Faulty Hood Cable!

[chevyaddict]

Have any of you replaced your hood cable and then had trouble with it? At this point I've made three adjustments... shortening it each time... I now have everything to the shortest setting everywhere and it still won't unlatch the passenger side... of course, if I take pliers and pull on it it will unlatch. I'm thinking simply the cable itself is just too long. I shortened the little pinch screw for the hood handle to the point that it gets too short to function so essentially I've taken up all the extra slack...

Any ideas? Should I just call Ecklers, complain, ship it back and ask for a new one???

 

[Tritium007]

Dawn,

Do you still have the plastic distributor cover installed? The crossover cable has a plastic anchor that fits in the top of that cover. I think that helps keep the cable taught for proper operation. When I changed mine out I think I remember having to adjust the main cable first since it was pretty stretched. This adjustment slightly altered the position of the drivers side latch. I'll try to take a look at mine this evening. I believe I got my cable from Mid-America and I didn't have any problems with it.

Mike

 

[jdp6000]

I agree with Mike. It sounds like you need to adjust the driverside. As you can see the passengerside is controlled from the driverside. Easy test...get someone to pull the hood release inside the car while you check the driverside release is there still more room for pull...push it with your finger? If so when you push the driverside release in the necessary direction does it look like the cable pulls the release on the passenger enough??

Jim

 

[mkapp7879]

With the hood up try snapping both drivers side and passenger side latches closed. Try the cable like this. If it works good without the hood closed maybe the passenger side is binding. Do you have the little black rubber bumpers to position the hood? Maybe the one near the windshield needs to be trimmed down a little.
Mike

 

[chevyaddict]

Let me be a bit more clear. First, the distributor cover is there so that isn't the issue - both of those little holding plastic clips are there to keep the cable in place. I put it on the first time, and it worked great for two or three times... then wouldn't unlatch the pass side. Readjusted again by taking up slack and adjusting which hole you put that little bolt and cotter pin in... worked for two times... then wouldn't unhitch the pass side....redid the same thing now I've adjusted it all the way that I can - both from the cable attaching to the driver's side mechanism AND from the main cable position and by pulling the handle in the car it will no longer release the pass side. Now, if I reclamp the pass down and pull the cable with the pliers it will pop... although I do have to pull the cable quite a bit. Doesn't look like there is any way to adjust the pass side mechanism any. So that is what I mean when I say I've taken up all the slack from both areas... both where the cable bolts to the driver's side mechanism AND taken up slack where the main cable comes from the inside of the car.

The ONLY conclusion that I've come to is that the cable has "stretched" somehow.. but how is this possible if the cable is metal? perhaps the metal cable inside the sleeve where it "clamps" to that piece that bolts to the driver's side has "slid" out some... although it doesn't look like it. I don't know I'm just frastrated. I hate having to tinker with something over and over again... i want to get on with other things!!!!

 

[Tritium007]

Dawn,

I took a look at mine and here goes. The outer cable sheath (black tube that the silver cable slides through) is clamped at each end. The cheesy plastic clamps are screwed into the frame somewhere to hold the cable firm at both ends. For any of this to work, this black cable sheath has to be clamped down so it doesn't slide. The passenger side of the silver cable that slides inside the sheath isn't adjustable and the driver side has the plate with the holes. I have about three inches of exposed cable on the passenger side and about an inch and a half on the driver's side. The black part of the cable is about 37 inches long (real rough estimate). One thing that might be causing problems is the spring on the drivers side latch. There should be tension on that latch trying to pull it towards the passenger side. The cable from the handle inside the car provides the force against spring pressure to actuate the drivers latch when pulled. You should be able to adjust that cable as well to pull the drivers latch mechanism a little farther away from center to give you some adjustment room for the plate with the holes on the crossover cable. I'm sure you already knew most of what I was trying to explain, but I felt like I needed to give it a go anyway. It just sucks if you have to send that cable back and get a new one. Good luck!

Mike

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[chevyaddict]

Thanks Mike... I've either adjusted what you said or checked those things already but hey... thanks for the attempt! Interestingly though, in my troubleshooting, that driver's side spring you mentioned was not "hooked up"... although it is now and didn't really help the situation. The tabs are bolted where they are supposed to be so truly the only thing I can figure is that the cable itself has stretched somehow... I'm thinking perhaps that little clamped end that you can hook to the driver's side (with the many choice of holes) has somehow slid down further or something although it doesn't appear loose now... I'll call Eckler's tomorrow... perhaps they have had a batch of bad cables or something. Very nice looking car BTW... mine was originally black so now I know what it almost originally looked like!