E38 bonnet adjustment

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Drew
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E38 bonnet adjustment

Post by Drew » Thu Aug 23, 2018 10:54 pm

This one is driving me mad....

The front corners of the bonnet on my B12 are out of whack: it is sitting high on the passengers side, and low on the drivers side. Only a few mm in it, but it looks shonky. It started doing this a month or so back. Rear corners of bonnet are fine

Right now I've got all the rubber bonnet stops off the car, I've removed the passengers side air intake and maf, I've taken the bumper off, and removed the kidney grills. No change, still sits wonky at the front edge. Can't see what's causing this

I'm looking at the bonnet alignment relative to the wing, the top of the headlight, and the top of the bumper (well, not now I've taken it off the car). The fact that the bumper, the wings and the headlights look correct relative to one another I think tells me those body parts are located fine, and it's the bonnet that's out of whack.

Any tips? I'm guessing the bonnet alignment will be similar on E36 and E39?? Not sure

Ah yes, I also tried shimming the bonnet catch on the drivers side to pull the bonnet down a bit, made no difference I could see

Arghhhhhh
1998 B12 5.7 ekat
1972 3.0 CSL
2002 B10 V8S Touring (sold)
1981 635CSi (sold)

E24man
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Post by E24man » Fri Aug 24, 2018 12:05 am

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Last edited by E24man on Mon Dec 21, 2020 10:49 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Bob
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Post by Bob » Fri Aug 24, 2018 12:25 am

Stupid question: has the bonnet warped somehow? If everything else looks ‘square’ and the change happened recently, could something have dropped on it?
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Drew
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Post by Drew » Fri Aug 24, 2018 5:29 pm

Hi Kevin, yes I have the Bentley, but even with the drivers side bump stop fully up, and the passengers side one off the car entirely, it's still not flush with the passengers wing, 1-2mm too high.

Not sure how you'd warp a bonnet, certainly nothing's fallen on it, no one has sat on it. It has been parked outside in a heat wave for a week on hols in Suffolk, hot hot hot, but surely not hot enough to warp a steel body panel

More work required. I'm going to fettle the bonnet, bumper and wheel arch liner fit, and some of the under body plastics look loose at present. Time to stick it on stands

Thanks both, wish me luck
1998 B12 5.7 ekat
1972 3.0 CSL
2002 B10 V8S Touring (sold)
1981 635CSi (sold)

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Post by E24man » Fri Aug 24, 2018 6:36 pm

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Last edited by E24man on Mon Dec 21, 2020 10:49 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Drew
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Post by Drew » Sat Aug 25, 2018 8:26 am

I've shimmed the passengers side catch, so it pulls the bonnet lower, ie holds the loop attached to the bonnet slightly lower. Can't say it made much difference....

Do you know if the catch or the bonnet loop are adjustable? Bentley does not say
1998 B12 5.7 ekat
1972 3.0 CSL
2002 B10 V8S Touring (sold)
1981 635CSi (sold)

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greenelekta
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Post by greenelekta » Sat Aug 25, 2018 9:57 am

Drew wrote:I've shimmed the passengers side catch, so it pulls the bonnet lower, ie holds the loop attached to the bonnet slightly lower. Can't say it made much difference....

Do you know if the catch or the bonnet loop are adjustable? Bentley does not say
I don't know about the e38 but on other models the loops screw up/down for adjustment and use a lock nut to keep in place
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jolls
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Post by jolls » Sat Aug 25, 2018 5:43 pm

Go back to basics. Take the bonnet catches off and remove the bump stops. I can't remember but if there are rubber seals running down the wings and at the back and front of where the bonnet sits remove these too. Then see how the bonnet sits and replace one item as process of elimination.
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Drew
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Post by Drew » Sun Aug 26, 2018 2:24 pm

Thanks, I'll do all of that, I'll have a look at moving the loops, couldn't see how this was adjusted. I still have my E39 Bentley, so can compare and contrast

(Wish I still had a B10 too....)
1998 B12 5.7 ekat
1972 3.0 CSL
2002 B10 V8S Touring (sold)
1981 635CSi (sold)

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greenelekta
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Post by greenelekta » Sun Aug 26, 2018 3:14 pm

Drew wrote:Thanks, I'll do all of that, I'll have a look at moving the loops, couldn't see how this was adjusted. I still have my E39 Bentley, so can compare and contrast

(Wish I still had a B10 too....)


E39 is a different set up, no loops
E39 B10 V8S Touring Brass Metallic
Z3 M Coupe Dakar Yellow
Z4 Monaco Blue
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Drew
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Post by Drew » Wed Sep 05, 2018 5:51 pm

Well I feel a bit thick

Having taken just about everything off the car, turns out the passengers side catch is duff. It's not locking when the loop on the bonnet hits the catch jaw bit. Really should have spotted that one before now
:oops:

Doesn't look to be repairable, so need a replacement... anyone breaking an E38 out there?

Thanks all
1998 B12 5.7 ekat
1972 3.0 CSL
2002 B10 V8S Touring (sold)
1981 635CSi (sold)

Bob
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Post by Bob » Wed Sep 05, 2018 5:59 pm

At least you found the cause!
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Metrics
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Post by Metrics » Wed Sep 05, 2018 6:49 pm

2019 G31 B5 Biturbo No.299
2012 F10 D5 Biturbo No.13
1993 Mercedes 190E 2.6 Sportline spec
1991 Mk1 Golf GTI Sportline cabriolet

Bob
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Post by Bob » Wed Sep 05, 2018 9:14 pm

Metrics wrote:Take your pick!
(Poor cars) :shock:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_from ... 5573.m1684
Slim pickings! :lol:
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Metrics
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Post by Metrics » Wed Sep 05, 2018 10:19 pm

Call me a sentimental old fool, but I find it sad when I see a nice car being broken and scavenged at a breakers. Certainly applies to the E38 which to my eye is a rather graceful car. Yes I know it's a lump of metal and plastic, but you get my drift right?

I'll get my coat...
2019 G31 B5 Biturbo No.299
2012 F10 D5 Biturbo No.13
1993 Mercedes 190E 2.6 Sportline spec
1991 Mk1 Golf GTI Sportline cabriolet

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