Can't open bonnet when hot

[james_ly]

So something I've noticed on track days, when I come in from a session the bonnet is so hot that the lever doesn't work. After 15mins I can open it. Is it just a case of tightening the cable to fix?

[smarty72]

I have this problem too, so also interested how to cure it (haven't had the time to have a proper look).

[StuC]

The lever from the cabin or the lever under the engine cover?

[smarty72]

The lever from the cabin or the lever under the engine cover?

The lever still operates on mine, I think the issue is that there isn't sufficient spring to push the lid up.  If there is a friendly fellow about, who assists by pulling the lid up via the cooling fins, it comes up fine.

It's definitely heat related, would it make the component that springs the bonnet up more supple?  And therefore weaker, well that was my initial thought but haven't investigated.

[jonbill]

The lever from the cabin or the lever under the engine cover?

What lever under the engine cover? [emoji848] Have I got a part missing?

[StuC]

The lever from the cabin or the lever under the engine cover?

What lever under the engine cover? [emoji848] Have I got a part missing?

Red herring sorry.

Mine does the same regardless of engine bay heat.

[K T M Rider]

Presumably we all mean the engine cover (personally I would call the lid over the front end the bonnet, but can't think of a reason for it to get hot.....)

My car also had the annoying habit of regularly refusing to pop the engine lid when I first got it, I think it was @Call the midlife!  that guided me to the solution.

The rear part of the engine cover rests on two rubber "feet" that sit approx 3 inches inboard of the top rear light screws. I think CTM mentioned somewhere on the forum that these feet are height adjustable (not obvious at first glance but they are - got to love this typically Japanese attention to detail).

So, to rid your car of this annoying habit, first open the engine cover  :-) , locate the rear light mounting screws (inboard of the light lens) look for the black round rubber feet that  sit 3 inches further inboard and rotate them a suitable amount anti- clockwise ( eg half a turn to start with)

Clearly raising the feet will exert more of a force on the underside of the engine cover, so I think you should all find that solves the problem (and if it doesn't try another quarter turn anti-clockwise)

[smarty72]

Thanks [emoji106].

Well I've wound the rubber feet out a bit and it seems to pop up with a bit more vigour.  Haven't had the engine really hot yet though, but what a simple device, I love simple (not overly engineered) engineering...

[K T M Rider]

Was certainly relieved when I sorted mine, as I was still in the regularly checking engine fluids phase (car recently purchased)   and had got a bit tired of having to keep my phone wedged under the release lever at just the right angle while I got out and yanked on the engine cover grills............

[james_ly]

Thanks for the tip, that was super easy. Bonnet now springs open rather than splutters, so should be fine on the next track day.