chriswins

Hey guys I just got back my '95 ls from the paint shop. I didn't wreck it, its just that my bumpers paint is chipping and my little brother put a big scratch on the hood, so I wanted to go get it touched up at a local paint shop, Everything was fine except for the hood. It was just one of those days that the LS needed power steering fluid so, I opened it and did what I needed to do. Then when I go and close it it wont close. It wont lock in, I should say. I tried for atleast a good half an hour. So I was like forget it i called back the shop they said "no problem, just take it in we'll fix it." I brought it in to have them fix it. Got it back again and I didn't want to open it just in case it don't close again. I got back home and for some reason my steering wheel was grinding and whining again, but I just recently add fluid.(new problem? Pump or lack of fluid?) And now my hood wont even hold up. I mean what were they doing there?! My hood rods don't even hold up the hood anymore I have to now post it up with a stick!
Once I was finished adding more fluid... it wont close again.. it'll close but not lock in so you could still pull it up..

Has anyone experienced anything like this at all the hood problem and the steering problem? what could I do or can I do?

Thanks guys.

trukn1

Sounds like you have a power steering leak. If you read thru the forums, you will find that it is one of the common ailements of the LS. Check the power steering bible, stickied, at the top of this forum. The grinding/whining means that you are losing fluid and the noise is the indicator that you are VERY LOW. Normally the fluid leaks at the bottom of the pump, via the Idle Air Control valve(IAC valve).

As far as the hood not operating correctly, you say you took the car back to the shop for them to fix, why didn't you check for proper hood operation when you picked the car back up again; in case there was another problem? You are kinda all over the place with the hod problem. From my reading, you say that it will close, but not lock, then you say that it now will not hold up under the struts by their own power. Was your hod operating correctly before the shop got hold of it? Did it open, close, lock, stay up before all of this happened. Sounds like, you now have, dead struts on the hood which is why it will not stay up by itself now. If it is still not locking into place when closed, take it BACK to them, let them know that this is intolerable, and have them fix it; and then YOU need to check it several times BEFORE you leave their shop. If your hood struts were working correctly before all of this happened, you need to know EXACTLY what was done to your car when they re-painted the hood. Did they mask off and paint while ON the car? Did they remove, paint and then re-install? You need to know. Time to get management involved.

chriswins

Thanks for your input. I did give them back a call and they said to bring it in again. this time ill make sure i watch them and see what they are doing. and yes they did remove the hood to have it touched it, and yes the struts were holding up fine before. And for the hood. you know when you pop it open its slightly open but it doesn't go all the way its like that it just wont close down all the way you can still pull it up. Im taking it back to them today to have them fix it properly. im keeping an eye on them today.

trukn1

Sound like an alignment problem and the hood is not aligned properly. Explains why the hood won't lock in place when closed. As for the hood not supporting itself when open, inspect the hood struts carefully. May have switched them out, as it sounds like the ones' you curently have are dead.