DIY hood latch cable replacement
Driver School Candidate
Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 35
Likes: 2
From: Minnesota
I will be replacing mine this weekend and will try get pictures to go along with it (if we do it right and it works afterwards 
)
I try to avoid opening my hood at all costs but yesterday my girlfriends car died so I had to jump it. Sitting in a heated garage for 5+ hours, WD-40'ing the crap out of it, driving over bumpy roads/tracks, and tugging on the cable have yet to fix the problem.
How my car sits currently...
)I try to avoid opening my hood at all costs but yesterday my girlfriends car died so I had to jump it. Sitting in a heated garage for 5+ hours, WD-40'ing the crap out of it, driving over bumpy roads/tracks, and tugging on the cable have yet to fix the problem.
How my car sits currently...
I will be replacing mine this weekend and will try get pictures to go along with it (if we do it right and it works afterwards )
I try to avoid opening my hood at all costs but yesterday my girlfriends car died so I had to jump it. Sitting in a heated garage for 5+ hours, WD-40'ing the crap out of it, driving over bumpy roads/tracks, and tugging on the cable have yet to fix the problem.
How my car sits currently...
)I try to avoid opening my hood at all costs but yesterday my girlfriends car died so I had to jump it. Sitting in a heated garage for 5+ hours, WD-40'ing the crap out of it, driving over bumpy roads/tracks, and tugging on the cable have yet to fix the problem.
How my car sits currently...
if u can (i know u said u would) snap some pics for the visual guys out there! would add to the DIY
Driver School Candidate
Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 35
Likes: 2
From: Minnesota
Alright so the total time for this swap was about 2 hours, this includes an oil change I decided to do since I try to never open my hood in the winter because of the stupid latch problem. This was done by my girlfriends brother and I, neither of which are "experienced" mechanics but we know our way around cars.
I will just copy and paste lexsc3's post and try to add the pictures to go along with it.
1. Go inside the car, flip the hood release out and look in the inside. Push the metal ball end of the cable out from the release switch, you push it out towards the passenger side. A couple mins of messing with it will get it out pretty easily. Picture is of the inside with the black plastic cover removed...you'll need that gone to get easier access. I broke the frickin plastic clip that helps keep the black part flush with the tan part so now I only have the 2 screws holding it up :/
2. Open the hood (most likely open because it wont close). The main hood latch is in the dead center of the core support, there are 2 bolt and one nut in a triangle that you want to remove. The nut is on the bottom and has a cover on it, use a screw drive to pry the cover off so you can get to the nut. Now there is a cover to the right of the latch that protects the cable and a wire harness, there is one bolt with a philips screw head on it right above it. Remove the bolt and the cover, you might need to remove a electronic part that is attach the core support in front of it too. Now you should be able to remove the latch. Undo the harness and the cable. If your cable is bad the latch should click back after you remove the cable ball end. if not your latch is bad.
The latch/radiator support removed.
3. Follow the cable to the driver side head light, there is a little clip for the cable connected the core support above the headlight. Click that out by hand or with a pair of pliers.
The rail that the cable follows along the headlight...
4. Jack up the car, put it on a jack stand, and remove the wheel. Now take off the fender liner. There are 4 bolts below the bumper and a bunch of bolts and push in holders (not sure what they are really called) inside the wheel well, and there are two allen bolts on the side of the fender near the door. Remove them all, and remove the liner or remove it from wheel well and swing it around. Now you can see the cable attach to a holder in the top middle of the well, detach it from the clip. You should now be able to feed the cable out from the hood and into the wheel well.
Plastic rivets/bolts like he said you just have to look around to find. I removed WAY too many...in fact we didn't even remove them all IIRC we just removed enough to pry the cover down and see where the cable fed into the car. It would probably be beneficial to have new/replacement small plastic rivets and plastic holders because these things have a tendency to break very easily. The ones that are in there should just pop out with a standard screwdriver.
5. Go under the hood and remove the two bolts holding in the black box on the very top corner of the hood marked fuses and relays. Move the relay box as much as you can out of the way, this will give you enough room to put you hand in to find the cable where it attachs to the firewall. Pull on the cable and try to get it out, it maybe easier to feed the line up into the hood, just remember how its routed. You may also need to go into the car and help feed the cable out, be careful feeding it out so you dont mess up any other wiring as you take it out. Try to feel where it comes out of the firewall on the hood side so you know where to feed the new one in.
Small hands are a plus here. It is very helpful to have 2 people do this job, one feeding and one assisting the feed.
6. Once you have the old cable out, first feed the new cable through the firewall, this is going to be the biggest pain. I was being extra careful not to bend the cable in anyway. I found it was easiest to feed the cable in from the hood guiding with my left hand and pushing with my right. Once I got it through the firewall you can pull it through the interior end till the metal stop on the other side hits the firewall. I kept the ball end pushed in the whole time so I wouldnt damage the cable. I would only pull from the black cover of the cable. Reconnect the cable to the dash and the switch.
7. Connect the cable back in clip in the wheel well and feed it back through above the head light. Take the little clip off the old cable and put it on the new cable and hook it back in the core support. This will be annoying too, i balanced it on the tip of my finger and moved it up till i could get it in the hole. Took like 10 tries but I finally did get it. Feed it to the latch spot and reconnect the latch and harness. Bolt back in the latch and then the cover next to it, and the electronic piece if you took it off. Put back in the fender liner and bolt it back up. And then bolt up the relay box. Put back on the wheel and lower the car, (dont forget to torque the lugs down to spec).
8. Now come the moment of truth, to be safe I would remove the grill before testing to see if you did it all right, this way you will be able to get to the latch if somethings messed up. I didnt do this and as I closed the hood I regretted till the moment I hit the interior switch to open it back up and it worked. It only a couple bolts and will save you alot of headaches if it didnt work.
Overall I'd say it was a fairly easy swap. The hardest part was the feeding of the cable through the small holes and spaces, people with large hands I do not envy you if you attempt this. It's VERY nice to have a hood that latches every time now...the job is well worth it and very well worth the savings as lexsc3 said.
I will just copy and paste lexsc3's post and try to add the pictures to go along with it.
1. Go inside the car, flip the hood release out and look in the inside. Push the metal ball end of the cable out from the release switch, you push it out towards the passenger side. A couple mins of messing with it will get it out pretty easily. Picture is of the inside with the black plastic cover removed...you'll need that gone to get easier access. I broke the frickin plastic clip that helps keep the black part flush with the tan part so now I only have the 2 screws holding it up :/
2. Open the hood (most likely open because it wont close). The main hood latch is in the dead center of the core support, there are 2 bolt and one nut in a triangle that you want to remove. The nut is on the bottom and has a cover on it, use a screw drive to pry the cover off so you can get to the nut. Now there is a cover to the right of the latch that protects the cable and a wire harness, there is one bolt with a philips screw head on it right above it. Remove the bolt and the cover, you might need to remove a electronic part that is attach the core support in front of it too. Now you should be able to remove the latch. Undo the harness and the cable. If your cable is bad the latch should click back after you remove the cable ball end. if not your latch is bad.
The latch/radiator support removed.
3. Follow the cable to the driver side head light, there is a little clip for the cable connected the core support above the headlight. Click that out by hand or with a pair of pliers.
The rail that the cable follows along the headlight...
4. Jack up the car, put it on a jack stand, and remove the wheel. Now take off the fender liner. There are 4 bolts below the bumper and a bunch of bolts and push in holders (not sure what they are really called) inside the wheel well, and there are two allen bolts on the side of the fender near the door. Remove them all, and remove the liner or remove it from wheel well and swing it around. Now you can see the cable attach to a holder in the top middle of the well, detach it from the clip. You should now be able to feed the cable out from the hood and into the wheel well.
Plastic rivets/bolts like he said you just have to look around to find. I removed WAY too many...in fact we didn't even remove them all IIRC we just removed enough to pry the cover down and see where the cable fed into the car. It would probably be beneficial to have new/replacement small plastic rivets and plastic holders because these things have a tendency to break very easily. The ones that are in there should just pop out with a standard screwdriver.
5. Go under the hood and remove the two bolts holding in the black box on the very top corner of the hood marked fuses and relays. Move the relay box as much as you can out of the way, this will give you enough room to put you hand in to find the cable where it attachs to the firewall. Pull on the cable and try to get it out, it maybe easier to feed the line up into the hood, just remember how its routed. You may also need to go into the car and help feed the cable out, be careful feeding it out so you dont mess up any other wiring as you take it out. Try to feel where it comes out of the firewall on the hood side so you know where to feed the new one in.
Small hands are a plus here. It is very helpful to have 2 people do this job, one feeding and one assisting the feed.
6. Once you have the old cable out, first feed the new cable through the firewall, this is going to be the biggest pain. I was being extra careful not to bend the cable in anyway. I found it was easiest to feed the cable in from the hood guiding with my left hand and pushing with my right. Once I got it through the firewall you can pull it through the interior end till the metal stop on the other side hits the firewall. I kept the ball end pushed in the whole time so I wouldnt damage the cable. I would only pull from the black cover of the cable. Reconnect the cable to the dash and the switch.
7. Connect the cable back in clip in the wheel well and feed it back through above the head light. Take the little clip off the old cable and put it on the new cable and hook it back in the core support. This will be annoying too, i balanced it on the tip of my finger and moved it up till i could get it in the hole. Took like 10 tries but I finally did get it. Feed it to the latch spot and reconnect the latch and harness. Bolt back in the latch and then the cover next to it, and the electronic piece if you took it off. Put back in the fender liner and bolt it back up. And then bolt up the relay box. Put back on the wheel and lower the car, (dont forget to torque the lugs down to spec).
8. Now come the moment of truth, to be safe I would remove the grill before testing to see if you did it all right, this way you will be able to get to the latch if somethings messed up. I didnt do this and as I closed the hood I regretted till the moment I hit the interior switch to open it back up and it worked. It only a couple bolts and will save you alot of headaches if it didnt work.
Overall I'd say it was a fairly easy swap. The hardest part was the feeding of the cable through the small holes and spaces, people with large hands I do not envy you if you attempt this. It's VERY nice to have a hood that latches every time now...the job is well worth it and very well worth the savings as lexsc3 said.
Lead Lap
Joined: Apr 2004
Posts: 3,565
Likes: 48
From: Illinois
Hey guys. I've been experiencing this problem off and on for about a year. Stupidly, I opened the hood this afternoon, and now I can't get it shut. I don't have the time or energy to do the DIY right now, but I need to get my hood closed. If I have a can of WD-40, where should I spray it? Is there something I can pull or push on to get the lock to engage? Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.
e
e
Hey guys. I've been experiencing this problem off and on for about a year. Stupidly, I opened the hood this afternoon, and now I can't get it shut. I don't have the time or energy to do the DIY right now, but I need to get my hood closed. If I have a can of WD-40, where should I spray it? Is there something I can pull or push on to get the lock to engage? Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.
e
e
Lead Lap
Joined: Apr 2004
Posts: 3,565
Likes: 48
From: Illinois
UPDATE:
I went out back to the car on Saturday night determined to get the hood closed. I sprayed WD-40 on the latch mechanism under the hood and let it sit for a few hours. Came back out, and nothing, no difference. I then went back inside the car and snapped the plastic release back and forth quickly hoping that the cable would release back into the "closed" position. No such luck. But one lucky thing did happen. By flipping the plastic release so quickly, the end of the cable disconnected from the plastic. With it hanging freely, I was able to push on it with enough pressure to get it to release. I basically pushed it back into the dash for about 30 seconds and I actually felt it become "unstuck" and go back into position. I then closed my hood and that was that.
The only problem is that I can't figure out how to re-attach the cable to the plastic latch. Any ideas?
e
I went out back to the car on Saturday night determined to get the hood closed. I sprayed WD-40 on the latch mechanism under the hood and let it sit for a few hours. Came back out, and nothing, no difference. I then went back inside the car and snapped the plastic release back and forth quickly hoping that the cable would release back into the "closed" position. No such luck. But one lucky thing did happen. By flipping the plastic release so quickly, the end of the cable disconnected from the plastic. With it hanging freely, I was able to push on it with enough pressure to get it to release. I basically pushed it back into the dash for about 30 seconds and I actually felt it become "unstuck" and go back into position. I then closed my hood and that was that.
The only problem is that I can't figure out how to re-attach the cable to the plastic latch. Any ideas?
e
UPDATE:
I went out back to the car on Saturday night determined to get the hood closed. I sprayed WD-40 on the latch mechanism under the hood and let it sit for a few hours. Came back out, and nothing, no difference. I then went back inside the car and snapped the plastic release back and forth quickly hoping that the cable would release back into the "closed" position. No such luck. But one lucky thing did happen. By flipping the plastic release so quickly, the end of the cable disconnected from the plastic. With it hanging freely, I was able to push on it with enough pressure to get it to release. I basically pushed it back into the dash for about 30 seconds and I actually felt it become "unstuck" and go back into position. I then closed my hood and that was that.
The only problem is that I can't figure out how to re-attach the cable to the plastic latch. Any ideas?
e
I went out back to the car on Saturday night determined to get the hood closed. I sprayed WD-40 on the latch mechanism under the hood and let it sit for a few hours. Came back out, and nothing, no difference. I then went back inside the car and snapped the plastic release back and forth quickly hoping that the cable would release back into the "closed" position. No such luck. But one lucky thing did happen. By flipping the plastic release so quickly, the end of the cable disconnected from the plastic. With it hanging freely, I was able to push on it with enough pressure to get it to release. I basically pushed it back into the dash for about 30 seconds and I actually felt it become "unstuck" and go back into position. I then closed my hood and that was that.
The only problem is that I can't figure out how to re-attach the cable to the plastic latch. Any ideas?
e
Pole Position
Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 322
Likes: 0
From: Missouri
what i just did for a temporary fix to get my hood closed until my cable arrives is to pull the cable out as far as i could right in the middle of the driver headlight... then strip the plastic off until the cable is visible... take a set of needle nose pliers and grab the cable and push it towards the locking mechanism.. you can kinda wiggle it from left to right... then push it all the way left... towards the locking mechanism... that "forced" it back to where it is supposed to go. hope this helps... Keep in mind this is a TEMPORARY FIX... while i have been having this problem.... i have carried pliers in my car... I only hope i can get it open again to fix it... I should have taken the grille off but I was pressed for time...
