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MG MGF Technical - My soft top will only go part down

Hi can anyone help me as my 51 reg mgf wont let me put the roof back anymore than 2 thirds of the way. At this point it gets stuck and even with a little encouragement wont go back to the fully down position. Nothing seems to be blocking it and it worked fine last summer.
Your help in this matter would be so welcome.
cheers chris.
chris wood

Most of us know this as "Hood Lock"....

When you fold the hood back the first bar (the one above your head when roof is closed) sticks, and just needs pushing back slightly, the roof should then fold all the way! :o)

IIRC there are some after market elastic straps that you can fit to the hood to stop this bar locking when folding the hood!.....
Mark.L

And here are a couple of photos to illustrate the point:

http://image56.webshots.com/156/3/2/65/483630265dcTbRU_ph.jpg

http://image63.webshots.com/163/3/1/6/483630106ufosgz_ph.jpg

The first one shows the hood stuck in position.

In the second photo you can see my left had is on the bar that Mark is talking about. This is the one that needs to be pushed back and downwards.

HTH

Emma Jackman (& Green with Envy ~ S369 FAR)
Emma Jackman

And here's a picture of one of the straps that pulls the bar back for you. I've never had any problems with my hood locking up since I fitted the straps about two years ago.

http://www.csmgf.co.uk/darkside/others/hood_strap_1.jpg
David Clelland

I had this problem for months. Then I saw a post somewhere about oiling all the joints in the hood mechanism with 3 in 1 oil and after I did this it was right back to the good old "open and close with one had fomr inside the cabin" days .

Try that first
I Brown

"Hood Lock" try spraying joints with WD-40....works everytime...also while your at it, spray anything that squeaks. WD-40 another great Australian invention.... or if you have not any WD40 handy in the UK, just oil or spray the joints with a similar product as suggested above. Tooo easy.....

WD-40 * Stops squeaks * Drives out (displaces) moisture * Cleans and protects * Loosens rusted parts * Frees sticky mechanisms. Website www.wd40.com
Sue Wilson

>WD-40 another great Australian invention
took you 40 goes to get it right, where in the UK we got it (three) in one
Will Munns

That's quality assurance for you Chris! LOL
Sue Wilson

;-)

But WD40 was not designed for those attributes, it was designed for water displacement, those attributes were found later during testing. I have no idea if 3in1 is even english....

Talking about imports... why is speckled hen and abbot ale cheaper 1/2 way accross the world in supermarkets here than where it's brewed in the UK??
Will Munns

Sorry to call you Chris, Will, but that happens.....
About the ales...well, can't give you an answer on that one, maybe little tax in China?... but if its cheap I rekon take advantage of the price while you can. Drink up Will...But remember always drive with care...safety first!
Sue Wilson

drive??

here?

Are you mad?

you should see the traffic, they drive like the french crossed with the indians... but bizzarely there are little to no accidents. I guess it's because they drive so slowly -You should have seen the look on the face of my workmate's husband when he asked how fast my car went and I told him 190km/h
Will Munns

Did your workmates husbands face look like yours would if you were driving at 190 kms with the hood down just after you've sprayed it with WD-40, another great Australian invention....lips flubbering stretched to your earlobes. That would of been funny Will...or the strange look on his face is from consuming too much cheap ale.....uuuumm.....interesting...Plus your car goes fast man. UK must of sent the duds(rejects)to Australia just like 200 years ago.

But getting back to Chris's hood, I hope you fix it with minimum of ease. I can tell you the contributers on these threads will definitely help you if not amuse you some what. Keep smiling.....
Sue Wilson

Hell - my geography is totally up the creek, I hadn't realised that San Diego, California was a part of NSW :-)
Ted Newman

FYI, if Chris (or anyone else) is after the hood straps, the MGF Centre has them in stock for about £20. They don't come with instructions, but these can be found here: http://homepage.ntlworld.com/tim.jenner/tf_hood_recall.htm
Will Harvey

Ted,

I think that Sue need to have a look here -

http://www.wd40.com/AboutUs/our_history.html

It starts off -

>>>In 1953, a fledgling company called Rocket Chemical Company and its staff of three set out to create a line of rust-prevention solvents and degreasers for use in the aerospace industry, in a small lab in San Diego, California.

It took them 40 attempts to get the water displacing formula worked out. But they must have been really good, because the original secret formula for WD-40—which stands for Water Displacement perfected on the 40th try—is still in use today.............


Will, you might also like to know -

>>>However, WD-40 was starting to get a bit lonely as the only product, so in 1995, WD-40 Company acquired the 100-year-old brand 3-IN-ONE Oil from Reckitt & Coleman. 3-IN-ONE, with its precise applicator spout, made a wonderful match for WD-40.
David Clelland

but was the 100-year old brand from the UK - or was it invented by the italians for dipping bread into?
Will Munns

May i just say thank you to everyone who helped with my problem.
All i need now i a nice sunny warm day.
Once again thanks and what a great site this is.
A happy Chris.
chris wood

Will,

Just for you -

http://www.wd40.co.uk/index.cfm?articleid=35

Also, Reckitt & Coleman (the British connection) are the food people (Coleman's Sauces) originally from Hull I believe :-)
David Clelland

This thread was discussed between 14/05/2006 and 16/05/2006

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