Emergency Hood Release

[E32FAN]

shogun has posted a link with a similar emergency technique -

Open your E32 hood and trace the hood release cable as it travels from the latch (just right of the left high beam) to its bend over the left low beam.

Take a 2' length of stranded wire and loop it around this bend in the release cable, and lay the wire down beside the low beam lens to the bumper.

Close the hood.

Now tug on the wire. Darned if the hood doesn't pop open!

Now dress the wire in over the chrome ring around the low beam and close the hood.

The emergency release wire is invisible there, but one day in the future when you can't get into your car you can fish it out and tug on it.

With the hood open, you can charge the battery, extinguish a fire, etc.

[shogun]

very good, have also done it.

Here is how you can open the hood, my collection of comments:

As a last resort you can try to open the hood and jump the battery. Here is how it is done on a 750 but the grille design changes slightly for a 735. Anyway this can be a good starting point: Drill a 1/4-inch hole in the black plastic part of grille as pointed to by the white arrow in the photo. Then bend a cheap screwdriver at the tip as a hook and insert the hook two to three inches into the hole, with the hook oriented towards the center. If you are lucky the hook will catch a small latch which releases the hood. Good luck. https://web.archive.org/web/20041227...1/Openhood.jpg


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go 12.5 from center of kidney grill, go in 4.5 inches a small hook should do between the hood and the top of the plastic on the grill.TRy to fish it along the bottom of the hood then at 4.5" turn hook down (about a 3/4" hook should do) as if to scratch the surface of the car body and you should be in the zone. Then pull as to remove the 4.5" wire with hook and you should be open. Good luck and thanks to Dennis for the fix. BillB

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Take a piece of stiff wire (a coat hanger ) about a foot long. Bend a small hook in one end. Insert the hooked end, with the hook flat,into the space between the hood and the headlights on the drivers side. Once you have the wire inserted a few inches rotate the hook downward. Gently withdraw the wire until you feel the hook engage the hood release cable. Give the wire a sharp tug and your hood catch should release. You can then proceed to put on a battery charger, or jump from another vehicle to apply some power. You will then be able to use the power locks to unlock your car. This is a useful exercise to practice when you don't need it so that you are prepared when you do need to use it.
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Here is Max's solution.
PRAY, I always start this way
1. Make a small wire hook out of stiff wire (straight at one end and a hook in the other end) hook can be about 1 CM internal diameter, length of 12" should be sufficient
2. Go to front of car and stand in front of drivers side headlights (US) then take the wire and with the hook part horizontal push this wire in, just inboard of the drivers side high beam and work it in between the sealing strip of rubber and the upper radiator mounting plate that runs across the top of the headlights.
3. Push it in aiming at center of engine bay.
4. Turn it 90 degrees so the hook loop is verical.
5. Pull it slowly back out, hopefully snagging the hood release cable on the way out.
6. Once the hood cable is caught, give the tool a sharp tug and hopefully you will release the hood.
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Cut a piece of stiff wire (like a coathanger) about a foot long. Bend one end into a small hook. Carefully (so as not to scratch paint)insert above the drivers side headlight, push back about 6 inches, rotate hook down and snag the hood opener cable. Give a sharp tug and with any luck your hood should open. You can then proceed to hook up a battery charger and get enough juice in the system to open your doors. good luck!

[E32FAN]

HEY, go out right now and do this!

Your car is 20 years old. You need more than just luck to keep it purring.

[shogun]

some pics for better explanation I posted here
http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum...58&postcount=2

[shogun]

today I had to change my hoodlock, as apparently some internals were worn, hood sometimes opened, sometimes not.
So I removed a hoodlock from one of my parts cars. And I detected a new way to open the hood. Behind the headlights grill driver side is the hood lock located, the 10 mm bolt which holds it is bolted in from the side where the grill (BMW kidney) is.
If you pull this metal lever to the front (driving direction) on the lock, the hood lock jumps open (spring inside). So the best is to drill into the plastic grill of the driver side (LHD) headlights a small hole, so that you can access this lever.

So there is no need to fiddle around on the top part of the lock where the bowden cable is. The kidney BTW you get out by releasing the hood catch, open the hood, push down these two clips on top of the grill on one side and the grill is released on the top, turn it downwards to front, at the bottom are 4 plastic "elbows/clips", which hold the grill at the bottom, be careful, these clips/elbows easily crack.

and while we are there, here how to eliminate the double lock function forever, courtesy of E32Fan

http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum...52&postcount=2

[shogun]

Pic of the hoodlock is not working anymore due to imageshack's change of policy. Here are pic again free of charge by courtesy of ECS https://www.ecstuning.com/b-genuine-...h/51231908330/

[shogun]

added pics of hood lock and tool

[shogun]

BMW e32/e34 dead battery locked out trick, trunk always open with the key
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w-xghfng4Vo

[Olivergt]

BMW e32/e34 dead battery locked out trick, trunk always open with the key
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w-xghfng4Vo

Isn't there also a trick you can do on the drivers/passenger door by lifting the handle while you turn the key or something, it's listed as "Emergency operation" in my handbook:

"In the event of failure of the electrical system. Only at front passengers door"

"Opening: lift the handle plate, turn the key in the opening direction beyond the pressure point
To close again: turn the key beyond the thiefproofing device pressure point"

[shogun]

yes, that is for the doors, see here http://www.bmwe34.net/E34main/Trouble/Locked.htm