Hood latch wont open-- help
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Feb 2001
Posts: 841
Likes: 0
From: Wichita, Ks, USA
Hood latch wont open-- help
Yesterday I went to open my hood and after pulling the latch, the hood was still latched shut. I pulled again but this time with no resistance. Im guessing my cable is fouled or broken but as "it wont happen to me... at least for a while" I havent paid a ton of attention to the other threads like this. 
. Could someone please tell me what happened, how to open the hood, and how to fix it?
. Could someone please tell me what happened, how to open the hood, and how to fix it?
Racer
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 280
Likes: 0
From: Honolulu Hawaii
Re: Hood latch wont open-- help (Jsailor24)
There's a hood latch opening tool that you can buy from any corvette mail-order shops. Here's a link to ecklers
http://www.ecklers.com/product.asp?p...dept%5Fid=1100
-Tim
http://www.ecklers.com/product.asp?p...dept%5Fid=1100
-Tim
Team Owner
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 83,383
Likes: 87
From: Boston, MA
Re: Hood latch wont open-- help (Jsailor24)
I havent paid a ton of attention to the other threads like this.
If there is no resistence, then the cable has snapped, or the small clip that holds the cable to the actuating lever has snapped. You will need the hood opening tool, or a piece of metal bent like it.
Instructor
Joined: Nov 2001
Posts: 242
Likes: 1
From: Hershey PA
Re: Hood latch wont open-- help (Jsailor24)
It may be out of adjustment. I bet the driver's side opened and the other didn't. Try this--keep is closed and then ask a friend to lift on the side that won't open when you pull the hood open pull, when that side is lifted, THEN lift the other side. When you get it open, adjust the cable on the sticking side.
Pro
Joined: Jun 2001
Posts: 656
Likes: 0
From: Fort Worth TX
Re: Hood latch wont open-- help (Jsailor24)
I've heard the horror stories about the hood not opening so i attached a small wire to each of the latches and ran it just below the hood opening. Now if i have any problems then i can grab the small looped wire on each side and pull and it will open each side of the hood inorder for me to fix the problem. Just a little hindsite on my part hopeing will save me some misery.
Intermediate
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 42
Likes: 0
Re: Hood latch wont open-- help (cajun86)
I had problems with my hood when I first bought my 89. I was able to open it by inserting a screwdriver under the cables just in front of the latch, and carefully pulling down towards the floor. Needless to say, this won't work if the cable(s) are broken. Good luck.
Corvette Stories
The Best of Corvette for Corvette Enthusiasts
Top 10 Most Expensive Corvettes Ever Sold on Bring A Trailer
Brett Foote
10 Things Every Corvette Owner Needs (2026 Edition)
Michael S. Palmer
8 Most "Only Corvette Owners Understand" Quirks and Problems
Pouria Savadkouei
10 Reasons the C6 Z06 is Still A Performance Benchmark After 20 Years
Joe Kucinski
How Much Horsepower Every Corvette Engine "LOST" in 1972
Joe Kucinski
Top 10 DOs and DON'Ts for Protecting Your Convertible Top!
Michael S. Palmer
Top 10 Most Explosive Corvettes Ever Made: Power-to-Weight Ratio Ranked!
Joe Kucinski
150 hp to 1,250 hp: Every Corvette Generation Compared by the Specs That Matter
Joe Kucinski
8 Coolest Corvette Pace Cars (and Replicas) of All Time
Verdad Gallardo
Race Director
Joined: Jun 2001
Posts: 10,956
Likes: 681
From: Marlboro country MA
Re: Hood latch wont open-- help (DoubleAught)
I made a hood opener tool. I took a 3' length of aluminum rod barstock, about 5/16 inch (maybe 3/8) diameter and made two right-angle bends in it. The first bend was about 1" from one end, and the second was about 8" from the other end. It looked like this:
Short end
_
.|
.|
.|
.|
.|
.|
.|_____ Long end
Then, I opened one door and pushed the short end (pointing down) into the engine compartment, wriggling the short end until it was lodged to the outside of the lever arm which releases the hood. Holding the middle of the tool in one hand, I used the other hand to grasp the long end and rotated the tool to the outside of the car (forcing the short end to move toward the middle of the car). It's a little tricky, and takes several attempts, but you can release the hood this way. I keep the tool in my car all the time now. It helps to have an opened Vette hood to see the correct orientation.
Good luck.
[Modified by MTVette, 3:46 PM 1/15/2002]
[Modified by MTVette, 3:48 PM 1/15/2002]
Short end
_
.|
.|
.|
.|
.|
.|
.|_____ Long end
Then, I opened one door and pushed the short end (pointing down) into the engine compartment, wriggling the short end until it was lodged to the outside of the lever arm which releases the hood. Holding the middle of the tool in one hand, I used the other hand to grasp the long end and rotated the tool to the outside of the car (forcing the short end to move toward the middle of the car). It's a little tricky, and takes several attempts, but you can release the hood this way. I keep the tool in my car all the time now. It helps to have an opened Vette hood to see the correct orientation.
Good luck.
[Modified by MTVette, 3:46 PM 1/15/2002]
[Modified by MTVette, 3:48 PM 1/15/2002]
Instructor
Joined: Nov 2001
Posts: 242
Likes: 1
From: Hershey PA
Re: Hood latch wont open-- help (Jsailor24)
Don't be embarrassed, the same thing happened to me. That was a warning that the adjustment is not right. Just the temp can effect the way cables operate.
