used jack to remove alternator bolt, now hood won't shut
Asked by fapajr Sep 20, 2013 at 11:25 AM about the 1994 Mercury Capri Convertible FWD
Question type: Maintenance & Repair
wednesday nite i used a jack to lift up the passenger front of the car (jacked at the point of where you would use a jack to change a tire) to remove bottom alternator bolt. Tire was only off ground 3". Called it a night and let jack down, shut hood no problem. Thursday i continued to work on alternator and did not use the jack but when i tried to put the hood down, its raised on the pass side by the windshield. Did i flex the frame? how to fix? Also, the passenger door gaps a little at the bottom rear.
11 Answers
Seriously doubt that you actually bent the frame by jacking it up. Matter of fact, the entire side of a car can be lifted, the frame in your Capri is not that weak. More like throwing body parts, quarter panels, door(s), hood out of alignment somehow. The hood should be able to be adjusted by loosening the bolts on hinges and re aligning. Especially since you used the proper jack point, frame, no.
A body shop can do it if you have trouble yourself, problem is body shops are so expensive...those guys usually deal with insurance companies and inflate the repair costs, but might give you a break
I agree with David. Sorry but I just have to ask. Did you check around the edges of your engine compartment for possible tools left behind that could be not allowing the hood to close properly. I have done that a few times.
Good point dandy. Didn't think of that, because I have never done that. And if you believe that please PM me about a bridge I have for sale.
no tools but will look again - seems like the hinge sits up higher now (or imagination?). I need to elaborate the use of the jack. The small jack was moving about so i used a motorcycle jack (wife said not to use it. One rail at the jack point and the other about a foot to the rear. No bend occurred at the seams. Could i have pushed the seam, rocker panel, etc upwards? It seems odd that on wednesday when using the jack the hood shut fine but thursday the hood decides to have a shift (no jack used). Plus the bottom/back of door stick out a little. I only had it on the big lift for a few hours max and nothing out of the ordinary happened. The hood shut. Now doesn't. Changing an alternator shouldn't have been this much trouble and now i have this problem to deal with.
Inspect bolts holding adjacent body parts on. See if the paint is chipped loose or if there are signs that the panel might have moved some at the bolts. Panels could have shifted some if jack had some pressure on them. If you can see where it has shifted loosen bolts and shift it back to where the paint mark from the bolt lines up with the paint mark on the body panel.
Ditto. Just support on that answer. Couldn't have explained it any better.
success and stupidity. No flex or movement of frame. No tools left behind but... ONE a/c cap. Cap sitting by the hinge.
Lol. Sure glad you got it to close properly. Don't feel bad we have all left something in the way of a hood closing at one time or another.
