Help in Surrey

[egatada]

Hi Guys,
It's been a while since I posted but my Disco has been sitting dead in the driveway for a year. I went to open the hood so I could charge the battery and it appears the hood latch cable came off or "slipped" at the latch. Does anyone know of a trusted mechanical in Surrey who I could get the truck towed to? I can't afford to tow it all the way to the North Shore.
Thanks

[TimberPig]

What about using a battery charger or booster pack that can connect via the 12V outlet/cigarette lighter, then driving it to the shop? A new charger is cheaper than the tow, if you don't have one that can connect this way.

Otherwise, you are going to have to get inside to the latch to release it, which may take some parts removal or contorting, whether you do it or the shop does it. Then repair whatever is going on with the cable or latch.

[bsa_m21]

The cable pulls a lever under the plate on top of the radiator grille.

On the D1 it is possible to hook a prybar, tent peg or similar through the grille and lever the catch towards the drivers side. If you have a grille you can't get through, you may need to grovel on the ground and reach all the way up there. This lever is the reason the cable breaks. Manual says to grease the bonnet catch, but no one ever does. The lever mechanism just rusts up and becomes harder and harder to pull, till the cable breaks.

Latch.jpg

(58.27 KiB) Downloaded 477 times

Once open, use penetrating oil to work loose the lever mechanism and then grease it. Penetrating oil alone isn't enough to keep it loose.
The replacement cable is relatively cheap, but you will have "fun" fitting it.

FYI - If you aren't mechanically inclined, and are a member of CAA, call them for a boost. The guy who arrives will be able to open your hood. :shock:
M.

[egatada]

Thanks a lot for the suggestions. They’re really helpful. I wasn’t sure if I would fry the electronics charging the battery though the cigarette lighter. Can you still get those chargers?

I’ll try getting through the grill. I would bet I’m the least mechanically inclined member of the club so we’ll see how it goes.


www.darchgroup.com

[TimberPig]

Thanks a lot for the suggestions. They’re really helpful. I wasn’t sure if I would fry the electronics charging the battery though the cigarette lighter. Can you still get those chargers?

I’ll try getting through the grill. I would bet I’m the least mechanically inclined member of the club so we’ll see how it goes.


www.darchgroup.com

Yes, you can still buy chargers and booster packs that connect through the cigarette lighters/12 volt outlets, but the outlet needs to be always on to work. If they are switched with the ignition, the key needs to be on which causes a draw, slowing the charge rate further.