Golllie, I was up to see the Carlisle event and found out something that Everyone else may know because I must have fallen asleep in class.

The Crossfires were on display WAAAAAY up the hill but I finally made it and was I ever suprised. I have spent 3 or 4 Metric weeks piddling under and around my SRT having too much fun figgering it out and tweeking this and that.

What I DID NOT KNOW was that the hood support rod telescopes so that the hood can be opened to a near vertical position ! ! ! Seems that the hood mounted end has a sleeve with those detents like you find in patio furniture allowing it to open and slip the inner rod out another 2 feet or so.

This allows greater access ( Whoopie for me ) to the engine area and an unobstructed view of the goodies and gizmos under the hood.. It was a real shocker to see all the hoods up and I never knew or thought to look at the support rod.........DOUBhh!

I will stay awake in class
I will stay awake in class
I will stay awake in class
I will stay awake in class
I will stay awake in class
I will stay awake in class
I will stay awake in class
I will stay awake in class
I will stay awake in class
I will stay awake in class
I will stay awake in class
I will stay awake in class
I will stay awake in class
I will stay awake in class
I will stay awake in class
I will stay awake in class
I will stay awake in class
I will stay awake in class
I will stay awake in class
I will stay awake in class
I will stay awake in class
I will stay awake in class
I will stay awake in class
I will stay awake in class
I will stay awake in class
I will stay awake in class

Enjoy, Woody
Photo of the Pa meet below.

 

You learn something new everyday , thanks for the pictures. Those are some nice rear ends .

 

Woody, your killin me here!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

You're smarter!

It took me a half an hour to figure out how to make it go back down. I had to call in a life line to figure it out.

 

I am dumber than a waldig it seems- how DID you get the lift support back down? I've been working on it all morning. I can get the hood verticial but the little button latch in the lift support prevents it from telescoping back down.
Cut me some slack- i'm a girl who loves her new xfire and i'm doing everything i can to learn about the car.
THANK YOU to anyone who helps out with an answer.

 

I owned my SLK for 3 years before learning of this... I actually was looking at Bob's SRT-6 at the dragstrip wondering how I could mod mine to do the same. Then, he walked over and poped my hood up vertically. DUR!!!

 

BUT HOW DO YOU GET IT BACK DOWN?????? I'm serious! i got the damn thing up but now cant figure out how to keep the button latch on the upper end of the lifter rod to stay in so i can get the thing to telescope back down so i can close the hood.
Someone replied it took them a half an hour to figure it out but didn't say what exactly they "figured"
aaarrrggghhhhh!

 

DUR WOODY! lol

To lower there's another button about 2/3 of the way down on the back side of the rod. Depress button, close hood.

 

Actually........ it's the same button.

The outside housing just slides up over it making it seem like another button.

 

hold tightly to the strut or the hood, depress the button and allow the outer tube of the strut to slide back down over itself to its normal lowered position (the hood will still be open like a normal car). there is no resistance, so if you depress the button without holding onto the strut the hood will fall rather quickly to the normally opened position. This is the point where the hydraulic strut holds the hood open. from here close the hood just like any other car.

cheers,
krzyfast

 

thanks to all for your responses! turns out i'm not dumber than a fifth grader, i'm just weaker than one!!! I needed a second set of hands to push in the button while i held the hood. Its a girl thing.

 

I don't know if anyone has said this yet, but welcome to the forum. How long have you had your car?

 

Thanks for the welcome. I have read the forums for months, wanting a crossfire but afraid i'd be in over my head with one as i am not a mechanic. In june i came across a 2005 aero blue coupe with 4000 miles on it. From my readings here i knew more about the car than the dealer! So i bought it. I love love love the car and am looking at an Adult Ed basic car mechanics class as a start to understanding more about engines. I'd like my car to be more than just a pretty face!

The forums are great but intimidating for an owner like me. Maybe there could be a "Crossfire for Dummies" section where we can ask really basic questions without feeling like total dorks.

 

playswith fire, consider using the flat side of a dime or penny to push the button in giving you some mechanical advantage over the buttons tension.. WEEKEND>>>>>>>W dy

BTW Edison said there are no stupid questions, but there are stupid answers.

An ink pen works too, but a borrowed one or cheap, your choice to push button.WW

YouTube - Static-X - Push It

 

ABSOLUTELY NOT ........you can ask "any" question, AND as many as you want. People here are anxious to share their knowledge about the "permagrin" xfire.... Trust me .. at one point or another we were all newbies to it. So keep your questions comin ....
As you go on ... you may find it advantageous to attend (with your car) some GTGs in your area and meet others that you can pick their brains. Who knows you might make a friend that lives close to you that will literally help you, with no strings attached... LOL!! So keep getting involved...... A basic course might help you get over your insecurities about car maintenance. Have Fun and enjoy the "grin"
Just FYI ... there is another forum you might want to investigate. It's more of a "club" atmospere, and lots of knowledgeable folks there also. They have a "club" store that has a lot of accessories for the xFire available to members. It's called ... CICCI ... It costs about $25 per year, with 1st year being $35. It is growing fast, and they have numerous GTGs during the year. If you wish to join you can use my screen name (IBLUBYU) for a reference.

EDIT: If you got an owners manual, my advice is read it front to back, even if you don't fully understand it.

 

I'm going to check out the crossfire club right now. Thanks! I know there are at least four crossfires around my area but finding the folks who own them is the challenge

The tip about using the dime to push on the hood lifter button is a good one that i will definitely try out.

Thank you Yoda Crossfire Masters!!!!

 

So are you the single mid-20s crossfire owner with no mechanical experience, or the more mature married crossfire owner who's husband refuses to help on your 'toy'??? either way, good luck with everything. Don't be intimiated we don't bite (most of us).

I would definitely read the manual cover to cover, and also look at the stickies (threads at the top of each section) and you will definitely get a great foundation of knowledge for your car. From there it takes time, patience, a lot of searching, and some help from those of us who have been through it...and you will have almost any answer you want about your crossfire.

 

You can also push UP on the hood slightly will pushing on the button. This takes the weight of the hood off of the button and makes it real easy to push in. Plus, since you're holding onto the hood, there is no risk of it coming down too quickly and possibly breaking the button.

Oh, and welcome aboard playswithfire!

 

Don't use any tools on the buttons. I'd equate this to using a vise-grip to turn a radio ****. If it's not turning, there's a reason. Same with the button. There is pressure on it from the weight of the hood. Just push up on the hood and then press the button, both when you're extending it or retracting it. It's nice and easy and it will save your hood strut from at best, tool marks and at worst, a busted hood strut.

Sorry to post pretty much exactly what you said thumper; Had this typed up a while ago and just tabbed back to this window. TOO MANY WINDOWS!!!