Hood release R&R

[DesktopDave]

I figured I'd share some lessons I learned today while repairing a hood release.  It's a simple system, but it took far me too long.  The rain didn't help.  Neither did the 40degF weather.  You get the idea.  Sorry I didn't take pictures, rain & grease really mess with my cinematography.

1. The latch is hidden, but easy to get to.  First, pop the hood but don't lift it.

2. Pull the driver's side grille.  Remove the two small phillips head screws, then push the three top clips up & off.

3. If you look near the top of the radiator support upright (just to the left of the headlight assy), you'll see two small 10mm bolts.  Remove these, being careful not to drop them into the cavern of the bumper & fascia.  I sometimes use a dab of grease to 'stick' the socket to the bolts.  Check the hood grounding strip too (mine needed replaced).  Pull the cable and the latch will slide to the side.

4. There is a plastic plate that wraps around the front of the mechanism.  It's clipped on one side and snaps over the cable retainer plate on the other side.  Twist & tug it carefully to remove.  Inspect the return spring & mechanism for wear.  Clean thoroughly with WD40 or Deep Creep (I avoided brake cleaner because it would destroy any replacement grease).  I chose lithium spray-on grease to lube the mechanism.  You'll be shocked at how much easier it'll be to operate.  Lithium is very water-resistant, but you could use any heavy grease for this purpose.  While you're at it, give the hood hinges a good spray too.  Replace the cover plate.

5. Replace the latch into its little cavity, then squirt the bolts with a little more grease.  Again, this will 'stick' them into the socket and keep them from falling into the fascia limbo.  You should see where the bolts used to sit, slide the latch around until it's roughly where it used to be & tighten them down.

6. Stand back & enjoy your handiwork.  You'll be amazed at how the hood pops up when you're finished.

[DesktopDave]

I had some damage to my cable & the hood release.  Good thing I have a parts car, eh?    Don't put the latch back in place as in step 5 above, of course.  Instead, pull the cable out of the latch while you're cleaning it.

1. You'll see the fat wiring harness and the release cable running along the outer fender.  It's held in by those nice BMW hooked retainers.  To release these fasteners, pull the outer tab while pushing the loop tighter.  With care you won't break any.  You'll have to do this three times.  Call me if you need a spare...I have many left over from past parts cars...  You could also pull the cable through them, but it makes re-threading it much more difficult.

2. Next, take your handy 10mm closed-end ratchet wrench & remove the two bolts that fasten the driver's hood track.   It's the little thingey that the hood rollers pop into.   I know this isn't necessary.  Trust me, it'll make this next bit so much easier.  It'll help to remove the 8mm fuse box hold-down too, & lift the box slightly out of the way.   Check this area carefully for rust...a weak hood gasket tends to let water sit under the rubber firewall insulation & destroy the plenum.

3. You'll be able to see the rubber boot for the release cable.  It points almost vertically downward, and only has a lip inside the passenger compartment to prevent it from pulling out.  It was impossible for me to remove while the cable runs through it.   So I pulled the cable into the passenger compartment, then used a blunt screwdriver to push the boot through as well (I then promptly lost it behind the driver's kick panel).

4. Go inside the car & remove the driver's side kick panel.  It's held on by one philips head screw & the two 8mm bolts on the hood release lever.  What little was left of my release didn't get in the way.  Don't punch a hole in the speaker while you're doing this...unless you have a nice set of Polk two-ways to swap in.  

5.  Inspect & replace damaged parts.  The cable can be separated from the bracket by sliding the steel retaining clip off.  My release bracket also needed a tweak to the little lever stop.  Seems like that's what snapped the cable off.  :mad:  Bad design all around...plastic handle, bent release cable, broken cable end.

6. Thread the replacement cable into the engine compartment.  I had a heck of a time getting the boot back into place.  I ended up using a little RTV silicon as lube.  It'll seal the cable boot nicely as well.  Don't get it all over the place...

7. Replace the kick panel (be sure to get the lip under the door weather stripping).  Put the screw back in first, then the release plate.  Fasten with those two little 8mm bolts.

8.  Enjoy opening your hood.  Replace the vice grips you were using to pull the broken cable back into your tool kit.

[AGC318is]

I just did this job about 2 weeks ago, I ended up removing the seat to get enough room to move around in the foot well and see up where the cable comes through( helps to have some light), and the grommet was a bit of a pain to get out and to get to go back through the firewall. Nice write up, and it is great to have a working hood release and loose the vice grips....lol

[Vladi]

I just bought a new latch, 10$, 10mins labour and presto.