Bonnet opening safety catch lever problem
 

While the main bonnet catch on the driver's door pillar functions perfectly, it should release a plastic lever which swings out through the grille to make it easy to release the safety catch with a gentle pull. Unfortunately this has stopped happening, so while it's possible to release the bonnet by pushing on the safety catch with a screwdriver, it would be nice to have it working properly.
I've removed the grille and the plastic lever is in place, and can be moved to the correct position, but when I let go it just swings into to a vertically 'down' position. It could be that there should be a spring somewhere which has broken or fallen off but I can't see it - and don't know what I'm looking for!
On this occasion my trusty Haynes manual offers no help and doesn't mention the lever (though it's pictured in place coming horizontally through the grille as it should be when working, in the section on removing the safety catch completely).
Please can anyone offer any advice about what I need to do about this?
With many thanks in advance.
PH
P.S. If there should be a spring attached to the lever, please does anyone have a picture or drawing of what it looks like and how it fits - and any thoughts on sources? Thanks again!
(2002 Rover CDT Club SE)

When you pull the lever, the hook on the slam panel should move back. If not, the spring may have snapped, come off, or maybe you need to lubricate. Since meshing my grill, I just push the hook back with my fingers anyway:cool:

Thank you suzublu, but I'm still not sure how to find and solve the cause of the fault.
When you say "When you pull the lever" I guess you mean the safety-catch release lever which should appear through the grille below the bonnet, but doesn't?
If so, it certainly sounds like there should be a spring somewhere to make it pop out when the bonnet opener is pulled and that this has snapped or fallen off, but at present I still don't know:
1. what it looks like, (what shape or how big it is) or
2. where it fits,
...so is this something I could make from wire?
Any ideas (including picture or drawing) very much appreciated please!
Thanks again
PH

Happened to mine last year. I don't have a picture but exact same symptoms, mine was a snapped return spring that is very light duty and had simply eroded over time. It would be a beggar to get to even just to change the spring
It is a pain to get the unit out in itself.

It's only two bolts, I thought I could remove the complete catch assy by removing the front grill, (Mk1 75) undoing the two bolts and removing it through the grill aperture, surely a wiggle and a twist would see it off in no time, it turns out the fan blade was in the way.

I then removed the fan blade from the motor ( not advisable unless you have done it many times.) Still wouldn't come out past the crash bar. Wife said she could hear me swearing from inside the house!

Ended up removing the front bumper and crash bar to get the damn thing off the slam panel. Luckily I had a replacement unit to drop straight in.

The spring can just be seen to the left of the catch, sorry about quality:o
https://i.imgur.com/NjpwURnl.jpg
Note to self, clean the area before taking pics:duh::D
And the lever which pops through the grill
http://i.imgur.com/Yb0jmbpl.jpg
And the assembly from Rimmers, https://rimmerbros.com/Item--i-GRID001773

Thank you Dave for your reply - and especially the picture and link to Rimmers part are much appreciated.
Sadly, there's still a 'but', as follows:

When I look through the hole in the slam panel from the top I can see the spring, which is both in place and working - in that it's attached to the safety catch and keeps that in tension and pulls the safety catch back to vertical when I push it backwards.
So far so good.
The problem is that the safety catch opening lever (which should poke through the bonnet once the main bonnet catch is released) doesn't!
Now I've taken the grille off, I can hold that little operating handle and swivel it up to the horizontal with no resistance, and then as soon as I lift it a bit further, it pushes the safety catch back and releases it perfectly in the way that it's meant to do.
However, there is nothing keeping that lifting handle in place, so as soon as I let go, it doesn't stay horizontal (like it used to do) but now just swivels back down under its own weight to a position below the horizontal, (which will put the lifting end behind the grille and difficult to reach without another tool like a hooked bit of wire) once I put the grille back in place.
So 'something' must normally stop the safety catch opening handle falling too far and keep it horizontal once the main bonnet opener has been pulled...which is no longer functioning, as the handle falls too far down (to the hidden position it normally adopts when the bonnet is completely shut). It's as if whatever used to keep the fulcrums of the safety catch and opening handle swiveling together is no longer there...whatever it was - another spring perhaps - or perhaps a bit has broken off the back end of that lifting handle (which can't be seen through the hole in the slam panel of course!) which normally stops it falling too far?
Any further ideas or suggested sources of advice much appreciated of course, and many thanks again.

Hi had this issue look at the back of the grill were the lever should pop out are there 2 of the vertical slats with black bumps on them that look like something joined them?

My solution was to drill these so a bolt could be passed through refit the grill with the lever through the grill above the bolt and it stops it dropping down behind the grill

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The black bumps are just guides for the lever
https://i.imgur.com/SGZYzs9l.jpg

Yep those are the ones put a bolt between then so the lever rests on it and the you can get to it to lift it up hopefully the pics show it

Scotthttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...e1267a6a10.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...de9e99b92f.jpg

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Hi, there are 2 springs on the latch system ,one on either side of the metal latch.

If you look closely you will see two little notches where the other spring fits.

Luckily I had a box of assorted springs and fitted one after a sort through, it is I think

smaller

than the one shown and does not have to have a strong pull just enough to allow

the lever to pop through the grill.

Hope this helps,

Dave

As per last post there is a second spring much weaker than the one shown, this is the spring that will have failed :(
Trust me on this, I have actually had to do the damn job ;)

Ah now I understand a bit better - a second (invisible) spring!

Many thanks indeed for your suggestions gentlemen.
I'd love to replace that apparently broken or missing spring once I locate where it fits as you did Stocktake, but given the effort you went through to get the old safety catch out (not to mention the effect on your wife ;o) - and the fact that I don't have a replacement spring available, it may have to be Scott & David's "bolt through the grille" solution after all.
Removing the safety catch sounds so easy in the Haynes manual - attach a bit of string, undo the 2 bolts & lower it to below the bumper...! Doesn't say how tricky it is to get back though...Hmmm!
My concern with the 'bolt' method is the possible potential for that loose lifting lever to bounce up & down/rattle/vibrate when travelling along at any speed - I've already got a high-pitched "buzz" which comes into play at about 65mph+ which neither I (nor my garage) can locate and I'd like to avoid adding further noises.
I suppose I can always try that method first and see how it goes.
Anyway whatever...thank you very much indeed for your ideas and explanations, which are hugely appreciated.
My best wishes to one and all,
Peter

If it is any help I could stick my ign key blade through the grill and "hook" the lever out and then operate it to open the bonnet ;) I only repaired it as the MOT man threatened to fail my car on it's test if he couldn't open the bonnet ;) :)

This must be catching.
 

Mine has just gone :o there's got to be an easier way of fixing this annoying problem. I'm certainly not taking the number off for that, I always struggle to get the bumper back on :shrug:

Martyn

Martyn.
Get one from a later model and change it out at the Nano, the later ones you just use your fingers between the bonnet and the slam panel, I also think you can do the same with the earlier ones as above albeit a bit fiddly.

Scott's idea looks good, you could even glue a piece if foam between the two points so the arm does not fall inwards.

Success
 

Just spent a couple of hours this morning replacing the spring and had success. A fiddly job but I managed it with just the grille off, the hardest part is getting seeing where it hooks on, as most, like mine will be covered in road grime and grease. The spring is quite short and is the other side of the safety claw, it is also easily lost on the undertray. To be honest it took longer making a spring and getting it to the correct length, it's not a strong spring and as said not very big, I was lucky I'd got some springs to work with.

Martyn

Looking forward to the how to Martyn hope you took plenty of pics :}

When I fitted my stainless mess grille I replaced the “pop through the grille” release with the MG one.
At the same time I refurbished the safety catch along with the two bonnet catches so they would never give any trouble again.

Not the kind of job you can put a "how to" to I'm afraid Scott let alone take pictures of. Once you can see where the spring goes it's very much work it out as you go, there's probably two springs lying on my undertray! Lol.