Y34 03-04 M45 Hood Alignment Issues

[MikeMiersma]

NICO,

I've recently become quite annoyed with the hood on my M45. I looked at all the archived content for issues that seemed similar and came up with nothing.

I bought my 03 M45 about 15 months ago and have loved it, but my hood has been steadily becoming more and more misaligned. Its a steady thing; the car has never been in an accident, and I havn't removed the hood for any reason. However, over the past few months, the gap on the left side of the hood has gotten wider and wider; to the point where it is now - about an inch of gap on the driver side, nearest the windshield. The passenger side fits tightly - too tightly. I looked up in the service manual how to align it, and have had absolutely no luck. It has completely confounded me. Has anyone had this issue? Could this be a hood strutt issue? Any help would be appreciated. Car just rolled 120,300

[jesustorres85]

omg i thought i was the only one lol. i have the exact same promlem, except that i was in a 5 mph front end collision with a concrete post. but i thought that it was because of the accident. i guess not! 80,xxx miles

[szh]

An inch gap? Ouch!

This is the first I have heard of anything like this ... I think you are correct in looking at the hood struts. If they are not closing properly, they may be warping the hood out of alignment, I suppose.

Hope you do get it fixed and let please do let us know the solution just in case we others experience it too.

Z

[OtterBob]

Pictures of said problem?

[kingpin]

[sebvox]

My car has never been in a wreck and the hood has slight misalignment issues. Probably only noticeable to me. I have also been noticing a squeaking when I go over bumps. I traced it to the hood hinge mechanism. If you hold the hood at the top, near the wiper blades, and give it a back and forth, you can produce the squeaking. So I opened the hood, and lubed the heck out of it with Mobil1 synthetic grease (a nice red color). Not only did this cure the squeaks but the hood alignment is back to normal.

[Y34GLORIA]

Can u post some pics of exactly where the problem and the place u lube ur hood? I notice that as well and I was wondersing the samething. thanks

[MikeMiersma]

Sorry to take so long on this. I figured out how to post pictures today. Here is the current situation.



What you see above is the passenger side of the hood. The alignment is way too close according to the service manual, and sometimes will rub on the inner side of the fender.

Here is the Driver side.

I took the car to infiniti, but there were so many people in line to get their cars worked on, I ended up leaving. However, I think the next step is to take both of the hood struts out and see if that fixes the problem. I figure that if I take the strutts out, realign the hood, and it stays realigned, I'll get new strutts. I'll also grease up the hinges for good measure. I'll post results. I didn't realize there are this many people with this issue!

[MikeMiersma]

Well, I eliminated the hood strutts as a cause of misalignment today. I removed both of them and tried to alight the hood with no luck at all. Still a big problem getting the hood aligned. I looked all over the engine bay for something that may be holding it up, and couldn't find anything. My next guess is that it is a problem with the driver-side hinge. I lubed it up and I don't think it really made a difference. After comparing the hinges to each other, the driver side looked different. I think my next move will be to remove the hood from the hinger and see if I can fold the hinge down. If it doesn't fold down, maybe I will be able to find the sticking point.

I'll keep you all posted.

[sebvox]

Wow. That is crazy. But it is clearly the hinge mechanism that needs to be lubed. You can see that it is not collapsing properly. I would start out with some penetrating oil to get it working then go to a grease. There are four hinge points on each side that need to be lubed. Exam the hinge and look for where the paint is rubbed and those spots will need some grease.

[njjuliano]

Wow. That is crazy. But it is clearly the hinge mechanism that needs to be lubed. You can see that it is not collapsing properly. I would start out with some penetrating oil to get it working then go to a grease. There are four hinge points on each side that need to be lubed. Exam the hinge and look for where the paint is rubbed and those spots will need some grease.

I had similar issues with an 04 G35. It apparently was a known issue with the MY, but mine did not show till car was way out of warranty. Found that the hinge area needed to be greased as above poster mentioned. Mine was catching on the fender and causing paint scrapes. After getting it sprayed with some wd-40 type substance (I forget which I used), it was able to function properly.

[MikeMiersma]

I tried to really lube it up today with white grease, with the same results. Still sticking. I looked for scraped paint and couldn't find any. I'm thinking about just purchasing a new hinge off of infinitipartsusa for around 40 bucks and calling it a day. Any suggestions?

[szh]

I tried to really lube it up today with white grease, with the same results. Still sticking. I looked for scraped paint and couldn't find any. I'm thinking about just purchasing a new hinge off of infinitipartsusa for around 40 bucks and calling it a day. Any suggestions?

I went out to my car to see if I could figure out what is causing your problem.

(This is a complete swag, so please take it with a grain of salt.)

What I saw was interesting is that there is a little hook shaped metal that engages another piece of metal. I am wondering is this hook is bent in your case, so that the hinge comes to rests on top of it rather than hooking into it.

This is tough to describe, so if you don't see what I am getting at, I will try to take some pictures ...

Z

[DELUNASC]

MikeMiersma, I had the exact same issue with my 03, it looked exactly like your picture. The drivers side hinge is bent. I do not know how this happens, but that is what it is. I orderded a replacement hinge from everthing Infiniti for $50, changed it out, and now everthing lines up very good.

[MikeMiersma]

szhosain,

I know exactly what you are talking about. From what I can gather, that hook keeps the rear end of the hood from going through the windshield in a crash. in effect, it causes the hood to fold in half in an accident when properly engaged, protecting the driver by creating a crumple zone. I had wondered the same thing, (whether it was sitting on top), but it actually just "floats". There is no contact at all. Not sure if anyone has any other input, but it seems to me this is a safety issue if you happen to get into a crash. There is nothing there stopping the hood from flying through the front windshield.

DELUNASC,

After looking at it again, I think you are right. I think it is bent. I think the best bet is to replace the hinge. I'll order it tonight and let you know what happens!

I'll post pictures.

Again, thanks for all your help NICO members! Your input continues to solve problems!

[DELUNASC]

I can assure you that it is the hinge, your pictures are exactly what my hood looked like. I suppose the hinge was bent somehow during being closed, may have been because a lack of lubrication on the hinge. I tried everything to fix this including taking the hinge off and trying to bend it back in a vise. The only thing that worked was a brand new hinge.

Good luck.

CD

[lswaidz]

Same thing happened to my 03. I was getting my windshield replaced from a crack and I had to get the wipers adjusted so they would sit below the cowl again... when the tech went to close the hood he put his hands and force ONLY on the left side (left side if you're looking AT the car, aka the passenger side). Since then it's sat up maybe 1/2 - 1 full inch on the driver's side. Apparently there's nothing that can be done as the metal that attaches the hood itself is being bent out of shape. Sounds like a crap response, but it is what it is.

[MikeMiersma]

Thanks for the help! I didn't realize this was such an issue for so many people. I ordered the hinge last night from infinitipartsusa; should be here in a week or two.

[Y34GLORIA]

how much was the hinges? please do a write up after installation if u can. thanks and good luck

[szh]

please do a write up after installation if u can. thanks and good luck

Indeed, yes! Please do a write up. And good luck with it.

Z

[sebvox]

The part numbers for the hinges are:

R-65400-AG000 $30.78L-65401-AG000 $29.91

Those prices are good either at everythinginfiniti.com or at grubbsperformance.com

[MikeMiersma]

DELUNASC,

I ordered the hinge earlier this week, but started to wonder about the color.

Did they send you the correct color hinge to match your vehicle's paint?

[MikeMiersma]

DELUNASC,

I ordered the hinge earlier this week, but started to wonder about the color.

Did they send you the correct color hinge to match your vehicle's paint?

[iwantyourcar]

just noticed mine sits up a tag on the drivers side as well!..not nearly as drastic but it is noticeable when comparing the two corners!

[DELUNASC]

Actually, no they did not. The stock hinge on my car was black, and the new one was a brass color. No need for a write up, as it is just 4 screws, two into the hood, and two into the engine compartment. I did this by myself, but would reccomend having someone hold the hood in place as you remove the old hinge and install the new one. This only takes 5 mins.

CD

[MikeMiersma]

NICO,

I was able to finally install the new hinge that I received from infinitipartsusa.com. Here are some pictures of the final product. Everything installed in about 10 minutes and came together great. No more hood alignment issues.
My only complaint is a non-painted hinge, but I'm the only one it bothers. Nobody else knows unless I have to pop the hood.





Thanks NICO!

[iwantyourcar]

I was swapping out my headlight bulbs over the weekend and the hood was up for about 45 minutes. I went to close it and the hindge wouldn't compress. I had a good 6 inches of gap on the drivers side!...stupid question but when I order do I order the left or right?. I'm not sure which direction they go by. the one image has an LH, so I assume the drivers side is the left.

thanks guys

[MikeMiersma]

You will order the left hand side if you need the driver side hinge.

[iwantyourcar]

thanks man, I put the order in today at Grubbs!

[iwantyourcar]

Just got my hinge in, what did you guys use to get those two bolts that are slightly tucked under the drivers fender off? I don't seem to have a tool that can get in there, any help would be great, thanks!

p.s. I was told my one guy to loosen the fender, I think that might be a little too extreme...

need help!