When your hood release lever becomes inoperable, you’re literally in a catch-22 position. One of the parts that opens the hood has broken, but you can’t open the hood to locate and replace it. Should you find yourself in this unfortunate predicament, don’t panic. In this article, we’ll cover how to get that hood open, and we’ll guide you in performing repairs necessary.
ITEMS NEEDED:
Pair of vice grip or locking pliers
Needle nose pliers
Curved pick with a hook on the end
In most cases, the cable leading to the release hook at the front of the hood has snapped somewhere, or the release lever assembly has broken apart. If the pull handle inside the vehicle has broken off, a pair of vice grip or locking pliers will allow you to easily grab the cable wire sticking out and pull it with enough force to get the hood open.
A specially designed tool for releasing stuck hoods.
If the hood release lever inside the vehicle seems intact, you’ll need to get the hood open using either a long thin metal rod with some kind of hook at the end, or a long pair of needle-nose pliers. If the layout of your vehicle allows a pair of needle nose pliers to reach in and grab the release cable near the hood latch, try it.
If that’s not possible, any long pick tool with a hook at the end will do. There are special hood release tools designed for just this application, but if you don’t have time to shop for one or wait for delivery, even a hook designed for a peg board might get the job done nicely. A wire hanger may work, but odds are it will bend too easily when pulling pressure is needed.
Take the long, thin piece of metal or curved pick with a hook on the end, and insert it through the top-most part of the grille opening. Once you’ve gotten your hook tool through to the other side, try to guide the hook end toward the vicinity of the release lever. (If you can’t recall where your release lever is, just think back to the last time you reflexively stuck your fingers under there to release the pull handle before things broke.) Patiently, maneuver it around until the hook makes purchase around the release lever for the hood. Pull it and the hood will release.
If your vehicle is styled without a traditional front grille opening, it’s going to be a little harder to reach the release hook – but it’s still possible. Instead of inserting your pick through the grille, there should be some kind of gap between the grille-less front fascia clip and the hood panel itself. It will be a small gap, but you’ll have some wiggle room to work.
REPLACING A FAULTY HOOD RELEASE CABLE
ITEMS NEEDED:
Replacement hood release cable (if needed)
Socket wrench
Pair of vice grip or locking pliers
Needle nose pliers
To gain access to the under hood release latch, you may need to remove a plastic cover piece or you may need to remove the grille itself. Using a socket wrench, remove bolts that secure the hood release latch and pull the latch assembly up freely. On most vehicles, the cable end should unhook from the latch relatively easily. To free the cable, use a pair of pliers to grab and release any tabs that hold the cable in place.
Feed the old cable out through any holes and ducts it is routed through under the hood, making sure to keep the old clips to reuse with the new cable. On some vehicles, the cable is tucked behind the plastic front wheel well liner. If your vehicle is one of these, simply unbolt any screws/bolts holding it in place until it’s loose enough to reach a hand in and pull the cable loose.
Inside the vehicle, unbolt or pry loose any plastic panels that surround the hood release pull lever. Unbolt the pull lever assembly. Before pulling the old cable out from here, tie a thick, sturdy string around it upstream near the hood. The string needs to be sturdy enough to handle a small amount of tension on it without breaking – shoelaces make a good application.
The top left corner of this picture allows a look at how hood release cables are often routed directly behind wheel well liners. Pulling the liner back will allow you to release the old one and install the new one.
Pull the cable out from inside the vehicle until the string comes through. Now attach this string to the new cable end, then use it to pull the new release cable through the pre-established route until you’ve reached the under hood release lever. Attach everything in the reverse order.
