740 hood latch sticking on one side

My 1987 740 has a sticky hoodlatch on the driver side. There are two
holes that a spring on either side locks into. When you pull the hood
release cable it releases a catch that grabs the springs.

This is one of those things where I have tried to visually inspect but
couldn't clearly see. I tried prying open the catch mechanism in the
hole a bit more, but it still hangs. The cable doesn't seem
disconnected in any way, but when I pull the lever, the passenger side
pops up and the driver's side sticks.

To open it I have to have a second person pull and hold the lever while
I push DOWN on the hood and then it releases.

Any tips or tricks from people who have had this problem?

JB

 

Hi Jamie, the latch is the first one along the cable, the passenger side one
is slaved off the driver's side. The fault would appear to be that the outer
is not being held correctly at the driver's side latch. This will stop that
latch from releasing the catch yet let the other latch work normally. It is
also possible that the catch has become loose enough to snag in the latch.

All the best, Peter.

700/900/90 Register Keeper,
Volvo Owners Club (UK).

 

Examine the way the cable attaches. Where the cable sheath butts against
the stop there is too much gap. Slide the sheath away from the gap and
pull a wire tie tight around the cable between the ferrule and the stop.
Trim off the extra length. It should work for quite a while.

Bob

 

Thanks, I will try this tonight.

 

I tinkered around with the wire and couldn't really install a fix. What
I found was when I pull the latch, the passenger corner opens but the
driver side doesn't. If I then go to the passenger corner and gently
push the hood down into the catch a notch, then pull the lever again,
both sides open.

 

There's a wire loop that the control wire goes through to release the
latch. The cable sheath butts against the loop. If you put the wire tie
between the cable sheath and the loop and pull it tight it will
effectively lenghthen the sheath and tighten the cable. It is the sheath
that pushes to release the latch on the driver's side but the cable
pulls on the latch release for the passenger side.

Bob