Cable to the hood latch on my 89 RX just broke. Anybody know a secret way to get the hood open?

 

Thanks.

Got a Sawzall?

Pull of the grille, you may have to bust it off. Find the cable with a pair of needle nose and pull it. It is to the right of the latch. I've done both. EA-82 you have to bust the grille, EA-81, easier, no busting.

 

Chris

reach up from underneith with a long screwdriver or something

If you can get the grille out, use a 12mm socket and unbolt the 2 bolts that hold the catch for the hood latch on. This will let you get the hood open for access- but you'll have nothing to hold the hood down with if you want to drive it again before putting it back together!

STOP!!!!! Did the latch break or did the cable snap? I got an EA82 and when the cable snapped, all you have to do is reach up between the grill and raidator )from the bottom) and its about forearms reach up to the hood latch.. There is a release that the cable is hooked to.. If I remember correctly the release is on the left side of the latch and you push it towards the drivers side of the car.. Pop, hood opens

Yes you push it towards the drivers side. I open my hood like that all the time because I dont have a grill.

Can't reach up under the bumper - just cuts the back of my hand on the AC condenser.

 

Can't reach the little clickie thing with any sort of remote tool.

 

I think clantieri's solution may be the way to go.

Pull the cable assembly off Ben's wagon, before he scraps it!!!

I have a brand new cable rump roast'y.

 

But tell Ben to keep the grill off the wagon!

like Torxxx said, it is visible from the front thru the grill. Seriously if you see the cable coming from the drivers side then you can see where it goes for the level to be pushed towards the drivers side.

 

I'm really surprised your back-of-the-hand got scraped up. I have A/C condensor and the area to squeeze up thru there is wide enough for one of the boardmembers to mount fog lights behind his grill so if you cut your hand then something must be amiss here and we don't know about.

 

When the junkyard wagon i was looking at had a busted cable i did this technique and didn't even get dirty doing it.

 

best of luck, you sound be able to achieve something similar.

ahh once again I forget that I have a car w/o AC.. hehe sorry boutt that...

I've used a wire coat hanger that I put a hook on one end and fished it in there and got ahold of the latch and opened it that way. Took a few tries to get it, thats why they call it fishin in there. Once you get it open you can attach the wire to the hook and leave it there until you get the latch or cable replaced.

Same thing happened on my 87 turbo wagon (now my parts car).

I had to use a long screwdriver to unlatch it from below (lots of

fishing as mentioned before). I fasioned a piece of wire with a loop on one end to hold on to, and attatched it where the cable

went. The hood could be popped open from the front by reaching through the grill, and hooking a finger through the loop in the wire.

 

Cheers,

Chris

ha ha, my hood latch busted too...

i laid down under the car, squeezed my big arm and hand up there, cutting my hand and arm on the a/c condenser, blood everywhere.. looked like a murder scene. but i got my finger in there, pulled it to the drivers side and POP... open hood...

i used a piece of the old cable ran through and tied in a knot with the hood release handle hanging down from the bumper...

everyone asks, whats that?? i tell em its my pull start.. looks like something from a briggs and stratton..

 

bean