vauxhall corsa

[daamen]

My bonnet catch has broken on my vauxhall corsa, how can i get into the engine to fix it

[sddsddean]

Do you know it is actually broken or is it just 'stuck'? If its stuck, with the help of a friend, one of you pulls the release whilst the other leans on the front of the bonnet and gently 'bumps' it up and down. This will usually release it so you can lubricate the mechanism.

[daamen]

no the catch is broken from the inside the cable has broken and the bonnet cannot be opened

[homer75]

Has the cable snapped at the release lever end ?

[daamen]

yes i think so, the black cable is there but goes through to the engine, but as i pulled the lever it went quite loose

[homer75]

If the cable is still through to the inside of the car - get a set of mole grips on it and you will be able to open the bonnet.

[daamen]

no tried it the cable is just hanging now very loose but still through the hole that takes it to the engine if you know what i mean

[rugeleyboy]

this happened to my transit van, i had to get on the floor and put my arm up the front of it and flicked the "switch" by hand?

i am sure a local garage can assist you with this?

[kepla]

I have actually sorted this on my son's car last summer. You'll need a long, long flat-bladed screwdriver. Kneel down in front of the car (and prey !) facing the centre of it and crouch right down. Looking up through the front grille you will be able to see the lever which operates the release - the assembley is mounted on the underside of the bonnet striker plate. A torch might be helpfull to see. Carefully poke the screwdriver up through the grille slots to move the lever the same way as pulling the cable would. It will help if somebody pushes down lightly on the front of the bonnet while you do this and you are likely to find the mechanism stiff. Once in, don't just fix the cable but actually lubricate everything too. What often happens is that the bonnet release stiffens up due to lack of lubrication (sevicing not done properly). Sometimes this leads to the release cable snapping, but often a different problem. The inside of the release cable has a fixed nipple which locates in the release lever. The outside of the cable is crudely clamped to the striker plate with just a one-screw 'P' clamp. If everything gets too stiff, the clamp can fail to hold the cable outer fast and it can slip - therefore no force applied to release the bonnet. Look for tell-tale marks on the cable outer to see if it has moved in the clamp. Worth having a Haynes manual to hand so you can see the arrangement.