engine cover fastener screw thing...

[sixcrows]

Originally Posted by jetfuel

is not the fastener soooooo it must be the ..........
...if yours is/was like ours, it was missing the washer that held it in place so as not to fall into the engine compartment....BTW if the cover is not totally centered in its place it will be much harder to turn and pull the Dzus fastener.....

jetfuel

Yes, that was the problem with mine. The little washer disappeared. I can only hope it escaped onto a road somewhere and hasn't lodged in some terribly harmful place in the smarts works.

[theguywiththelongestname]

Maybe I can come up with a mod that involves replacing the crappy un-smart-imitation-dzus-fastener with a "real-deal" dzus setup...

what's on there now is a type of Unifast "FASTturn" fastener

I think I will visit Southco and see what kind of dzus setup I can come up with.

[jwight]

Originally Posted by EdwardDennis

Back in mid-May, or so, the dealer replaced my original defective Dzus assembly, and I still had trouble closing the cover. I ended up tossing it and meandered over to Orchard Supply Hardware to find something better.

I replaced the Dzus fastener assembly with an 8mm nut plate (snaps right in the old Dzus plate location--more securely--, by the way) and an 8mm flange bolt (M8x25 or X20 is good). I've been using it for months with no issues. This combination assures that the cover is properly closed and won't "pop open". Drop a little machine oil on the bolt threads to work it in and you're good to go...

You wouldn't happen to have a photo of that setup would you?

[Krodista]

Well over a year ago when the smart came to America for the first time and was making a tour around the states. At that time there was a smart which was made to just sit in and take pictures in front of and not necessarily drive around the city in. The boot was open and it had a plexiglass cover to the engine bay, so you could see the whole engine without anything in the way. I thought this was the neatest thing and really reminded me of engine covers like on a F430 where you can see the engine all day. I asked the gentleman at the time if this was the way it was going to be produced and he told me it was...was a bummer because it surely looked nice that way. I cant imagine it would be too hard to mod something into that space and I am sure there would be a market for such a mod because the people who were taking a look at the car with me all agreed it was a mistake not to make it like that.

[theguywiththelongestname]

The Unifast FASTturn (above) is sort of like what's used in the smart. Ours has a diffent butterfly top piece.


the "bail top" (above, bottom right) Dzus looks like it might be a better fastening solution.

[jonnysan]

Originally Posted by Old smart

It works similar to a Dzuz fastener, but not as robust. A real, "D-ring" Dzuz would be an improvement.

Google knows all....

[jonnysan]

Originally Posted by EdwardDennis

Back in mid-May, or so, the dealer replaced my original defective Dzus assembly, and I still had trouble closing the cover. I ended up tossing it and meandered over to Orchard Supply Hardware to find something better.

I replaced the Dzus fastener assembly with an 8mm nut plate (snaps right in the old Dzus plate location--more securely--, by the way) and an 8mm flange bolt (M8x25 or X20 is good). I've been using it for months with no issues. This combination assures that the cover is properly closed and won't "pop open". Drop a little machine oil on the bolt threads to work it in and you're good to go...

I had only thought of doing the very same thing when my fastener screwed up but it hasn't as yet failed so I haven't had to modify it....
You just have to be careful not to cross-thread that 8mm X 1mm (pretty fine threaded) bolt.

[rgaus]

Krodista, one of my ccontacts designed one of these plexiglas covers for the engine compartment. Let me search through my email files and try to find him. I'll post his name here with his current product if he continued to produce them.

Ron Gaus, aSmartCar.com

[SunDiego]

Originally Posted by rgaus

Krodista, one of my ccontacts designed one of these plexiglas covers for the engine compartment. Let me search through my email files and try to find him. I'll post his name here with his current product if he continued to produce them.

Ron Gaus, aSmartCar.com

I'd be interested in something like that maybe.

[dbarrans]

Originally Posted by rgaus

Krodista, one of my ccontacts designed one of these plexiglas covers for the engine compartment.

The engine compartment gets fairly warm. Would Plexiglas withstand the heat or petroleum vapors without damage?

- dan