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2010 Hood Latch Stuck plz help!

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Care, Maintenance & Troubleshooting' started by Flying Toad, Feb 10, 2023.

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  1. Flying Toad

    Flying Toad Junior Member

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    My hood is stuck closed! The release in the cabin is stuck also and the cable won’t move. I suspect a screw or something may have fallen into the latch and got stuck a couple weeks ago.

    I’ve got low oil pressure warning and so I really need to open this hood. Toyota wanted $266 just to diagnose and I do don’t even want to know what they would come up with to charge me if I let them do it.

    There are videos on YT that show how to do somethings, insert long things through the grill to push the release lever, push down on the hood while someone else lifts the release.. nothing has worked.

    After peering through the grill I can see that the latch mechanism seems to be way back there under the hood out of sight behind some black plastic framing on top of the radiator.

    Took off the splash guard underneath to try to reach the latch for below, still no luck I can’t see any way to it from down there..

    I’m trying to stay motivated but this is a tough one.. considering sacrificing the front end and cutting through it and the black plastic framing that seems to be the only way to get to this latch, any help figuring this out greatly appreciated!
     
    #1 Flying Toad, Feb 10, 2023
  2. Montgomery

    Montgomery Senior Member

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    I would try to remove the front bumper from below, slightly pry it out and you should be able to reach up and release the latch. You can pop the side snaps and the bottom snaps and this should allow you to bend up the front bumper area.
     
    #2 Montgomery, Feb 10, 2023
  3. Flying Toad

    Flying Toad Junior Member

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    Ohh ok I think I know what you mean, that would at least save me from cutting it! Lol thanks I’ll try that tomorrow and see how it goes, seems like it won’t completely come off because there are bolts holding it on up top where the hood closes over them but I’ll try..
     
    #3 Flying Toad, Feb 10, 2023
  4. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    Here's some pics that "might" help, just popped the hood on ours:

    View from above, the cable with ball end, and direction it needs to go:
    upload_2023-2-11_9-36-0.png

    Lower tab, part of the bracket the cable pulls on above, and the direction it needs to go:
    upload_2023-2-11_9-39-32.png
    (interesting, looks like it's for a cable going off in the other direction)

    Best bet likely to raise the front, take off the black plastic panel directly behind the trailing edge of the front bumper (it has bolts, screws, and one plastic push-in fastener), and hopefully it'll be possible to reach up and push the lower tab as pictured above.

    Maybe with a long-reach pair of pliers you could reach up and squeeze these two bits together, which would accomplish moving that tab:

    upload_2023-2-11_9-59-29.png
    Really not sure how doable that is though: the radiator fan housing make it virtually impossible to fish anything up there from below.
     
    #4 Mendel Leisk, Feb 11, 2023
    Last edited: Feb 11, 2023
  5. Flying Toad

    Flying Toad Junior Member

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    Thanks for all the pics and explanation on how the latch works that’s great to have! I lifted the front and detached the splash guard next to the bumper to gain access underneath but unfortunately I don’t see any way through to it. Radiator and fans are in the way.

    Thinking I’ll try to to get at it from the front by unclipping and lifting the plastic front end of the car up with the upper bolts still fastened under the stuck hood, then cut through whatever plastic above the radiator just under the hood?

    Sounds kinda crazy lol. I really don’t know what else to do other than take it to a shop..
     
    #5 Flying Toad, Feb 11, 2023
  6. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    Take the engine underpanel off too? You can then reach up (hopefully far enough) on the aft side of the lower/front cross beam.

    I'm starting to think about rigging something like a nut tied to a bit of string on ours, run it back to an accessible-from-outside point:

    upload_2023-2-11_10-44-40.png

    Maybe cargo cult...
     
    #6 Mendel Leisk, Feb 11, 2023
  7. Flying Toad

    Flying Toad Junior Member

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    Got it through the underpanel! I didn’t see a way up at first through the first panel below the radiator, the next panel under the engine is the one necessary to access the latch, I was actually able to just barely reach my hand back up there and pull the tab indicated in your pics.

    Thanks again for posting those! Hopefully this will help someone else.
     
    #7 Flying Toad, Feb 12, 2023
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  8. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    Ah good, and thanks for the report: it's useful to know it doable from below.

    I take that engine underpanel off with each oil change; next time I'll try reaching up there, see if I can manage it.
     
    #8 Mendel Leisk, Feb 12, 2023
  9. Flying Toad

    Flying Toad Junior Member

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    Im realizing that my cable release lever in the cabin is still completely stuck, and at the other end on the latch side it’s also not moving.. I haven’t even closed it fully since reaching under it because I don’t want it to get stuck again.. time to replace the cable maybe?
     
    #9 Flying Toad, Feb 12, 2023
  10. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    Yeah, still you can try introducing thin lube into the cable sheathing. I’d guess it’s the engine bay end that’s the problem, and anyways it’s readily accessible. WD40 at first, might loosen it enough to start moving.

    FWIW I think you’re safe to drive with hood popped but still on the latch.
     
    #10 Mendel Leisk, Feb 12, 2023
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  11. CR94

    CR94 Senior Member

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    Mendel to the rescue----again!
     
    #11 CR94, Feb 12, 2023
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  12. jerrymildred

    jerrymildred Senior Member

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    Good one on the WD-40, @Mendel Leisk. I once salvaged dual throttle cables on a cabin cruiser's inboard diesel engine. One guy on each end taking turns pulling and spraying. (The boat had sank at its dock and needed lots of repairs!!)

    @Flying Toad, I'm glad you were able to reach up through there. I did that not long ago with a Gen 3 w/o engine or radiator and wondered if it could be done with a normal car.
     
    #12 jerrymildred, Feb 12, 2023
  13. Flying Toad

    Flying Toad Junior Member

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    Makes sense I’ll spray some in and hang back a while let it do its thing.. would much rather clean it out than have to replace the whole thing!
     
    #13 Flying Toad, Feb 12, 2023
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  14. Purrius

    Purrius Junior Member

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    I had mine stick once as well when the cable ball slipped. Took a couple hours on the lift pulling shields/panels off and blindly poking behind the radiator to get the latch to open.

    Before shutting it again, my buddy installed a wire fail-safe that can be pulled from behind the grill in case it happens again. :LOL:
     
    #14 Purrius, Jul 2, 2023
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  15. Flying Toad

    Flying Toad Junior Member

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    Great idea!

    So what happened was I had recently installed new front struts with a mechanic friend and he accidentally pinched the cable with it to the frame! That’s why it was locked up tight like that no matter how much I jiggled anything.. jeez lol.

    Had to really dig in through the cabin of the car and the wheel well to get to it, almost like doing the struts all over again.

    so next time.. make sure the cable doesn’t get stuck in there
     
    #15 Flying Toad, Jul 6, 2023
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