General: 850: bonnet release problem

Hi Guys,

Help needed for niggly little problem.

Guess [ hope ] it's only an adjustment. The Left hand [ sitting in the car ] bonnet release doesn't! You have to get someone to push down on the bonnet at the same time as pulling the release handle. Cables all look fine, but I can't see any adjustment for the cable, so I'm assuming the actual lock needs to be adjusted. There seems to be one 13mm bolt holding it in place, but I don't want to adjust willy nilly in case I go the wrong way and can't open the bonnet at all! The RHS opens without any problem.

Still enjoying 850 ownership though.
Beachcomber

[bb54]

hi, the two bolts holding the lock mech in place can be loosened enabling the mech to be slid up and down IIRC.

move the mech up a little and try again.

wayne

[turboboy]

I have a similar problem to this but carrying out a search does not find an answer.

If I pull the release lever only the driver's side releases.
I then have to go to the front of the car and pull the bonnet up, then back to the release lever and pull it a second time for the passenger side catch to release.

I am presuming that either the cables or the catches need adjusting, but how?

[happy diver]

Put some cable ties on the sheath end to stop it sliding between the two locks

[Martin Cox]

I had a similar problem on my 1998 V70. The outer sheath of the cable linking the two latches had rusted at the drivers side end and of course eventually the left hand latch wouldn't open at all. Replacing the cable solved the problem. Replacement cables are still available from Volvo.

Fortunately I'd previously attached a length of cord to the left hand latch mechanism and allowed it to hang down so that it was easily reachable from under the car. So when tha cable finally gave up the ghost, I could still open the bonnet without having to resort to more drastic measures.

Martin

1998 V70 Tdi SE auto 226,000 miles

[turboboy]

Thanks for the replies, guys. Will have a closer look at the cable between the two locks.

Does anyone know how the locks are set up / adjusted if I take them out of the car?

One thing I noticed on the left lock is that there is some slack in the linking cable and when the cable is pulled the lever (which the cable inner attaches to) contacts a plastic "stop" almost as it reaches the point of releasing the catch. I'm wondering if the cable has stretched and may need replacing. Will look into this.

[Cookeh]

Originally Posted by turboboy

I have a similar problem to this but carrying out a search does not find an answer.

If I pull the release lever only the driver's side releases.
I then have to go to the front of the car and pull the bonnet up, then back to the release lever and pull it a second time for the passenger side catch to release.

I am presuming that either the cables or the catches need adjusting, but how?

Your problem is different to the OPs and will not be solved by adjusting the hinges. Your problem is that your cable has too much slack from stretching over the years. There is a guide on Volvotips on the proper amount of slack these should have, but the basics answer is that there is an adjuster nut on the interior pull release that you can adjust to remove that slack. If fully adjusted you still have too much slack then you'll need to replace the cable (brake cable works perfectly for this and you can run it through the existing sheath) .

Fig 19 and 20 in this link should help I've context.

[volvo again]

IIRC there is no adjustment between the two catches and it's this cable that stretches...
I'm looking for new cables but they seem hard to find...

[turboboy]

Just to follow up on this I tried adjusting the cable at the lever end in the passenger compartment and although there was some slack which I managed to reduce, it did not resolve the problem.

Searching t'internet I came across an American site where someone had found the rubber blocks fitted to the underside of the front of the bonnet were not pressing up hard enough and needed replacing.

After a bit of experimentation I stuck a piece of 5mm thick sponge sheet on the near side rubber block and the bonnet now releases properly every time.

(Tried to add photographs to explain but upload didn't work).

[turboboy]

Thought I should update this to say that my cunning plan did not work, or at least did work initially but does no longer.

Bonnet was releasing fine for about a week and then went back to it's old tricks. Added another layer of sponge which worked for another week and is now back to default position of having to pull release lever once, pull up bonnet to disengage driver side catch and then repeat for passenger side.

It may be that the sponge sheet I used is not suitable and remains compressed after a period. Will have to look at alternatives once there is reasonable weather and I have sorted out the TRACS/ABS warning light problem that has now appeared!