Purpose of engine cover/louver latches?

[Shep]

I searched the forums for this question, and couldn't find it mentioned anywhere, so I thought I'd ask. My engine cover and louvers have both been replaced. As with many other parts of my DeLorean, when it was, all the "extras" were omitted whenever possible. Included in that list is the mechanism that the engine cover uses to attach to the rear fascia. I have the pull handle in the cabin, and the attached cable does move the catch mechanism, but the engine cover itself does not have the lower hook to go into the catch mechanism. While I do have the loop on top of the engine cover that the louvers are supposed to latch onto, it's much too far off (at least an inch or two) to line up and function. As a result, the louvers do not latch onto the engine cover, and the engine cover does not latch onto the rear fascia. So pretty much, the engine cover and louvers are always unlatched, and freely movable by hand. To get into my engine bay, I just lift up any part of the louvers, pull up on the upper hook on the engine cover, then engage the stay mechanism. It still takes a light bit of force to open the engine cover since it's a tight fit with the rear fascia and rubs it as it opens and closes.

I have yet to come across any issues while driving, which begs the question: what exactly do those latches do? I know it's standard practice to put latches on anything that opens from the outside on any car, but is there any danger in not having those latches in place? I don't hear any banging or rattling noises or really any sign they're moving independently of the rest of the body, even when backing up. I've had peace of mind knowing that attending to an issue in the engine bay requires only running to the back and opening everything up, but I can't help but wonder if there's any ill effects of the latches not being there. Am I fine running without functioning latches?

[DMCMW Dave]

Am I fine running without functioning latches?

As long as you never drive in reverse at more than about 20 mph, you should be fine. Might rattle a bit more on bumps but you'll never hear it.

[Shep]

As long as you never drive in reverse at more than about 20 mph, you should be fine. Might rattle a bit more on bumps but you'll never hear it.Thanks for the info! I'll have to remember not to have it towed backwards then :thumbup:

[Delorean Industries]

Thanks for the info! I'll have to remember not to have it towed backwards then :thumbup:

It will do a lot of damage! At the very least tear the louvre from the car. The "latch" will not save it.

[SS Spoiler]

My 37lb stainless steel spoiler keeps it shut!

[Tillsy]

Wow - Dave posts replies to people while waking around DCS and even his sleep, now he's doing it having just landed in Melbourne Australia. His dedication never ceases to impress me :)

[Farrar]

Wow - Dave posts replies to people while waking around DCS and even his sleep, now he's doing it having just landed in Melbourne Australia. His dedication never ceases to impress me :)

He is my DeLorean hero. And I'm sure I'm not the only one who feels this way.

[Shep]

It will do a lot of damage! At the very least tear the louvre from the car. The "latch" will not save it.Exactly, so no towing backwards :)


Wow - Dave posts replies to people while waking around DCS and even his sleep, now he's doing it having just landed in Melbourne Australia. His dedication never ceases to impress me :)I was actually impressed that he responded three minutes after I posted the thread, considering it's 10:30 PM here. But damn, he's on vacation on the other side of the globe and still giving advice? Talk about dedication!

[vwdmc16]

As stated the louver latch is to keep it shut, kinda obvious. In my case the struts on my louvers are super charged up some how(one strut is still more than enough to hold them open, and feel atleast twice as strong as any other Deloreans struts that ive tried) and this has caused issues to keep the louvers down while driving over rough roads. On rail road crossings ive seen them bounce up at least 6 inches in the mirror, a huge annoyance to me. On one trip to LA, they opened completely while going on the Grapevine, Probably went 5 miles in fully extended Uber spoiler mode before I noticed the rear view mirror image was alot clearer. I had to pull over and shut it embarrassingly. My latch lines up great and positively latches but doesnt have much strength (not with my super struts atleast), its weak design continues to be a large frustration.


As for the engine cover, thats kind of obvious too, why do the doors have locks? why does your house have locks? To stop people from getting inside and fucking with it and stealing stuff. Its entirely possible to hot wire the engine on our cars with full access to the wiring panel in the front right corner.

With that said ive never locked my lower lid since I dont trust the release cable and havent installed a back up yet. But since I never leave the car out overnight, this is not a real big issue.

[Michael]

I drove almost 1000 miles from S. Florida to E. Tenn with no louver latch. It was out of adjustment and I really didn't tackle the loose ends until I got home.

[Mark D]

He is my DeLorean hero. And I'm sure I'm not the only one who feels this way.


This post needs a "like" button

[WelmoedJ]

Most louvre latches have given in over time.
That is, a bump may cause the lid to produce rattling noise up to the louvre unhooking, opening and dropping into the latch again.
At least both my (previous and current) D did so until I considered it time to do something about it.

Not too hard to do:
- disassemble the louvre latch
- make sure the spring is not weak
- if the spring is weak, either replace it with a stronger model, or re-enforce the spring
- put some "shims" on the latch's axle to make it stay in place

After that you can speed over a street bump without unlocking your louvre :)

One said "I leave my engine cover unlatched as I don't trust the cable".
The louver's safety and latch rely on the engine cover to be locked.
So leaving the engine cover unlocked you may risk the same rattling or worse as if your louvre's latch didn't work well.

In case you doubt the cable, simply replace it!
And if broken, remove the left tail light and you can get to the engine cover latch.
Don't work around, fix it!

[LordFly]

My 37lb stainless steel spoiler keeps it shut!

Sounds cool! Got pics?

[David T]

On most Deloreans the latch for the rear sunshade, aka "louvers" does not work. In many cases it can be adjusted to work. On most Deloreans the engine cover latch does work. Keeps the Riff-Raff from touching the motor. Can be overcome by removing the left, rear tailight and reaching in to the latch. I would not tow a Delorean backwards and depend on that puny latch to keep the sunshade locked. Either remove it or cover it with a tarp. If you have a luggage rack (and use it) you should make the latch and lock work so everything doesn't bounce when you go over bumps.
David Teitelbaum

[Shep]

Its entirely possible to hot wire the engine on our cars with full access to the wiring panel in the front right corner.And then what? Just watch as it drives itself straight into a wall? Or reverse, straight into them? The only way hotwiring an engine from the engine bay would be useful in any capacity is if you have access to the cabin to disengage the E-brake and change gears. On automatics like mine, starting the engine is useless unless you can get out of Park. Ditto for manuals in neutral. And by the time you're able to do that, you might as well pull the ignition out and hot-wire it that way considering that's the only way to steer.


I would not tow a Delorean backwards and depend on that puny latch to keep the sunshade locked. Either remove it or cover it with a tarp.That's what I said: "I'll have to remember not to have it towed backwards". What am I missing? :hmm:



So it sounds like when driving, rattling is the only problem as long as the struts aren't overly powerful (which mine aren't). I can handle that! :)

[SS Spoiler]

My engine and louver cover latches haven't worked for 20 years. Towed it backwards from twin cities to Kalispell, MT 1800 miles, no problems. The heavy SS spoiler kept it down.

Paul Cerny #2691

[Nicholas R]

And then what? Just watch as it drives itself straight into a wall? Or reverse, straight into them? The only way hotwiring an engine from the engine bay would be useful in any capacity is if you have access to the cabin to disengage the E-brake and change gears. On automatics like mine, starting the engine is useless unless you can get out of Park. Ditto for manuals in neutral. And by the time you're able to do that, you might as well pull the ignition out and hot-wire it that way considering that's the only way to steer.


That's where the inertia switch comes in. If you pound the left front fender hard enough, you should be able to trigger the inertia switch, thereby unlocking the doors. Course by then you've pretty much ruined a left front fender, lol. :biggrin: is it worth it? Up to you!

[vwdmc16]

One said "I leave my engine cover unlatched as I don't trust the cable".
The louver's safety and latch rely on the engine cover to be locked.
So leaving the engine cover unlocked you may risk the same rattling or worse as if your louvre's latch didn't work well.

In case you doubt the cable, simply replace it!
And if broken, remove the left tail light and you can get to the engine cover latch.
Don't work around, fix it!


Unfortunately my car consistently has larger issues that take priority. fixing that cable is pretty low on the list.

[Shep]

That's where the inertia switch comes in. If you pound the left front fender hard enough, you should be able to trigger the inertia switch, thereby unlocking the doors. Course by then you've pretty much ruined a left front fender, lol. :biggrin: is it worth it? Up to you!As strange as it is that you know that tidbit, the steering wheel is still locked until you turn the key. Once you've done that, starting is just a matter of turning it one click further. Surely hammering a DeLorean while pulling the door handle will not go unnoticed. (Or so I would hope...)

I will say though that today I finally figured out why my doors are so loud when I close them. I was sitting by the passenger side checking all the fuses, and I heard the same noise coming straight from the rear when I moved around a bit. Apparently when I close my doors, it shakes the car enough that the louvers and engine cover rattle a bit against each other, but the reverb makes it sound like it's coming from the door itself. I always thought it was just the sound of a solidly designed 1981 door closing. I could be mistaken, but I've gotten so used to the noise, I think I'd kind of miss it if it went away.

[Tillsy]

As strange as it is that you know that tidbit

It's a safety feature - likewise if you tipped a DeLorean upside down the fuel line gets closed off as well.

[DavidProehl]

Sounds cool! Got pics?

Not a great pic of the spoiler, but here is Paul and I checking out something that is apparently very interesting in his engine bay at DCS. I'm the awkward looking guy in the tan shirt.
http://photos.grenexmedia.com/Events/DeloreanCarShow2010/DCS-2010-Thursday/12735050_QvV3r4/1/917002772_QdnhHM3/Large