Hood release doesn't work on my 85 GS. Any suggestions?

The short version- car has been sitting for a few months without really being driven more than to move it around in the driveway and around the block (since I got the RX-8...), but I tried to open the hood yesterday to check the fluids and the hood release pulled back with resistance, but nothing happened. (shrug) Anybody have any ideas on how to open the hood?


Thanks for any replies-
Bryan

(fwiw- I tried the search feature, but either got hundreds of vague hits, or none. So I posted a new thread)

 

Wait, so did the handle move and not pop the hood, or did it just not move? I remember reading a thread about someone who had to open their hood when the cable broke. I will try to find it but if not maybe someone has a link to the thread.

 

Here, this thread might help a little.
https://www.rx7club.com/1st-generation-specific-1979-1985-18/hood-stuck-what-do-i-do-85530/

 

Just the thought of this makes me seriously consider putting in a backup hanging somewhere on the firewall. Of all the cables that can break I think that would be the most inconveniant. Short of having a backup I think your gonna have to try to reach up there, or somehow snag whats left of the broken cable with some sort of hook contraption and pull that. Reminds me of when my choke cable snapped. I was in quite the situation, so I just pulled the cable out of the casing, slid it through the crack of the hood and used a pair of vice grips to hold it open. I remember reaching out the window to grab the vicegrips, and feeling like such a loser, but hey It worked in a pinch haha.

 

It moves and has tension- it may be the spring loaded thing is stuck where the cable releases the hood latch. Thanks for the link. I guess I will either be jacking up the car, or banging on the hood. Sounds like a fun evening.

 

smack your hood in the middle with your fist.

*seriously*

 

Had this exact problem once. I ended up losing my temper and bangin the hood so hard it dented. I had to jack the car up and reach around the engine with needle nose vise grips and clamp them on the cable...this was not fun and took several tries. Then I was able to release the hood. I baught a new hood release cable and squirted LP-7 inside it before installing it. Also degreased and re oiled the catch assembly. Then I installed a hood scoop over the dent..lol. Good luck.

 

^ What he said.It will work trust me.

 

I noticed with mine that it would never open correctly, just like you are saying. I ended up adjusting the hood a tiny bit and now it opens every time just like it should.

 

That is the only problem I see with reverse opening hoods.

Perhaps cable replacement should be a preventative maintenace item.

 

I did the "jack up and reach around" trick once just by hand. Someone has to be pushing down on the hood by the latch and you have to reach up with your arm and feel around for the release. It beats banging on and ruining your hood from the top.

B

 

Eh, my old car did that, it just stopped working. Try having someone pull on the handle and hold it back, and you try to open the hood, thats what I had to do with my old car everytime I needed to get under the hood, that or contort my body into an uncomfortable position so I could reach the handle and hood at the same time.

 

one the cable broke on my old car so i put a light under the front of the car grabbed the diver side back (clostest to window ) lifted it up a bit so i could see in and fished in a coat hanger with a fish hook style bend on the end hooked the latch and pulled and voila the hood was open took around 5-10 minutes to get it right

 

thanks for the suggestions guys, but I was lucky.

I cleaned out the leaves in the crack behind where the latch holds the hood down. I took a plastic tube thingy (that comes with WD-40 or gun oil) and wedged it between the hood and gasket, and sprayed some gun oil. I pumped the hood release handle in and out- and it finally popped open. Works like new now.

-Bryan