

[spinnaker]

Interestingly it did also pop when I went over a pothole this afternoon too. I only knew because of the lid open message. I wonder if I have over-lubricated the latch so that the latch is now slipping open?

 

[deMort]

There are X2 rubber bungs in the boot lid each side .. wind these in half a turn .. close the lid then pull on it .. does it open ?

The base lock , its adjustable .. move it up slightly .. does it lock and again pull on it .

You Can't over lubricate an item so that it fails

Its either a faulty lock .. pretty dam rare or the bungs / adjustment of the lock are stopping it from fully closing .

As a side note .. it's more likely to be a faulty solenoid than an actual lock .. it needs to fully return .. if it doesn't then the lock is half open .. that may well be your issue .. look and see as someone operates it and see if you can push it further .

 

[spinnaker]

Thanks deMort, you are a legend as always and pretty much bang on here. I had another look at this earlier as it now seems to do a combination of not opening and not staying closed. Maddening! :frustrated:

There are X2 rubber bungs in the boot lid each side .. wind these in half a turn .. close the lid then pull on it .. does it open ?

I tweaked the bungs and thought that might do it, but no change.

Its either a faulty lock .. pretty dam rare or the bungs / adjustment of the lock are stopping it from fully closing .

I think this is it. The lock isn't fully closing.

As a side note .. it's more likely to be a faulty solenoid than an actual lock .. it needs to fully return .. if it doesn't then the lock is half open .. that may well be your issue .. look and see as someone operates it and see if you can push it further .

I have attached an image below to help me describe it.

So part A moves left and right and has the while plastic actuator ring (B) and the manual release cable looped over it. Pulling the manual release pulls this to the left to release the engine lid. Presumably when I pull the door release it should move the white plastic ring (B) to the left to do the same.

I have lubricated the mechanism for A and worked it back and forwards so it has a smoother feeling.

Reaching my hand under the mechanism and moving it right stops the engine lid from popping when I close the door (and presumably when I go over potholes/bumps). But there are still times where the lid doesn't release. To release it I have to pull out the manual release and give it a pull, it jerks slightly (1cm perhaps) and then using the door release works to release the lid.

So, long story short I think either the release cable is getting caught somewhere or more likely part A isn't being moved properly, which might suggest an issue with part B not having enough travel/strength when the lid is closed.

 

[deMort]

If you move part A and it locks then that is the issue , you shouldn't need to move it at all ..

This part depends on a spring in the lock , the emergency cable and the solenoid / cable .

As we are now moving into a bit of a risky area .. you do NOT close the boot lid .. you use a screwdriver to close the lock and the screwdriver to pull on the latch .

I take it you have got that as its rather important !

Disconnect the emergency cable .. if its loose then obviously it's not that .. lock with a screwdriver .. can you pull it open or can you still move A ..

Disconnect the solenoid cable , do the same ..

If both of these still allow the lock to be pulled open with a screwdriver then it's the lock .

personally i would remove the lock , plenty of something like wd40 .. work it back and forwards .. lock it by hand and see if A was at max position.

Basically you should never be able to move A as it should spring back to far right ? it should not move when pushed basically .

To me .. i'll go with lock or solenoid now , not seen a lock stick like this before but anything is possible in this game .

Im off work this weekend .. if you want a chat on the phone then i'll pm my number for you .


The rubber bungs .. they are there to stop rattles as the lid bounces up and down and also to put tension against the lock so that the lid springs up when activated .



Once again .. if you lock the lid with no cables attached you will never get it open again .. i know i have said this twice but its important .

 

[spinnaker]

Thanks deMort, you are a total superstar.

I have been away for a couple of days but now have my 'prying and jimmying' kit stashed in the glove box to get the engine lid open if needed for the moment.

I think you are totally right about this. I need to spend a bit of time to figure out where the resistance is coming from. I totally understand the all-important bit about not closing the lid at the wrong moment.

Having trawled the web I see people have suggested removing the D ring from the lid to allow them to test without having to close the actual lid.

My plan is to try and identify which bit is the problem. I suspect it is the solenoid but let's see.

Thanks again! I hate these little niggles.

 

[spinnaker]

Another bit of good news after my trip to the indie on Wednesday. I mentioned about the engine lid and they checked the mechanism and 'adjusted it'. On the couple of times I have tried it so far it seems to be working fine now. :thumbs:

 

[deMort]

I suspect adjusting the height of the lock didn't actually fix it .. shed loads of lubricant in the lock and freeing it off did lol .

It's the sort of thing i would do and the invoice will merely state .. adjusted

Its fixed is the main thing .. it's also why we lubricate every hinge and lock on a service .. people might not like the grease on hinges etc .. but it's there for a reason !

My own brother complained to me about too much grease on hinges in the past on his car .. always a reason for what we do .

 

[spinnaker]

Thanks deMort. I reckon you are probably right! Adjusted wasn't the level of detail I was looking for but they were just locking the place up when I went to collect the car so I didn't linger.

Thanks again for the advice!