Hood Latch Grease

[nfpgasmask]

Yeah, its kind of annoying. I don't understand why it won't pop. Even before the tape was put on, it wouldn't pop. Right now I have to have my wife pull the lever in the truck while I pull up on the hood. Somewhat annoying. I'm just quite happy the squeaking is gone.

The weird thing is, if I push the locking mechanism closed with a screwdriver (while the hood is open) I can pull the lever and it pops, but not with hood closed...

Bart

Grease won't help much there iether. That will take some adjusting of the latch. I moved mine around several different ways until it released, but it still doesn't "pop up" like when it was new. For a while I had to jam a piece of plastic in the lever while I went outside to pull up the hood. I had the dealership adjust it at the next service, but it still wasn't right. It just takes time and patience to get it right. I'll play with mine some more when it warms up.

[PHO2GR4]

Bart,

There are two rubber stops under the front lip of the bumper...left and right of the latch.

Just screw them UPWARDS a little bit. Only a couple of turns. This raises them just enough to exert more upward force on the hood when the latch is released, allowing it to pop up free of the latch.

Try it! It's an easy fix.

[MZ-N10]

Bart,

There are two rubber stops under the front lip of the bumper...left and right of the latch.

Just screw them UPWARDS a little bit. Only a couple of turns. This raises them just enough to exert more upward force on the hood when the latch is released, allowing it to pop up free of the latch.

Try it! It's an easy fix.

damn was just about to say tat

[nfpgasmask]

Awesome, I will try that.

THanks - Bart

Bart,

There are two rubber stops under the front lip of the bumper...left and right of the latch.

Just screw them UPWARDS a little bit. Only a couple of turns. This raises them just enough to exert more upward force on the hood when the latch is released, allowing it to pop up free of the latch.

Try it! It's an easy fix.

[VehiGAZ]

And try some WD40 on everything that moves in the latch and spring mechanism. Mine would only open with two people until I cleaned it out good with WD40, and the pop returned (then I followed with the lithium grease discussed above).

Good luck!

[Chopper]

Yo bra... how you get so much rust, way out there in the desert? Man, I thought you guys were dry. Not like you come outta Chi-town or something. Replace the whole thing now...while the part is readily available. Five years from now, when it craps out altogether, the story may be different. If the latch is getting crusty, swap out the cable too. Guarantee it's rotting too, and it's much easier to do while you can still open the hood with the cable. Voice of experience here, calling out your name... wait for it to stretch or break and you will regret it. It'll still be a PIA job ...just not as big a pain.

[nfpgasmask]

I do not think my VX was garaged during its early years. My guess is this VX sat on a Chicago street through at least 4 winters. Out here, yeah, dry as a bone...

Bart

Yo bra... how you get so much rust, way out there in the desert? Man, I thought you guys were dry. Not like you come outta Chi-town or something. Replace the whole thing now...while the part is readily available. Five years from now, when it craps out altogether, the story may be different. If the latch is getting crusty, swap out the cable too. Guarantee it's rotting too, and it's much easier to do while you can still open the hood with the cable. Voice of experience here, calling out your name... wait for it to stretch or break and you will regret it. It'll still be a PIA job ...just not as big a pain.

[Chopper]

The hardest part is feeding it through the firewall. I was kidding. Thought I remembered you as a Chicago resident in the past. Tough neighborhood if you're made of steel... or Floridian carbon compounds.