We left the passenger car door open on our 2004 TL for a week while on a trip and when we came back the battery was dead, naturally. Problem is I cannot open hood, the hood release button is dead as well (nothing happens when you press it) along with everything else electrical. Is there a way to open the hood manually so I can get to the battery and jump it?

Thx!

M

 

to open the hood its not a button u press but a little lever u pull....and you can open the hood when the battery its a cable that releases the lock...the lever is located on the driver side right by the dead pedal (below the fuse panel)...you was probably pressing the button to open the trunk...that would not work with a dead battery.

 

Well that was quite embarrassing, you are absolutely correct of course! Thank you!

Moontana

 

we're here to help each other out and it happens

 

Don't sweat it man. I've done some things that are sooo funny/embarrassing, it makes your mistake look tame. Stick with us on the forum and we will keep you straight.

 

I hope once you get your battery going the hood button begins to work for you........ Welcome to AZ

 

What sucks is that you can't open your trunk when you have a dead battery to get the fucking cables you need to jump the car off. My sister's idiot ass boyfriend left my door open for a week and killed my battery. Here I come like an asshole in the cold at 1am and the car doesn't start. Naturally I have cables in the trunk but guess what? No juice = no trunk open to get jumper cables. I was so fucking pissed at Acura for doing this dumb shit and even more pissed at myself for buying a car that doesn't have a manual trunk release.

 

not to burst your bubble, but it does have a manual release. Open the rear door and then sit in the back seat. Then put down the armrest and then open the access door to the trunk if you look up you should see a T shaped handle glowing in light green color. Pull on it and open, it's the manual emergency release so incase you need to open in during power failure or if you stuff someone in the trunk.

 

Well that's great news. I guess the Japs do think of everything. I'll check it out in the morning )

 

Thanks for the laugh OP. Don't worry.. I know several very intelligent people who wouldn't have a clue on how to pop the hood. Hope you had a nice vacation.

 

 

^
+1. OP, what nationality are you, Swedish?

 

I carry my cables under the front passenger seat for that reason. I don't want to have to unlock the car with the key and then fight with the ski hole and the pull handle, all in the dark, at 20 degrees. The cables get some looks, but I just tell people that Honda engineers are so supremely confident that they don't think a rear keyhole is necessary.

 

and I always thought the inner trunk access handle, on every car I've ever rented/owned in the past ten years, was probably an American addition stemming from those that had run in with the mob.

 

they removed the keyhole to cut down on theft.........and it works

 

but what if even when you pull the lever it won’t open? my car has been dead for a year and nobody knows how to open the hood. we tried going under the grill to find the latch but no luck. do you have any ideas on how to fix it? thanks

 

I was hoping someone with hood latch experience would answer your question, but your problem seems rare. I’ll try to answer your question but keep in mind, I’ve never had your problem.

There is a cable that connects the hood latch lever in the cabin to the latch mechanism under your hood (see the black and white image. Cable is in yellow, latch mechanism is red, lever is purple).





Several things could be causing your problem. If the cable snapped before the mechanism, the following might help you open your hood. If the cable snapped at the mechanism or if the mechanism is stuck (rust, etc.), the following will probably not help.

I am attaching a picture of the latch mechanism.



The picture was taken from under the car. I did not remove any covers and you should have a similar view from your car. I highlighted in yellow the cable just as it enters the latch mechanism. You will need to grab this cable and pull it in the direction of the driver’s side of the car. You will need less force on the cable if someone pushes gently on the hood while you tug on the cable.

The following pliers might be long enough. Or if you have slender arms, regular pliers might work.

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Zenith-I...E&gclsrc=aw.ds

Let us know how it goes.

 

Sorry Danielle,

My suggestion above will not work. I tried it yesterday on my car and I realized that the part that I circled in yellow is not the cable. It is the sheath that covers the cable. Pulling on this sheath will not work.

I imagine a dealer would have a way to open the hood. Maybe someone that worked at a dealer could comment.

I’m attaching some videos that show people opening their hoods with long rods or metal bars. The cars in those videos are Honda suvs/vans. I think our cars have more plastic covering the latch mechanism but I figured looking at the inside of the mechanism might give you some ideas.