i cant open my hood when i pull the hood release. anyone know how to fix this problem? i know its the string/wire thats not pulling right. its hooked on correctly so im not sure how to fix it.

 

When you pull the hood release does it pull all the way or you cant pull on it at all?

 

I can pull it all the way, it's all hooked on correctly. It's the wire cable I'm positive, its loose or not pulling right. I just don't know how to fix it.

 

well you will have to open your hood to see for sure if it is infact hooked up properly or if its adjusted properly. You may have to go in from under the car, remove the clips to the lower splash shield and get up there to pull the arm the cable does.

 

Like I said, yes everything is hooked up correctly & properly. Last week when I took off my bumper & grille I also took off the hood latch & examined it. When I pull the release from inside the car, I noticed the cable wasn't pulling the mechanism to release the hood, well it had barely any pull. Not enough to release the hood. If I pull the cable by hand or push the mechanism myself, it will release the hood. I'm thinking the cable is loose, that's why it's not pulling correctly. Any ideas on how to tighten the cable so I can pull the release from inside the car?

 

there should be a diy thread on this. Would help out a lot of people

 

From your symptoms it looks like your cable have been stretched out too long. Replace it with a new one then it should be fine.

 

thats what i was thinking but wasnt sure if you could over stretch the cable. is it possible to trim the cable a little & reattach it?

 

with your hood open, can you pull cable to the latch to see if there is a lot of play/stretch?

 

No you don't want to do that, not worth the trouble. Just replace it and move on.

Try lubing the hood latch and stricker with some grease. Also if your hood dampers are worn the hood will not release and just sit there. You'll know they're worn when your hood doesn't stay up. In that case you'll need a assistant to pull on the release handle so you can be outside jiggling the hood to get it to release. If that is the case then replace the hood dampers instead of the cable.

You can also try adjusting the hood latch but make sure you mark the mounting bracket that the mounting bolt is fasten to for reference. Likewise if you change the

 

Cable

 

Yupp I tried greasing the hood latch & alll the mechanism on it. No help. I installed New strongarm lift support dampers about a month ago so that's not the problem. I'll try a new cable & hopefully it solve this annoying problem. Thanks

 

I don't recall but I already ordered a new cable. Going to install it tomorrow & hopefully it solves this annoying problem. *fingers crossed* thanks for the help

 

any diy on this?

 

Don't know, you should do a seach for a diy?

BTW... what kind of car do you have?

 

i have a 2003 acura tl base model.

 

with 144700 miles

 

We have similar cars, let me check it out tomorrow morning and get back to you. I may be able to give you some pointers.

 

thanks i appreciate it but i already brought a new cable. imma take off my bumper, open up the hood & take a look at it. shouldnt be too hard to figure out. but if you do take a look at it please lmk what you find out.

 

Go here and download the fsm >> https://acurazine.com/forums/problems-fixes-117/2g-factory-tl-shop-repair-manual-852101/

Flip to page 20-132.

 

Is not really that hard but if you've never done one it may seem intimidating.

Before you do anything confirm that your hood latch and or cable is bad by locking thr hood latch with the hood open. Use a screw driver and push down into the hood latch to engadge/lock the latch. The pull on your hood release to see if it'll unlock. You may need someone to pull up on the srew driver to help it releas. If it releases the there is noting wrong with the cable or latch. (Screw driver will take place of the hood stricker.. parralle to the ground)

If thats the case then you need to adjust the latch or hood/sticker.

 

No need to rmove bumper.

Sill panel... 4 clips... pull up to release

Handle finish panel... 2 cips... holding handle in the up position... at the same time pull th F panel towards the centrr of car.

 

The cable runs from the kick panel through the left door hinge area out in between the fender and the apron, then under the left side of the radiator tie bar to the hood latch.

This is what I would do.

Remove the left head lamp, hood latch plastic cover, left fender splash shield (it may help to lift car off the ground and let the wheel hang for clearance). With safety in mind.

Note: remove the cable last. You will use the cable as a fishing wire.

Remove the latch bolts... mark the latch position by scribing or marker pen on the bolt washer to the mounting bracket or mark the latch it self.

To unhook the cable from the latch... just pull up on the cable to release the white nipple and then unhook the cable. When installing the cable be careful not to use too much force when attaching the white nipple to the latch, it can break, so use as little force as possible.

Inside the car... Unbolt the handle. Cut the cable at the handle, leaving as much cable as possible. Now use painters masking tape and tape the old cable to the new cable (white nipple end/latch end) and fish it through the hinge pillar area by pushing and pulling on the cables to fish it through the hinge pillar area. Be sure to lube the cables with Vaseline to help it slip through the grommet.

Once through the grommet and inside the fender area just follow the old cable route.

Once new cable is in place, mount the handle and the latch (use your markings to position the latch).

Test the hood release by using the screw driver method as mentioned before. For insurance you might want to remove the hood grill so you have access to the latch if things don't go as plan (for releasing the latch).

If the latch releases as normal, then close the hood as final test.

To adjust for fit: you can use the latch mounting bolts... up/down/side to side. As a last resort you can bend the hood striker a little to move the hood side to side by hitting it with a plastic mallet.

When your satisfied with the alignment of the hood, just reverse removal instructions to install.

Good Luck.

 

Oh, I didn't realize that the cable unhooks at handle side too... see pic.

 

thanks, i actually figured it out myself saturday. i was gonna replace the cable but i relooked everything & realized it wasnt cable. it wasnt hooked on where the release inside the car was. so now i have an extra cable sitting around but thanks for the help. much appreciated. im just glad to have it fixed

 

 

Cool good for you.

 

(y)