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Not sure what I did but the passenger side of the hood will not open today. Pulling the hood latch both sides pop up a little. Driver side is apparently loose but passenger side is stuck and will not budge. That side has always been a little stubborn but there is no jiggling it loose now. Suggestions of what to look for. My inspection camera shows the cable is moving on that side so it doesn't appear broken.
Jack up the front of the car. Remove the passenger side wheel. There is a plastic cover in the wheel well that is held by a few bolts. Remove the cover and you can then access the engine compartment. Get a wire hanger, make a hook on one end and grip the latch pull that the hood release cable is attached to. That will release the hood latch. There is an adjuster on the cable that you may be able to use to tighten the cable a bit. If it is too stretched, just replace the cable.
Ron, there are several threads on here over the years of how to make emergency hood release cables. Very briefly you can take plastic-covered braided wire and make a loop on each side. The loops can be tucked down out of sight. In the event the factory cable is broken or out of adjustment, you can reach your hand down and pull the loop manually to open the hood.
In my case I used a length of wire left over from an old above-ground swimming pool cover. Not only is it the right size, but it's the prefect match for my Vette's color! I thought I had pics of how it's attached to the factory release lever but can't find them at present. This will give you the idea and someone else will post better detail.
Ron, there are several threads on here over the years of how to make emergency hood release cables. Very briefly you can take plastic-covered braided wire and make a loop on each side. The loops can be tucked down out of sight. In the event the factory cable is broken or out of adjustment, you can reach your hand down and pull the loop manually to open the hood.
In my case I used a length of wire left over from an old above-ground swimming pool cover. Not only is it the right size, but it's the prefect match for my Vette's color! I thought I had pics of how it's attached to the factory release lever but can't find them at present. This will give you the idea and someone else will post better detail.
Thanks! That is why I was going to open the hood today, to install the safety cables.
There are numerous videos on YouTube and other sites on why this happens and how to fix it and there are tools commercially available to release the latches and open the hood.
First of all, a little preventative maintenance by periodically greasing the latch mechanism is advised and often forgotten. Secondly, the cables are adjustable like any other cable if it gets stretched and loose over time. Third, the pin on the hood is also adjustable so that it fits into the latch mechanism properly.
Once you get it open, making a set of safety cables to release the latch mechanism is the easiest and most secure way to open the latch if it ever fails to release again and is a great insurance policy to have in place.
Thanks for all the suggestions, I finally got this hood opened. It had nothing to do with the cable. The lower latch plate had cracked and no amount of moving the cable or the lever worked. We had to use a reciprocating saw with a 12 inch metal cutting blade to sever the latch post. I have a new set of latch plates on the way with a new cable set. I found some stainless steel wire cables used for outdoor gate latches that look like they will work for the emergency latch release like several of you suggested.
Hood problem
