Frozen hood "catch" (latch mechanism)

["Leo Dennis" <blueide@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Hello:
The hood latch mechanism on my '87 325 does not catch and I cannot secure 
the hood in the shut position. I recall this being a problem on my X'78 
530i, especially in cold weather (the recent problem of the "frozen" catch 
mechanism appeared during the last cold spell in Chicago). The hood release 
lever seems to have tension at the point where it attaches to the cable and 
the cable to the release does not seem to have snatched. Both of my manuals 
only talk about adjusting the "preload" knobs on the four hood corners which 
(no surprise) I cannot find. Unfortunately, I do not have the factory shop 
manual (I still have the 320i shop manual and wonder if it could be of help 
with the latch assembly on the E30).

If anyone can help me with a step by step troubleshoot and fix, I will be 
indebted! The holidays call for some light travelling and my bouncing hood 
under high speed is not only unsightly and un-aero but also a potential 
hazard.

I would greatly appreciate if you would reply to me directly at
blueide@domain.elided. I tend to often loose track of digests and this is info 
I would hate to miss. Thanks a million in advance!

Leo ('87 325 w/ 182K - would like to see it turn 200K, if the body and
auxiliary systems would only cooperate!)
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