hood doesn't pop

Well, it kinda does, but anyway! what happens is when i pull the hood release, nothing happens up front, but if you pull the release hard enough, you can come up front and pop the hood up to where the safety catch is, push the lever and open the hood like normal... it started out being manageable, but now i have to pull the hood release as hard as physically possible and sometimes it still doesn't release. i tried spraying some WD40 on the whole mechanism but it doesn't seem to have helped /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/dunno.gif i'm not sure what it could be, unless the cable has stretched? any ideas?


thanks,
mike

 

[boostedinaz]

There are little rubber bump stops on the core support. Unscrew them a turn or so and see if that helps.

 

[Whoodoo]

Don't lubricate stuff with WD-40. Its only a temporary fix. Get some good white lithium grease and spray that on the latch mechanism.

 

[Hertz]

The cable has probably stretched, also our hood hinges tend to wear out (I wonder why?), all generally leading to the problem. I've also had flex at the release itself on the dash due to broken/cracked supports in the dash itself. Does the handle pull away slightly when you pull it?

Check the underside of the hood and the latch and see if it is rubbing/hanging someplace as evidenced by paint wear. This could be a sign of an alignment issue.

If it turns out to be purely a cable issue, you'll have to figure out how to take the stretch back or replace the cable. I think some people have repaired fuel door issues by putting a heavy crimp into an exposed section of the cable.

 

[rgeier11]

I used to get out of my car, jam my leather wallet between the hood/headlight. Then I would pull the hood release and it would pop up no problem. Now, it just pops up on it's own. The problem fixed itself.

 

Quoting Hertz:
The cable has probably stretched, also our hood hinges tend to wear out (I wonder why?), all generally leading to the problem. I've also had flex at the release itself on the dash due to broken/cracked supports in the dash itself. Does the handle pull away slightly when you pull it?

Check the underside of the hood and the latch and see if it is rubbing/hanging someplace as evidenced by paint wear. This could be a sign of an alignment issue.

If it turns out to be purely a cable issue, you'll have to figure out how to take the stretch back or replace the cable. I think some people have repaired fuel door issues by putting a heavy crimp into an exposed section of the cable.



the handle seems to be held in there ok, i'll check for wear when i get out of work... it seems like if i go to the front, and yank up real hard first, THEN pull the release, then go back up front, it'll release easier /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/uhh.gif i'll get some real lube and try that too lol. If the cable is stretched, how much of a pain is the replacement process?

thanks guys!
-mike

 

tried the whole turning the rubber stopper things, it popped like it was supposed to! well, close anyway, lol, it actually popped open /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[iceman69510]

Last year I did two latches, one a VR4 and one Eclipse. Had to remove, clean them and relubricate, because the collection of dirt and original lube had become like glue. It was enough resistance that the spring could not overcome it. Work like a charm again now.