Help me open my hood

InvisiBill

InvisiBill

Active member
I feel like an idiot even posting this, but I'm sort of stumped.

0187 was dropped off at a truck stop a few miles from here (for space reasons) when it was delivered. I opened the hood and checked it out while it was there with no problems. I closed it up, finished up the delivery stuff, and headed home. I stopped at my parents' house on the way to show them my new toy. When I got there, I couldn't get the hood to open.

It's a cowl hood, but the latch and support are all stock as far as I know. The hood is sitting a bit lower than usual, maybe 1/4", as if the stops just need to be adjusted. I had someone pull the release while I pushed down on the hood, with no luck. Since the hood is sitting lower than usual, I don't have easy access to the latch from the front as I normally would (see http://guard.invisibill.net/ for details). My dad took some flat stock and bent the end to help me get at the latch, but I'm not even sure that's it. I don't want to dig around in there too much and scratch the paint all up. I've been comparing it to 1456, and I think I'm getting the latch lever, but it's hard to tell since I can't see in there and it doesn't seem to actually be doing anything to get the hood to open.

I may be able to get at it from the bottom if I pull the CCHE off, but I haven't tried yet.

Anyone got any tips for getting in there, or how it might be caught up so that it won't open?
 
pearl91chevy

pearl91chevy

Donating Member
Re: Help me open my hood

I have to wiggle my hood side to side and left and right a bit while someone's pulling the lever.. But just don't have them pull to hard or you'll snap the cable..
 
ziembic

ziembic

Donating Member
Re: Help me open my hood

You should be able to take the grill off from the outside. Little Torx if I remember. I was able to get my grill off without the hood being opened but if yours is down too far you may not be able to sneak out the upper fasteners. The picture below shows where the tabs are.

large.JPG
 
powercat6

powercat6

Active member
Re: Help me open my hood

On my Jimmy when I pull the release the hood sometimes doesn't respond until I close the driver's door and the vibration finishes the hood pop. It's a second gen. so this might not help you.

Have you tried any WD-40?
 
InvisiBill

InvisiBill

Active member
Re: Help me open my hood

The biggest problem seems to be that the hood is now sitting lower than usual, so it's blocking access to the latch release (and I believe the grille screws too). I ran out to the garage and tried to wiggle it sideways a bit, and it didn't seem to help at all, though I didn't have a helper to pull on the release while I was doing it (dumb dog hasn't evolved thumbs yet).

I think my "special tool" is getting to the release, but it almost seems like something else is catching, not just the latch.

Here's an angle pic of the hood, where you can see it's sitting just a little lower than it should.
razzyhood.jpg
 
pearl91chevy

pearl91chevy

Donating Member
Re: Help me open my hood

i bet if you had someone pull latch and wiggle the shit outta the hood she'll pop open.. then lube it up so it wont happen again
 
BMFB

BMFB

Not to scale
Re: Help me open my hood

use your right hand, ball it into a ball, I shall refer to this hand position as your fist. Smash the hood with your fist. Do it about as hard as you can hit your own leg without hurting yourself. Do it beginning in the middle of the hood and kinda walk your smashing fist around the front lip. If this doesn't work, start the next method on the pass. side of the hood. Pry your fingers in between the lip of the hood and grill using your left hand; use your right hand to smash the hood.

There is also a chance that you can get a 13mm socket and extension between the grill louvers and loosen the adjustment bolts that are holding the latch to the core support. after then are loose i do not recommend the fist method, but you should be able to jostle the hood around a bit until it unlatches.
 
THEMADTYPH00N

THEMADTYPH00N

Active member
Re: Help me open my hood

Does the cable move at all or does it seem like its bound up. When I got the fiberglass cowl for my truck the fiberglass hood is thicker around the latch area than stock. When the hood is closed it catches and pinches the ball end of the cable while pulling it away from the latch lever. Take a screw driver or something similar and see if you can push the ball end back up towards the latch.
 
InvisiBill

InvisiBill

Active member
Re: Help me open my hood

93Typhoon08ZX6R said:
Kinda off topic but Raspberry looks good on that truck
Click to expand...

It really is beautiful, if you can handle driving a "pink" truck.

BMFB said:
use your right hand, ball it into a ball, I shall refer to this hand position as your fist. Smash the hood with your fist. Do it about as hard as you can hit your own leg without hurting yourself. Do it beginning in the middle of the hood and kinda walk your smashing fist around the front lip. If this doesn't work, start the next method on the pass. side of the hood. Pry your fingers in between the lip of the hood and grill using your left hand; use your right hand to smash the hood.

There is also a chance that you can get a 13mm socket and extension between the grill louvers and loosen the adjustment bolts that are holding the latch to the core support. after then are loose i do not recommend the fist method, but you should be able to jostle the hood around a bit until it unlatches.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the tips, I'll give them a shot.

SYO237 said:
I farted hardcore in that truck.
Click to expand...

Fartcore? It smells a bit piney in there - you into natural stuff?
 
InvisiBill

InvisiBill

Active member
Re: Help me open my hood

THEMADTYPH00N said:
Does the cable move at all or does it seem like its bound up. When I got the fiberglass cowl for my truck the fiberglass hood is thicker around the latch area than stock. When the hood is closed it catches and pinches the ball end of the cable while pulling it away from the latch lever. Take a screw driver or something similar and see if you can push the ball end back up towards the latch.
Click to expand...

The cable seems like it's moving. It almost seems like something else is catching that normally wouldn't. A coworker thought the tip of the catch pin might've gone down to far and got caught on something lower than the latch lever (part of the reason I thought wiggling it sideways might help). Again, part of the problem is that with the hood sitting lower, I can't directly get to the latch lever.
 
V8 Sonoma GT

V8 Sonoma GT

Mile High SyTy
Re: Help me open my hood

the side to side motion is what has always worked with problematic s10 hoods.

you cant take the grille off with hood and bumper on. even if you got to all the bolts, the grille has to be angled out of the bumper, from which the hood would be blocking, unless it were open. breaking the grill not an option.even with grille out, this most likely wont fix the problem

side to side and up down with somebody pulling hood release my 2 cents
 
V8 Sonoma GT

V8 Sonoma GT

Mile High SyTy
Re: Help me open my hood

in this horribly rudimentary half drunken drawing that i now realize may look a bit like a cock, this represents the hood guide pin, and how it is not aligned correctly. (i drew the spring part on the wrong side but you get the point)

2013-04-02_20-58-52_417_zps926d5650.jpg
 
DanenGraham

DanenGraham

Big in the rear
Re: Help me open my hood

A problem i have from time to time with my hood. It that the cable is just a hair to long. It allows the ball to slip out of the joint it pulls against going to the hood latch. The cable will still move, and feel if as its working but the ball end will be slipping past.

I think you are able to go from the bottom side of the truck and get to it. Been a long time, and i cant remember exactly for sure. But i think you can get to it from under the truck.



And that truck looks awesome. I sent a message to Harmon last week asking about it, i thought it sold months ago. Anyway, I love the color and with the right wheels i think it could be amazing looking.
 
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