So I've searched to no avail. Does anyone have a DIY to either tighten or replace the hood release cable? I just installed a new latch, as my hood was not closing, and the old one was jammed. 11 years will do that to it. However, it still won't close 100% of the time.

The problem is, there's not enough tension on the cable to pull the release spring on the hood popping mechanism back in place. I can make it return it with a screwdriver and that allows me to close the hood, and there is still enough tension to pop it in the first place, but I don't want to get stuck unable to open the hood because it lose tension entirely.

I was hoping someone knew how to tighten it or had a diagram/DIY to replace it.

 

There isn't much to go wrong with the cable , it either snaps or it works. The latch mechanism does all of the work. The cable does not have any internal tension, it is all created by the latch.

Did you mount the cable correctly into the hood latch ? There is an indentation on the back of the latch, on the very outside edge where you snap the cable in place to hold it tight and create tension. Then the spring on the latch can operate the cable. The cable itself has no spring, it is the latch mechanism that returns the cable to proper position but the cable has to be properly installed.

 

I hooked up the cable to the new latch exactly how the old one was, locking it into the detent on the arm for the release mechanism.

 

Yeah the cable has two mounting points, so the ball end of the cable goes into the arm, and the plastic collar on the cable locks into the outside frame of the latch. Once you do that the latch creates all of the necessary tension with the internal springs to retract the cable. If the cable is properly attached on the two spots, then I'd say the issue is with the latch. One time I was installing the cable and the plastic collar did not lock firmly into the frame of the latch, and the cable would not work properly. I had to take the latch off and firmly snap the collar into the metal frame.

 

I have the collar in the detent and the ball in the latch. I'll double check my work and see what the issue is.

 

OK, make sure the internal parts of the latch are not bent either, make sure they move freely without binding.

 

No time to check it over the weekend, It shouldn't be bent though, I just bought a new latch.