hood won't close normally
 

somehow when I close the hood, it sort of bounce and doesn't locked into place when drop from about 2 feet off the chassis.

the only way to close it to lock it is to close the hood without actually locking it and then give it a push. even then, it seems loose when I try lifting from the side.

Also I can open the hood without unlocking from the inside. just lifting the latch in front (the one sticking out in between the grills) will open it. any ideas what could be wrong?

thanks

Let me guess passenger side popping back up?

Open the hood and lube the contact areas of the springs, and the pin that slides in the receiving end by the rad. If all else fails you may have to play with the stops a bit.

Edit: I didn't see that last bit in your post....definitely sounds like the latch is probably toast if you can open it without using the handle from inside the car to "unlock" it.

Maybe lube can help and not closing properly asked me to open the hood even from the outside. Any suggestions of what kind of lube to use? Wd40?

In the chance it's the latch inside, what parts do I need to buy to get it fix?

Thanks

. I'm in Australia and its cheaper to buy parts overseas.

Dealing with the latch first; head to realoem.com with your vin. Under "body work" you should find a subsection for the hood and all associated parts.

Things that need to me lubed --- on the underside of the hood there's 2 pins with springs on them. By turning the back collar you can adjust the length and pre-load. On the front of the pin there should be a rubber/plastic bushing that should slide easily as well. A shot of WD should be ok....I took mine all apart and used white grease.

Start with the latch mechanism under the hood. If it is sticking it won't catch. Unlikely to be the cable release. You can use WD40 to loosen it up, but that isn't a lubricant so once you get it moving use a white lithium grease.

Check that the cable moves freely by having someone operate it inside while you watch it under the hood. There is no latch inside the vehicle, just a cable and pull handle.

If you have had a bump,or some bodywork done, the height of the hood may need to be adjusted. The adjustments change the height of the hood and the length of the striker pin. If the hood is too high the latch can't catch. Unlikely to need adjustment unless something else changed recently, ie collision damage.

ok. seems the latch is still ok and and I can lock the hood properly.

but there is some sort of "procedure" involved.

1. to open hood, pull the latch from the inside and pull the latch from the front of the car
2. to close hood, pull the latch from the inside and then close as normal

Step1 is pretty normal to all cars I've owned/used before. But is step2 normal for BMW? thanks

Step 1 should be pull the latch from the inside, and then manually release the secondary catch (not the same latch) from the front of the car. Normal.

Step 2 is not normal. It suggests that your latch under the hood is sticking, and requires lubrication.

Hmm, mine popped on the highway yesterday... going to go over it with a fine toothed comb today.

Once fixed, try not to drop it from 2 feet high.....try 2 inches that should be high enough ;)

A few places I would recommend lubricating with lithium grease, or an industrial spray lubricant (preferably that contains TEFLON {aka PTFB}) would be to open & spray a lubricant/water dispersant on the junction box between #10 & #11 (bowden cables)...this is the connection between the hood release lever inside the vehicle as it snakes its way into the engine bay area to release the locks/latches for the hood.

Tip: btw...my junction box doesn't really look like the rectangular box in the illustration...it is much narrower & longer...but you can identify it by the bowden cable coming thru the firewall into this long thin box on the left fender, that has another bowden cable that snakes around to the left hood lock/latch.

This would not only lubricate & prevent corrosion in this area...but may also prevent any water from freezing in this area preventing the hood from opening.

I would also spray (lubricate) the openings in the locks/latches (#13) on each side...again, they have bowden cables (#11 & #12) that could benefit from the TEFLON & water dispersing agent of the spray to prevent freezing & prevent corrosion (there's one on each side of the bay). Then I'd used lithium grease (or other lubricant) on the upper spring portion (#14) of the lock/latch.

And finally, don't forget to spray the hood catch (#18) with your lubricant that contains TEFLON so that the parts that rub together don't bind.


DuPont™ Teflon® Silicone Lubricant


A clean, light-duty product, DuPont™ Teflon® Silicone Lubricant is excellent for non-metal materials that may be damaged by conventional lubricants. It helps prevent sticking, binding and freezing.

• Helps clean; odorless
• Waterproofs, protects, lubricates and preserves
• For use on rubber, plastic, vinyl, leather, metal and wood
• Eliminates squeaking and binding in windows, hinges, locks, etc.
• Helps prevent rust, oxidation and corrosion on all metals
• Protects fishing gear, tools and farm equipment from salt, chlorine and corrosives
• Helps prevent snow sticking and muddy buildups on shovels, snowblowers, wheel wells, etc.
• NSF H-2 Listed
• Can withstand temperatures from -40°F (-40°C) up to 400°F (204°C).

Applications:

• Hinges
• Locks
• Latches
• Springs
• Plastic gears
• Rollers, drawer guides and other sliding parts
• Conveyors
• Assemblies
• Heat sealers
• Cutting tables
• Slicing equipment
• Tools
• Dies
• Tuners
• Switches
• Fan belts
• Rubber moldings
• Waterproofs leather and protects vinyl

The above lubricant is just an example of a product to consider having in your garage for use around your home & cars etc. The lubricants that I use (and have mentioned before) for an annual winter maintenance to lubricate gaskets, locks, latches, hinges, etc are Silcone spray & Tri-Flow: