Floppy Hood (Bonnet) Hinges

TG-2002-320i-328ci

Well-Known Member
Site Donor $
Messages
176
Reaction score
41
Location
Tucson, AZ
So, I'm actively working on my to-do list of E9 bugs while my car is in "Arizona Summer" mode (garaged until September).

My hood hinges have been an issue for years now. Finding the perfect balance to keep the hood up without a stick of wood is an art form, and frankly, not worth the effort. Even if I get them to hold up on their own they either bend outward at the slightest bump, slamming the hood down, or inward and onto themselves, which could cause damage to the hinge. So, I keep a 3 1/2 foot, one-inch dowel in the trunk at all times.

Any tips to revitalize these hinges and get them to do their job properly? Are my hinges missing a spring, stop, or tensioner that I am unaware of?

Thanks and happy driving.
 

eriknetherlands

Moderator
Site Donor
Messages
2,698
Reaction score
1,929
Location
Netherlands, Eindhoven area
My hinges showed a similar behavior, and it boiled down to the L shaped steel plate that is mounted by two M8 bolts on the inside of the hood. In my car the L-shaped parts were deformed allowing the hood to not to reach their proper 'lock' position.

JMackro fixed that same issue by doubling the L-part, making it twice as stiff. See this pic with the double L-shaped bracket:

the above link with the pic brings you to some reference pics, coming from this thread, thanks to @jmackro :
That will show you how it all should look like. Compare and report back.
If you can share images it will make it easier to see if something's missing/off in your case.
 

TG-2002-320i-328ci

Well-Known Member
Site Donor $
Messages
176
Reaction score
41
Location
Tucson, AZ
My hinges showed a similar behavior, and it boiled down to the L shaped steel plate that is mounted by two M8 bolts on the inside of the hood. In my car the L-shaped parts were deformed allowing the hood to not to reach their proper 'lock' position.

JMackro fixed that same issue by doubling the L-part, making it twice as stiff. See this pic with the double L-shaped bracket:

the above link with the pic brings you to some reference pics, coming from this thread, thanks to @jmackro :
That will show you how it all should look like. Compare and report back.
If you can share images it will make it easier to see if something's missing/off in your case.
Interesting - and looks like an effective solution.

Here are what my hinge connection points look like:
 

Attachments

  • RHinge.jpg
    RHinge.jpg
    229.4 KB · Views: 124
  • LHinge2.jpg
    LHinge2.jpg
    206.6 KB · Views: 120
  • LHinge.jpg
    LHinge.jpg
    274.9 KB · Views: 114

eriknetherlands

Moderator
Site Donor
Messages
2,698
Reaction score
1,929
Location
Netherlands, Eindhoven area
It's the other side of the hinge (hood side) where the l-shaped part is that gets deformed , as reported here by quite some forum members before.

The l shaped part is fixed with 2 M6 or M8 bolts.
 

bavbob

Well-Known Member
Site Donor
Messages
3,354
Reaction score
1,568
Location
Boston, Ma
Yes, show hood attachment and torsion bar. This is the brains and mousetrap of the mechanism.
 

dang

Administrator
Site Donor
Messages
4,247
Reaction score
3,262
Location
Rocklin, CA
You're looking for this piece. The E3's have the stop for the arms built into the arms. The E9 uses a stop on the hood hinge shown in the photo.

CS hood prop 004.jpg
 

bavbob

Well-Known Member
Site Donor
Messages
3,354
Reaction score
1,568
Location
Boston, Ma
Shall we discuss E3 vs E9 bars for a moment. The attachment sites for the "L" stop on the E9 make it easier to reset the thing as in deQ's post. The E3 is much more difficult to reset without the 'L" attachment sites. I had to partially mount it the use small c-clamps to rotate it to reset the spring. My bet is more E3 than E9 guys have a wood dowel in their trunk. I wonder why they are set up differently. Hoods weigh about the same.

Show us images like in dang's post and we can help.
 

TG-2002-320i-328ci

Well-Known Member
Site Donor $
Messages
176
Reaction score
41
Location
Tucson, AZ
Shall we discuss E3 vs E9 bars for a moment. The attachment sites for the "L" stop on the E9 make it easier to reset the thing as in deQ's post. The E3 is much more difficult to reset without the 'L" attachment sites. I had to partially mount it the use small c-clamps to rotate it to reset the spring. My bet is more E3 than E9 guys have a wood dowel in their trunk. I wonder why they are set up differently. Hoods weigh about the same.

Show us images like in dang's post and we can help.

Perhaps these help. There is no "stop" that I can find and there is nothing "springy" about the hood movement, and the torsion bar offers no resistance in either direction.

Please note that out of these shots is a wood dowel holding up the hood at the latch point.
 

Attachments

  • Pax1.jpg
    Pax1.jpg
    272.8 KB · Views: 104
  • Driver2.jpg
    Driver2.jpg
    242.9 KB · Views: 108
  • Driver1.jpg
    Driver1.jpg
    246.1 KB · Views: 106
  • Pax2.jpg
    Pax2.jpg
    195.6 KB · Views: 107

bavbob

Well-Known Member
Site Donor
Messages
3,354
Reaction score
1,568
Location
Boston, Ma
Basically I believe that someone did not want to take on the task of "pre-loading" the bar before replacement. Find deQ's post on bar replacement............it will show you how to set it up and pre-load it etc. Those L-stops are used also to hold the tension in place while the bar is being re-attached. Many of us have had to either double them up or in my case, make them larger to do the job.
 

dang

Administrator
Site Donor
Messages
4,247
Reaction score
3,262
Location
Rocklin, CA
Basically I believe that someone did not want to take on the task of "pre-loading" the bar before replacement. Find deQ's post on bar replacement............it will show you how to set it up and pre-load it etc. Those L-stops are used also to hold the tension in place while the bar is being re-attached. Many of us have had to either double them up or in my case, make them larger to do the job.
Are E9 torsion bars harder to install than E3's? I thought my E3 bar went on fairly easily and has lots of tension.
 

TG-2002-320i-328ci

Well-Known Member
Site Donor $
Messages
176
Reaction score
41
Location
Tucson, AZ
Your bar is backwards. The stops are on the hood side and should be on the engine side, which also explains no "springy-ness".
Thank you.
Just looking at it all has my OCD fired up because it all needs to be pulled out, stripped, and repainted. Then, I can put it back in the right way around.
 

dang

Administrator
Site Donor
Messages
4,247
Reaction score
3,262
Location
Rocklin, CA
Thank you.
Just looking at it all has my OCD fired up because it all needs to be pulled out, stripped, and repainted. Then, I can put it back in the right way around.
Then the engine compartment will look bad so you'll have to pull the engine and paint everything, then..... and then.... LOL. Dealing with the bar shouldn't be too bad.
 

bavbob

Well-Known Member
Site Donor
Messages
3,354
Reaction score
1,568
Location
Boston, Ma
You need to torque both the E3 and E9 end fittings to rotate 180 degrees to install, but the E3 end fitting does not have the "L" bracket to hold it in place once torqued while you mount it. The "L" brackets not only act as a stop for the bar when installed, they help in it's installation.
 

TG-2002-320i-328ci

Well-Known Member
Site Donor $
Messages
176
Reaction score
41
Location
Tucson, AZ
Then the engine compartment will look bad so you'll have to pull the engine and paint everything, then..... and then.... LOL. Dealing with the bar shouldn't be too bad.
LOL. Looking at my engine bay, I am pretty disgusted with overspray and peeling paint. Don't get me started...
 

Honolulu

Well-Known Member
Messages
1,918
Reaction score
226
Location
Honolulu Hawaii
It's a trick to get the position of the bolts/mounts on the inner fender tops in ....just.... the right position, BTDT! Too far one way and they don't hold the hood up, too far the other way and the elbow hits the fender top before the hood is completely closed (you may risk damaging the hood with this one).
 

dang

Administrator
Site Donor
Messages
4,247
Reaction score
3,262
Location
Rocklin, CA
It's a trick to get the position of the bolts/mounts on the inner fender tops in ....just.... the right position, BTDT! Too far one way and they don't hold the hood up, too far the other way and the elbow hits the fender top before the hood is completely closed (you may risk damaging the hood with this one).
Yes, this is a good point. My E3 bar mounted in just a few minutes, then I spent an hour messing with all the adjustments.
 
Top