How to open the hood of a VAZ 2107 if the cable breaks

The hood of any car is designed to protect the engine, ignition system, and other components and assemblies located in the engine compartment. In addition, it also performs an aerodynamic function, allowing air flow to flow freely around the car while driving. It opens directly from the interior of VAZ cars using a cable and a special lever. In the case when they or the hood lock break, the car owner has a question: how to open the hood on a VAZ 2107?

It is worth noting that the design of the locking mechanisms of the hoods of VAZ cars allows you to repair them yourself. This does not require special knowledge or special tools. It is enough to study the instructions for carrying out such repair work and strictly follow the points set out in it.

Why won't the hood open?

The hood of a car may not open for several reasons. For example, his lock may become damaged. In addition, due to mechanical damage, for example during an accident, the hood and engine compartment are deformed. This may also make it impossible to open.

If we talk about the most common reason for this phenomenon, it is a banal break in the metal cable that drives the hood locking mechanism. A cable can break for various reasons, the main ones being: wear, corrosion on the surface of the cable, or excessive force applied to it. In the case when the cable is broken, the owner of a VAZ car can open the hood on his own, as this is a relatively easy procedure. In all other cases, it is quite possible that you will have to involve professionals in the repair work.

Causes of malfunction

Sooner or later, malfunctions occur in the design of any car, and the hood opening mechanism is no exception. The “heart” of the car is located under the cover, so lack of access limits the driver’s ability to carry out repair work. Before you find out how to open the hood on a VAZ 2107, you need to understand the causes of malfunctions.

There should always be access to the engine compartment on any car. The mechanism for opening the front cover on the VAZ 2107 is simple, and it is implemented using the following elements:

1. Hood release lever located under the dashboard
2. A lock in the engine compartment that secures the lid
3. Cable - a connecting element that transmits force from the lever to the lock

What to do if the hood does not open, and where to look for the reason. Knowing the structure of the hood lock, it will not be difficult to determine the breakdown. The reasons for the malfunction of the opening mechanism are the following factors:

• The cable breaks, which happens in 80% of cases. The cable experiences heavy loads the next time it acts on the lever, so it is important to replace it in a timely manner. However, practice shows that this element is replaced only after it fails.
• Malfunction of the lock - the lock has a simple design, but even in this case the possibility of its breakdown is eliminated. The cause of the lock malfunction is the drive spring.

The cable, or connector as it is also called, can break in two places - in the area where the lever is attached and at the lock. If a break occurs on the lever, then you can open the device with less effort than if it breaks on the lock.

Opening the hood if the cable breaks

Often, owners of sevens ask their brothers how to open the hood of a VAZ 2107 if the cable breaks. This is one of the most common breakdowns that all car owners have to deal with. If the cable is broken, you can open the hood in the following ways:

1. The simplest option is when the cable is damaged at the location of the lever. To open the lid, you need to take pliers in your hands and grab the “core” of the cable with the jaws (not the armored braid). By pulling the core slightly towards you, the front cover on the machine will open, allowing you to replace the connector.
2. When the break occurs not at the lever, but near the lock, the problem becomes more complicated, but it can also be solved. The easiest way to solve this problem is to remove the air intake on the left side (if it is plastic), and provide access to the slots in the metal of the hood.
3. You need to take something, for example a screwdriver, with a handle diameter of 2-3 cm and pull the corner of the hood on the driver's side towards you, insert it there, fixing the gap. You need to look at the lock through this slot to make it easier to complete the next step.
4. You need to take a steel wire, bend a hook or loop at the end, and try to reach the lock lever. It is quite possible to do this by looking into the gap that has formed on the side of the hood. As soon as the hook hooks onto the lock lever, all that remains is to remove the screwdriver, lightly press the cover near the lock with one hand and pull the wire with the other. The cover will open.

If the hood opening handle is broken, it should be replaced. Replacing the lid release handle is easy. After replacing the lever, all that remains is to pull it to open the lid.

How often to change the cable

Once having suffered with replacing the cable, every driver asks the question, how often does it need to change the front cover opening device? The connecting part has its own resource, which depends on a number of factors:

• Frequency of opening and closing the lid. If you often have to access the engine compartment, for example, when disconnecting a terminal every day, then replacing the connector in question should be done frequently.
• The quality of the connector. The thinner the core design, the faster it will become thin and damaged. It is possible to predict the exact location of damage to the connector, and often this is the location of connection to the lock.

Why is the cable damaged at the junction with the lock? The reason for this is moisture getting into the structure. The core of the connector begins to rust, which quickly leads to damage. It is impossible to say the exact time when the connector needs to be replaced. Each owner must independently monitor its condition, and at the slightest sign of deformation, do not wait until it is completely damaged, but replace it in advance. This is much easier than trying to open the hood through the air intake.

What to do to extend the life of the hood lock actuator

Extending the life of the opening mechanism is not difficult. If you find that jamming occurs when opening, you must immediately lubricate or replace the cable. There is no need to wait until the device “cracks” completely. The hood lock of the VAZ 2107 is one of the important parts; if it malfunctions, the driver will not only not be able to get to the engine compartment, but will also not be able to close the lid.

An unclosed cover is another reason for intruders to look under the front cover. To extend the life of the mechanism in question on the seven, you will need to perform a few simple steps:

1. Provide the device with silicone lubricant. The more often you do this, the higher the likelihood that the device will last a long time.
2. Lubricate not only the lock, but also the cable braid, which will prevent damage.
3. Make a backup cable that, if the main connector breaks, will allow you to open the lock without unnecessary pain.

These simple recommendations will help eliminate the formation of various problems, which often lead to the owner not knowing what to do and how to open the hood if the lock is jammed and the cable is torn.

Ways to open the hood

In different situations, different methods are used to cope with the described malfunction. Among the most common cases are the following:

• cable breakage directly next to the remote lock opening drive lever. In that case, it will be enough to grab its end sticking out in the cabin using ordinary pliers and pull it hard. In this case, it is necessary to pull on the cable itself, and not on its braid.
• a cable breaks in the cabin when it is impossible to grab it with pliers. In this case, you will need bent wire. With its help, you can open the hood, for example, in order to change the oil, even when pliers do not help. To do this, you will need to bend a hook out of wire, insert it into the gap in the air duct or between the body and the hood, hook it onto the damaged cable and pull it until the hood lock opens.
• The cable breaks far from the lock drive lever. In this case, you can try to perform the operation through the air duct. Here you will also need a hook bent from hard wire. It is inserted into the left air duct and a cable is hooked with it.
• cable breakage directly in the area where the lock mechanism is installed. Typically, such a lock is installed in front of the hood, and therefore it is useless to pull on it. As a result, the engine compartment lock can only be opened from below, by driving the car into a pit. To do this, you need to pay attention to the crankcase protection by removing it. For this purpose, unscrew its fastenings and pull down the engine boot. Next, insert a long screwdriver into the hole next to the radiator and try to open the lock with it. If it is mounted next to the windshield, try using a loop bent from wire to hook the lock mechanism at the place where the cable is attached and pull it.

Bad locks

In addition, old locks often do not close well, which is why when pressing with your palms, the latch does not fully fit into the groove. With such use, wear appears on the bracket and latch. If the lock does not close completely, then sooner or later the weakened spring will not be able to hold the bracket and it will break out of the fastening. Eventually the hood will open.

On older cars, such as Zaporozhets, the hood could hit the windshield. On old cars of other brands with loose fastenings, the hood could also hit the body and roof under the wind, frightening the driver and actually blinding him. Nowadays, cars use a backup lock that holds the hood ajar. Meanwhile, at high speed he can also pass. Naturally, all this creates the risk of accidents.

Installing the cable

If the cable breaks, it will have to be replaced after opening the hood. For this:

1. in an auto parts store they select a new spare part, and from the available products it is worth choosing multi-strand cables as the most durable.
2. a hook is made from wire. The hook must be inserted into the hole under the hood release handle. They will need to hook a strong cord and pull it inside the cabin.
3. A new cable is tied to the cord and pulled into the cabin.
4. Next, the new spare part is connected to the hood opening handle and the mechanism for opening its lock.
5. The entire system assembly is checked for functionality.

Expert advice

Experienced motorists recommend using preventive measures, thanks to which the hood opening mechanism will always be normal:

1. Regularly lubricate the lock mechanism itself, which is responsible for opening/closing the lid, with silicone grease.
2. Periodically spray the braid of the cable of this mechanism with the same lubricant (this procedure will make the cable more mobile, which will reduce the likelihood of its breaks to a minimum).
3. Be sure to make a spare cable (a thin telephone cord is suitable for this), it must be tied to the lock latch tab.

If you follow these recommendations, the owner will not have problems opening the hood of the VAZ-2107.

conclusions

The design of VAZ cars has some outdated elements that have not been used on modern car models for a long time. These include the hood release cable. If it breaks, its cover will jam and the car owner will have to open the engine compartment. This procedure is relatively simple and can be done independently, although you will have to spend quite a lot of time. In order to prevent such an unpleasant situation from occurring, it is necessary to modernly replace the cable, and also try not to apply significant physical effort to it.