Hi everyone!

Wanted to clean my engine bay and the red handle has been pretty hard to pull since I bought this car 6 months ago.
I just figured it's harder moving than on my old Coupe. Today I noticed the handle doesn't work at all anymore.
Looked at it and the mechanism seems to be a wire with a metal ball on the end that slides right into the red handle under the dash.
That red handle seems to have cracked.
Does anyone know where to get a replacement and how to install it? Also, is there a way to adjust that wire so it isn't so hard to pull on it to release the hood mechanism? On my old Coupe it was very easy to pull on the SRT it's very difficult to pull which I think led to it cracking.

Thanks for any advise!

Nick

 

Nick
Look at your 2nd photo, looks like a simple fix:

1. The RED handle has a hole approximately half way down the handle, on the side
2. In that same photo, there is a small silver cylinder attached to a wire, jammed behind the RED handle
3. that cylinder belongs in that hole in the RED lever
4. Get your needle nose pliers out and "grab" the cylinder and push it into the hole in the RED handle
5. make sure you push it into the hole fully, should not stick out, must be flush
6. the silver cylinder was partially, causing the difficulty in opening your hood.
7. make sure the WIRE slips thru the notch near the whole

Cheap fix....

Dennis
DTMenace

 

Hi Dennis! Thanks for all your input. I had pushed the cylinder that's attached to the wire back into the hole but the problem is right where it pushes into the hole the red handle is cracked. That's what led the cylinder to pop out to begin with. I know it's not really visible in the picture but the hole in the leaver has a hairline tear.
I think this handle will need to be replaced but I don't know how or where I can get one of those.

 

the best thing to do is go to mercedes I think they have the handle same as 2002 c320 i know my c320 wagon was or is the same handle maybe the cable is different.

 

Went and ordered one on eBay for Mercedes R170 new. They had some Crossfire used ones but given age of our cars didn't wanna take the chance of the plastic being brittle. I'm going to assume the SLK320 handle is identical to our Crossfire. Looks the same to me and most likely fits.
I checked the assembly and looks like it's held in place by one screw so should be easy to replace and then loop the cylinder into that hole like Dennis mentioned.

 

Lubricate the hood latch locking assembly and cable, the stress caused by lack of lubricant is probably why it cracked , you can buy the handle here
https://www.autohausaz.com/pn/1248800320
or here
https://www.fcpeuro.com/Mercedes~Ben...se%20handle%20

 

Thanks for the tips. How and were do I lubricate the cable and the latch? Latch I assume you mean the latch under the hood and cable I assume you mean inside the cabin. What lubricant would you use and how to go about it. I noticed the hood release handle has been hard to pull since I bought this car. On my Coupe it was super easy to pull. Not sure if that is because the SRT only has 25,000 miles. Maybe the cable was just more worn out on my Coupe.

 

Yes the latch under the hood , I use white lithium grease. As far as the cable I've been using penetrating oil on both ends ,tape a cotton ball on both ends and soak it with lube it seems to eventually creep into the cable. This maintenance works for about every hinge point on the car, spoiler, hood, doors etc. & flap cables on the roadster

 

Ok awesome. On my to-do list was greasing the mechanism of the convertible hydraulics and all latches and door hinges. I ordered the hood release lever so once I get it I'll put it on and take care of that maintenance. Thanks for the tip with the penetrating oil. I already have the lithium grease and penetrating oil ready to go.

 

I've never confirmed this but the hood release lever in my 2012 Ford Fiesta looks like the same lever used in the Crossfire.

 

Might even be but they are cheap as it is so can just order one for the R170. They are literally only $10 new and OEM.

 

My hood latch went with no warning. I just changed the engine air filters last week and it was very easy to operate. Does anyone have a latch for sale; I would like to replace both halves; the part on the hood itself and the part on the upper radiator mount bracket. As an aside, my trunk lid is also stuck closed and the car is going in for a new top on Friday. Any suggestions as how to access the bow release in the trunk?

 

https://www.autohausaz.com/pn/MB-1708800560 Genuine Mercedes Hood Latch; Front Upper | 1708800560

Genuine Mercedes Hood Safety Catch; Front Lower | 1708800160

Don't know if this works found on the web "There is a simple backdoor method to unlock the trunk, try this first before trying to release the locking arm through the right license plate light opening.
With the ignition “On” press the “Top Down “ button. While holding the button turn off ignition and hold button 10 seconds. Trunk should unlock."

 

In case the cable end will not slide back into your hood release lever, they are for sale in several places on the internet. Just search for Crossfire Hood Release Lever.

 

Thanks for the tip. Turning on the ignition to the accessory position, pushing the top down button, turning off the ignition key, and waiting ten seconds to release the top down button worked like a charm. I don't know what that trick does because I could feel the latch working when I tried the key fob, but it did nothing. I don't know how much that tip saved me, but thanks again.

 

The latch under the hood , I use white lithium grease. As far as the cable I've been using penetrating oil on both ends ,tape a cotton ball on both ends and soak it with lube it seems to eventually creep into the cable. This maintenance works for about every hinge point on the car, spoiler, hood, doors etc. & flap cables on the roadster. Here's a link for the hood release handle

https://www.autohausaz.com/pn/1248800320

 

[QUOTE=dcskmail;981155] The latch under the hood , I use white lithium grease. As far as the cable I've been using penetrating oil on both ends ,tape a cotton ball on both ends and soak it with lube it seems to eventually creep into the cable. This maintenance works for about every hinge point on the car, spoiler, hood, doors etc. & flap cables on the roadster. Here's a link for the hood release handle

https://www.autohausaz.com/pn/1248800320[/QUOTE
I have no trust in lithium grease, it just sits there. Grease is at its best when it is physically placed between the moving parts. I use light machine oil on the latch, hinges etc. as it flows into gaps. Engine oil around SAE 30 or 40 would be fine.

 

[QUOTE=onehundred80;981188]I concur on using a light machine oil.

I would look into buying Motorcycle Cable Lube for the hood release cable. A search on eBay or Amazon will provide quite a few to choose from. Also available at many local Auto Part Stores.