68 Beetle hood latch stuck!!!
gcoz24
11-04-2003, 10:16 PM
The front hood latch on my 1968 beetle is stuck shut. Has anyone ever seen this problem before or know how to access the trunk without opening the hood? There is no lock on this latch & I have tried everything that I can think of to get it open but it won't budge. Please help!!!!
toycraftusa
11-12-2003, 06:12 PM
The front hood latch on my 1968 beetle is stuck shut. Has anyone ever seen this problem before or know how to access the trunk without opening the hood? There is no lock on this latch & I have tried everything that I can think of to get it open but it won't budge. Please help!!!!
yes, it does happen. I was working for a VW dealer back when your car was new...we would get one in where the hood wouldn't open.......
first, does the hood release cable feel like it is releasing the latch? in otherwords your problem could be a broken or not completely releasing cable mechanism.......either that or the actual hood latch could be jammed or bent, anything to not let it release smoothly.
have you tried to open the hood with a helper or just yourself....with two people, one of you pulls the hood release cable and holds it open while the other tries to open the hood. if there seems to be some movement but doesn't open....continue holding the cable release while the other person takes like a shop towel/grease rag, whatever name you know it by....run it thru the hood handle...this gives you extra "pull" and start pulling hard or jerking....if the hood release is aprtly jammed, that jerking movement will sometimes break the latch free...........
worst case scenario we had at times.....we would have to cut the outside hood handle......take a hack saw and cut it across the middle.
that allows you to turn the handle, as if you were screwing it off, which is what you are doing......unscrewing the handle from the inside latch mechanism.
as I am telling you this I just had a thought.......has been soooooo many years since dealing with the old beetles........your 68 DOES have a hood release cable with the lever located inside your glove box, right?
I know the 69 did, seems like the 68 does as well?
yes, it does happen. I was working for a VW dealer back when your car was new...we would get one in where the hood wouldn't open.......
first, does the hood release cable feel like it is releasing the latch? in otherwords your problem could be a broken or not completely releasing cable mechanism.......either that or the actual hood latch could be jammed or bent, anything to not let it release smoothly.
have you tried to open the hood with a helper or just yourself....with two people, one of you pulls the hood release cable and holds it open while the other tries to open the hood. if there seems to be some movement but doesn't open....continue holding the cable release while the other person takes like a shop towel/grease rag, whatever name you know it by....run it thru the hood handle...this gives you extra "pull" and start pulling hard or jerking....if the hood release is aprtly jammed, that jerking movement will sometimes break the latch free...........
worst case scenario we had at times.....we would have to cut the outside hood handle......take a hack saw and cut it across the middle.
that allows you to turn the handle, as if you were screwing it off, which is what you are doing......unscrewing the handle from the inside latch mechanism.
as I am telling you this I just had a thought.......has been soooooo many years since dealing with the old beetles........your 68 DOES have a hood release cable with the lever located inside your glove box, right?
I know the 69 did, seems like the 68 does as well?
thos
12-12-2003, 02:03 AM
Before you go cutting anything!!
My father used to be able to fit a 10 mm spanner up behind the bonnet and undo the bottom bolt of the handle this would allow him enough clearance to undo the top bolt then hey presto the boot is open....
This works for the early models I'm not sure if it will for the late models with the button on the handle but give it a try anyway. It might save you getting a new handle..
Also try having someone apply pressure to the handle whilst working the release some times the mechanism can get sticky due to the spring on the... (I've forgoten the polite term but we Aussie's call it the Dog's D__k) applying pressure on the latch.
Good luck!!
My father used to be able to fit a 10 mm spanner up behind the bonnet and undo the bottom bolt of the handle this would allow him enough clearance to undo the top bolt then hey presto the boot is open....
This works for the early models I'm not sure if it will for the late models with the button on the handle but give it a try anyway. It might save you getting a new handle..
Also try having someone apply pressure to the handle whilst working the release some times the mechanism can get sticky due to the spring on the... (I've forgoten the polite term but we Aussie's call it the Dog's D__k) applying pressure on the latch.
Good luck!!
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