Check your hood crossbar support!

[Stevehose]

Fortunately I caught this before blowing up like a Jack-In-The-Box. I noticed a hairline crack in the hood support where the crossbar meets the end of the hinge. I thought it was just paint but upon closer inspection it was the weld. I brought it to my welder this am for repair and when he sanded off the paint there were more cracks than just the visible one so they were all welded shut and ground flush. Might want to take a close look at yours!

Before:

After, before I paint it:

 

[CSteve]

Steve, I hope this is the end of your structural problems. First the shock tower, now this. I am going out right now and check mine. Thanks.

I stopped taking my coupe to the track for just that reason. 40 year old metal stressed to its limit. Perhaps beyond.

Steve

 

[m73]

Mine cracked in the same exact place. I chalk it up to excessive hood open-close maneuvers....maybe the same for you.

I yanked it in the hopes it would get me to look under the hood less and it's reletively heavy/not my favorite design. I didn't even think about repairing it so good job.

MF

 

[Stevehose]

Yes, and it's probably driver side because that gets pulled on more from standing on that side when opening the hood. I try to lift from the center but like Steve said it's many years of fatigue.

Mine cracked in the same exact place. I chalk it up to excessive hood open-close maneuvers....maybe the same for you.

 

[mr bump]

Modern gas rods are the future!!

 

[m73]

Yup... Drivers side.

 

[MyFemurHurts]

Mine was cracked on the driver side too. PO welded it with his eyes shut and the gas off.

 

[oilcan93]

Mine awaits repair even as we speak

 

[bavbob]

This is an issue on the E3 as well. I know a good welder is not cheap but it's nice to have one when you stumble upon something like this.

 

[EJ333]

Forgive me if this sounds like a rookie question, but is there any preventive measures one can take before it is a visible fracture ?

 

[bimmerboy73]

just discovered the same thing on mine when re-installing it. Going to put an order in for a new one on monday as the the rod ends are warped as well.

 

[Stevehose]

the only thing that may remotely work is to stand by the passenger side and reach in towards the center and lift from there. But you'll be stressing the other one more, though maybe it could add some life to the driver's side by reducing its initial stress when lifted.

Forgive me if this sounds like a rookie question, but is there any preventive measures one can take before it is a visible fracture ?

 

[johanaxelson]

Forgive me if this sounds like a rookie question, but is there any preventive measures one can take before it is a visible fracture ?

If the paint is fine then you'd have to x-ray to find it.

I think you can also use a fine magnetic power as less would settle on the cracks when you sprinkle it on.

 

[jmackro]

Forgive me if this sounds like a rookie question, but is there any preventive measures one can take before it is a visible fracture ?

I suppose you could weld a gusset between the tube and arm to reinforce it. The problem is that the torsion springs inside the tube become weaker with time and use, so even if the arms don't crack, eventually you'll need a new assembly (*).

Just consider your hood torsion spring assembly as something that will need periodic replacement, kind of like U-joints and mufflers.

----------------------

(*) Yes, you could just install new torsion springs in your old tube/arms assembly. But the cost of a complete assembly is about the same as the cost of the springs alone and replacing everything addresses the fatigue crack issue.

 

[Arde]

Wow another crack to worry about, I wish I did not know this.

Looking up hood, crossbar, and support in the urban dictionary top definitions I get a very different idea about this part...