Opening my bonnet - I can't!

[harty]

Chaps,

I have a wee drama at the moment. The other day, when trying to fill the power steering fluid reservoir on my 325i, I pulled the bonnet catch and nothing happened! On further inspection, I tried to pull the wire with the pliers in my tool kit, but nothing was happeneing.

It would seem that the wire has become detached at the bonnet end of the arrangement. How on earth can I open the bonnet? Given the front hinge set-up of the E30, I am puzzled as to what I can do. Is there some way I can get up to the catches from underneath?

Would appreciate some advice.

Thanks.

[smithy318i]

There is a hole in the front grille somewhere to enable you to open the bonnet without the cable.

I don't know exactly where it is, but someone else will...


Guys? Chime in any time.

[johnono]

welcome to the zone dude!
all your problems will be solved (and some created) right here on the Zone.

sadly , i dont know how to do it exactly, but i beleive it involves a screwdriver and a hole around one of the headlight mountings

dont worry though, someone knows for deffo.

in fact they might have posted it as i was writing this

[johnono]

HA HA! i knew it

[nav786]

the hole is on passenger side in RHD e30's

[harty]

Thanks guys. I will investigate tomorrow in the daylight.

[smithy318i]

I forgot to welcome you...

how rude of me.

Welcome to the Zone.

[dazleeds]

remove passenger side healight surround two screws in bottom then pull it out will be bit hard as the clips on the top under the bonnet r on just pull slightly up this should pop em ooff look near the middle of front panel for small hole insert anything that will fit twist and bingo bonnet pops openn Daz leeds
psrefit grill lol

[mrLEE30]

You dont need to remove the grill to get to the catch, just a long flat screwdriver (6-8 inches and no lying!) then grab a torch and look through the grill about three-four inches to the right of your kidneys (on the car BTW) and you will see through the grill what looks like a disk (about3inches in diameter and round) toward the centre of this disk you can see a hole, stick yer driver in their and twist, should pop the catch.

TIP of the day!!!

practice this proceedure before you break the bonnet release!!!

I can also open the cab roofs too with a screwdriver if anyone interested!

mrlee

[nav786]

how do you open the cab roofs with screwdriver. mines good but it will be good info

[harty]

Thanks dudes. Got my bonnet open today and managed to put some much needed fluid into my power steering. Mr Lee is right, you only need a long screwdriver with a narrow head. I shall have to revert to this until I can get round to fixing the wire - it does not look straight-forward, it seems firmly installed in the bulkhead.

[Jos]

If there is enough of the existing cable still there you could join it using those little lead compression fittings for steel wire, I dunno what they are called but we use them on the boat and the hold the mast up lol, so a bonnet shouldn't present a problem:)