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NEED HELP QUICK can't get hood open


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Here's what I did on my '92 Loyale, last week, when mine gave out.

 

The hood latch & release mechanism assembly lies underneath the front of the hood, in the center (duh. :D ). If you can run a long screwdriver up from the lower right of the rump roast'y, towards the center (at about a 45° angle), then lever the screwdriver so the top pushes towards the right, you should be able to catch the hood "lock release" lever, and beat the lock... the hood ought to pop up. Then just open the hood like normal.

 

I couldn't reach my hand up from underneath the car, since the radiator sits too close to the frame and what not. My grille wasn't helping either... I couldn't get enough leverage through the grille to release the lock.

 

Therefore, I broke the grill :banghead: . I grabbed the bottom, pulled it loose, and then yanked it upwards until it snapped. That gave me enough room to open the hood, and remove the top part of the grille :boohoo: .

 

It looks like I'll be able to repair the grille... got the fixings for fiberglass running around somewhere, and some bondo... should be able to make the grille look like new, or a reasonable facsimile at least.

 

Removing the cable wasn't too difficult, and was fairly straight forward (in other words, I don't think I need to spell it out :D ). I just haven't figured out how I'm going to replace it. I could cheat, and just dangle the chain (I mean, who's gonna steal anything out of an old rusty compact station wagon, that has a half shaft, assorted parts, and various tools in the back? It's only missing the gun rack...:rolleyes: ). The end of the cable was frayed, so I can't push it back through its housing. The ends of the cable have attachments that seem to be permanently crimped (I assume) on, so it's not going to be easy to buy a bike cable or the like and jury-rig it.

 

'Course, I do know a junkyard with a couple Loyale's sitting around... I'll probably end up picking up a new cable there. If you need one too, lemme know, and I'll pick up a second while I'm there (last I checked, they had three Loyale's of various years there). That's assuming, of course, that you've got a Loyale, or a cable from a Loyale will work ;).

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If you (or somebody you know) has long skinny dexterous fingers yo ucan slip them behind the latch, infront of the condenser just enough to flip the latch. Helps if the grill is off but I dont think its necessary.

 

When you get your fingers behind the latch just follow where the cable goes and what its attached to. Pull on what it connects to and it should pop.

 

Good luck!

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Guest Vickaroo

I agree with archemitis about the hood pins.....

That is what Tim did for the hatch... It looks cool... I was trying for an hour to get my hood open the other day to put the antifreez in. I got it but I want pins in mine now too... The latch is a pain in my fingers... So Ill have to do some talking to Tim when he gets home.... So I say go with the PINS... It didnt take Tim long at all to get them in and its so easy to open... Vicky

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Hood pins are great. My wife's buick century has a defective hood latch. I think its a factory defect because I see SOOOO many early 90's centuries with the same problem. After replacing it twice I said forget that noise and put in hood pins.

 

Kinda funny seeing a young woman driving a 91 buick century with a kid in the back car seat and hood pins. :cool:

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