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Bonnet cable has broken!

brian williams

brian williams

PCGB Member
Member
After taking my car for an MOT on Thursday I just parked it in the garage until today and when I went to pull the handle it was all loose. On first checking the cable is attached to the handle so assume it has broken somewhere either at the bonnet catch or along it's length. Has anyone dealt with this before? I have had a quick search on Rennlist, but just wondering if Boxsey or anyone else has fixed this? One cure I found on Rennlist was to enlarge a drainage hole in the floor area and using a bent pipe operate the catch that way. Apparently cars later than mine (1990) have had emergency cables installed. Once fixed I will make sure I put one in, on bonnet and engine lid!!! Any help most appreciated.Thanks. Brian.
 
I afraid not. You can get some pliers onto the cable just in case it is still attached but stretched - a v.long shot. If you feel a resistance have someone push gently down on the bonnet and then pull.

Otherwise it is the water drain hole method. I would be tempted to have a specialist who has done this before do it - I have heard of a lot of fishing around to catch the catch.

As you say, going forward, you need a back-up cable into the front wheel arch under the liner etc.

Bad luck but fixable and a lot of 964 owners have done this.
 
Just had a look at the pull handle area and the end is still securely fastened in but cable is loose of course. So then I thought I had better dismantle the pull handle assembly. I thought that if I could detach the end I could see if it was just stretched or maybe a fixing along it's length had pulled away. Have tried to drive the cotter pin ( roll pin ) out holding the cable end in but it isn't lining up with the hole it needs to de driven through!! Then I thought that I must try to drive out the solid pin holding the handle itself in place so that the cable would be freed. Put some WD40 around it and tried pulling with small mole grips but will probably have to drive it out. Hope I don't end up cracking the handle/housing etc. as it's made of plastic! Will post more after I try again, as just had to stop because of rain as needing more room than my garage allows! Brian.
 
Yes I did this a few years and broke the plastic housing !
They get brittle with age , cost another 70 quid . I had to drive the pin out too .
It was quite tricky threading through the bulkhead , helps to attach something and pull
Through . Make sure to reassemble handle end in right order or you have to start again .
 
Left it for all of yesterday as doing other things and there was more rain around anyway.Will try again today to drive that pin out, as the WD40 will have had plenty of time to work hopefully!
 
Sorry to hear this Brian. Unfortunately I can't help you with getting it open. After hearing many of these stories I decided to be proactive and change the cable before it snapped and fit the emergency cable at the same time. Here's a short write up on Rennlist:

http://rennlist.com/forums/964-forum/653054-preventative-maintenance.html?highlight=emergency+release

The handle end was quite fiddly but I don't remember it being too much trouble to remove the pin. If you detach the handle from the car you should be able to just pull the cable through if it's snapped at the latch.
 

ORIGINAL: Steve Brookes

Sorry to hear this Brian. Unfortunately I can't help you with getting it open. After hearing many of these stories I decided to be proactive and change the cable before it snapped and fit the emergency cable at the same time. Here's a short write up on Rennlist:

http://rennlist.com/forums/964-forum/653054-preventative-maintenance.html?highlight=emergency+release

The handle end was quite fiddly but I don't remember it being too much trouble to remove the pin. If you detach the handle from the car you should be able to just pull the cable through if it's snapped at the latch.
Click to expand...
Hi Steve
where does the emergency cable go and how do you operate it should the main cable fail?
Also is there a similar mechanism for the engine lid?
 
The front emergency cable passes through the left wing via a rubber grommet so that the loop is inside the wing. To operate it you have to remove the wheel arch liner. This is easiest done by removing the wheel first so don't keep your locking wheel nut adapter in the boot!

There is absolutely no point fitting an emergency cable to the engine latch of an early car because the latch is spring loaded and therefore releases when the cable snaps. I found this out on the first day I bought my car as the cable snapped at the handle. Later cars have a different latch and therefore have an emergency cable behind the left tail light.
 
This happened to both the front & back for me, literally within days of each other. I took it to a specialist who relieved me of quite a lot of money. [&o]
 
Success! Found out the cable isn't broken anywhere. Was able to dismantle the handle assembly etc. and found that the outer cable end had actually broken through where it was supposed to butt up to. I did find a small piece of plastic on taking of the handle assembly, but didn't know where it was from. So there was nothing wrong with the cable in the end. Was able to get the bonnet to pop up by pulling on the handle using a pair of mole grips while my wife pressed hard above the latch on the bonnet. There would have been no point in drilling a hole from underneath as the spare wheel and jack was in the way anyway. Am now in the process of trying to fix the broken area by aralditing the 2 bits of plastic that broke away back in place and hopefully again aralditing a square of thin metal plate with a slot cut in it for the cable to pass through on reassembly. Also going to put in an emergency cable while I'm in there. So Steve (Boxsey) as my car is a 1990 I won't need to put one in for the engine lid eh? Thanks for all the replies by the way! Brian.
 
Hi Brian, good news!

No you don't need an emergency cable for the rear.

Seeing as you've got the handle apart, you should think about replacing the cable for good measure. If you do, tie a long length of fishing line or similar to the latch end before you pull it through....this will make it easier for you pull through a new cable. As like Jonny mentions above it's difficult to thread from the handle end.
 
I tried gluing the plastic back but it just broke and had to start again :(
If you can find a way to strengthen it with metal that would be a good fix to share :)
 
Yes Jonny Boy I have just last night found a piece of metal thin enough to be able to cut easily and to shape and put a slot in. I used the metal from a mint tin that I had kept thinking it would come in useful some day! I have quite a few things that might come in handy one day! Not that I'm a hoarder or anything! It should strengthen the handle assembly somewhat even if the plastic breaks up again, but the metal will be behind the plastic so hopefully will be up to the job? Got to get a new cable anyway from OPC at Cheshire Oaks. Why don't other suppliers sell them or must they be an item that only they can sell? Anyone know why? Brian.
 
Ha Mr Williams, pleased to read that you have it sorted.
I had left a message on your mobile at the beginning of the week. Either you've changed your number or not received it? ;)
 
I have changed my number, but probably not phoned you on the new phone/number since I got it. I'll be in touch soon anyway. Haven't yet put the new cable in. Went to Porsche Centre at Cheshire Oaks and got new bonnet cable and an emergency cable. The emergency cable was in a very small plastic bag and I should have put it in a pocket, but didn't and must have dropped it in the car park. On finding this out I rang them and asked them to look in the car park, but no joy then. Later they rang back to say that someone had found it and handed it in luckily for me! They are posting it to me on Monday, so I'll wait until I get it and put them both on at same time.
 
OPC Chester-Steve Physick is brilliant -really helpful & will get most odds & sods for us-get the discount & posted out free[:)]
 
I made sure I got the 10 per cent discount! Just wondering why we can't buy things like the bonnet cable at other suppliers? Brian.
 
ORIGINAL: brian williams

I made sure I got the 10 per cent discount! Just wondering why we can't buy things like the bonnet cable at other suppliers? Brian.
Click to expand...
Not sure what you mean by other suppliers, most OPC's will post parts free of charge and members get 10% which is a good deal IMHO.

Unless 964 parts are used on other models, it's unlikely that there will be a market big enough for OEM suppliers of small cheap parts.
 
All the guys I have ever dealt with at Chester OPC parts have been excellent, extremely helpful.
 
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