Engine inspection panel. - How to remove

Many jobs on the engine need you to remove the inspection cover above the engine.

To remove the panel, first you need to get to it.

To do this you also need to remove the wind stop (for us shandy drinkers that have one). Fold the roof back, undo the butterfly bolt either side and remove the wind stop.



Now fold the roof forward and undo the clips that hold the rear of the hood to the car body (At least unclip the hood to windscreen clips when you do this as it releases a bit of tension).

[img]http://i625.photobucket.com/albums/tt333/CJJ326/MGTF/Technical/30k service/30kService018.jpg[/img]

and fold the rear part of the hood forward. Remember to avoid creases in the window when folding. If you cannot get the rear hood to stay up by itself you can tie it up.

Next remove the wind stop brackets using an allen key



and the 3 cross head screws from the top of the T-bar cover.



The cover then pulls forward (you will have to move the seats forward first). There are 2 plastic push in fasteners at each end of the cover and two at the top of the arm rest. These simply pull out when you pull the cover forward, or break off if my experience is anything to go by. I am now sick of gluing them and I am going to use black plastic screws to hold in place. You may also need to pull the door seal off at each side to release the cover.

Pull the cover forward out of the way and rest on the seats.

Next you need to remove the two 10mm bolts (one at each end) holding the speaker pods to the body, and place out of the way.



The box in the picture is for holding any screws and bits removed. I really recommend this as it saves you hours of searching for bits.

Next remove the parcel shelf cover




and the soundproofing



Now remove the 13 bolts holding the panel in place and remove the inspection panel.




You should now have full access to the top of the engine bay.

cjj wrote: Now remove the 13 bolts holding the panel in place and remove the inspection panel.

Great post, very helpful. But what size are these bolts please? I'm not taking the engine panel off, but I'm off to europe touring and want to keep a small selection of the correct size tools in the car so that I can take it off in the event of breakdown / recovery having to be called out. I figure that will save some time and give us something to do while waiting. Fingers crossed though.

While I'm on the subject, any assorted small toolbag reccomendations gratefully considered. Cheers.. Leigh.

10mm - plus if you have a 10mm ring spanner you can get away with leaving the speaker bar in place and undoing the 3 under it with that. Then you can JUST ABOUT get the engine cover off still.... it's a tight squeeze but it saves dismantling everything!

I'm with Adam, I do not need to remove the t-bar to get at the three 10 mm bolts, just use an open-end spanner. Mind you I do have small hands that can fit in and put the bolt in place under the t-bar.

If you've got hoops the job's a doddle, because you have to remove the speaker box to get the crossmember in. :yesnod:

mowog73 wrote: I'm with Adam, I do not need to remove the t-bar to get at the three 10 mm bolts, just use an open-end spanner. Mind you I do have small hands that can fit in and put the bolt in place under the t-bar.

Me and my son had to do this for the first time on the way to Luxembourg a few weeks back Mowog. A hose had split and dumped lots of coolant. Fortunately I spotted it in time and was able to fix it with a botch job. Must get round to sorting that out properly at some point.

Pics here if you're interested >>> http://www.the-t-bar.org/en/forum/9-mgftf-pitstop/28081-1200-mile-euro-camping-trip#28081

Leigh Ping wrote: Great post, very helpful. But what size are these bolts please? I'm not taking the engine panel off, but I'm off to europe touring and want to keep a small selection of the correct size tools in the car so that I can take it off in the event of breakdown / recovery having to be called out. I figure that will save some time and give us something to do while waiting. Fingers crossed though.

While I'm on the subject, any assorted small toolbag reccomendations gratefully considered. Cheers.. Leigh.

Haha :lol: Just saw this after making this post 2 years and 7 months ago.

After breaking down near Luxembourg with a split hose, it must be one of the best questions I ever asked. :yesnod:

Folks, never leave home without a couple of screwdrivers and a small socket set (to include a 10mm socket). It can literally save the day. :broon: