Canon20D Posted December 22, 2008 Share Posted December 22, 2008 I had to open my hood this AM cause it was 18F out and i had left the interior light on, because my door switch doesn't turn on the lights anymore (failed map light mod So I have to manually turn on the int lights.. Anyway, battery was dead, so I opened the hood and jumped it. But when I went to close it, the damn hood will not catch. This happened before when it was really cold and I checked the oil, but once the car warmed up the engine bay it was fine. today, I could NOT get it to catch. Cars never been in an accident or anything that could mis-align the hood latch, should I bring it subaru or what? Ive tried slamming it pretty good, dropping it from 1/2 way up, pressing on the very front when i close it, all the regular tricks ideas?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hassa Posted December 22, 2008 Share Posted December 22, 2008 Spray WD-40 all over the latch mechanism (on hood and engine bay side) and then work any moving parts for a bit (yank on the hood release handle a few times and work the catch back and forth a few times). That should loosen everything up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fonts Posted December 23, 2008 Share Posted December 23, 2008 Spray WD-40 all over the latch mechanism (on hood and engine bay side) and then work any moving parts for a bit (yank on the hood release handle a few times and work the catch back and forth a few times). That should loosen everything up. Should do it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bdisco Posted December 24, 2008 Share Posted December 24, 2008 I topped off the windshield fluid last night. This morning I go out... and thats odd I thought I closed the hood last night. Drop hood from 6 inches & pops back up, try again, try again increase drop to 12 inches still does not catch. Push down on hood pops back up, two hands pops back up, finally get it to stay. Drop daughter off at school, jump on highway, take it up to 75, slide over to fast lane, and pop. WTF! At least the hood did not fly open and smash my windshield. Get off next exit, put on flashers, repeat process above, this time lift up on hood to make sure that it's latched, and make it to work a little late but safe. My question is did WD-40 / lube help or is there something that might need adjustment? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pig Pen Posted March 4, 2009 Share Posted March 4, 2009 Reviving this old thread.... This morning at about 6:20 when i was leaving for work it was around 10 degrees outside.... i popped my hood to add some windshield washer fluid.. and bam... hood wont shut... i try again.. nothing... i drop from higher.. nothing.. i then lift the latch on the inside of my car thinking it had to reset.. nothing.. finally after using both hands to force it down (and many pop back ups) it stayed... i have a ~20 minute commute all highway.. and it must have popped back at me three times... which at 75mph is sketchy... i thought my hood was going to kill me.. today i get home from work... its warmed up outside to about 35.. and all is well... i am assuming this is due to the latch mechanism being cold and needing to be lubed... im cleaning it right now and then going to reapply some grease... im just wondering if this is a common problem??? Also, how safe is it to drive with the hood unlatched... im assuming with wind resistance and the hoodscoop our hood could easily snap back at the driver... kind of makes me want to trade an 2.5i owner for their hood, FMIC FTW Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canon20D Posted March 5, 2009 Author Share Posted March 5, 2009 I dont think its a really big deal - ive driven kinda far (20 miles) with it unlatched. Dont forget, there is a safety lock that wont let it open unless you push it.. Doubt the wind could do that... Kinda designed exatcly for that reason (incase it was to pop up during the trip) Course, you dont want to rely on the safety but i dont think the TMIC would add any significant drag to it. In fact i notice that at 65-75, the hood is Less prone to shake than @ 45, because of the downforce being applied... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
papp101 Posted June 30, 2009 Share Posted June 30, 2009 I'm having this same issue, though it's in warm weather. I'm going to spray some white lithium grease on the latch as that stuff works great on the garage door even in -24 degree (F!) weather. Any other suggestions though? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
error Posted July 4, 2009 Share Posted July 4, 2009 clean the moving parts first. engine degreaser and an old toothbrush Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
papp101 Posted July 4, 2009 Share Posted July 4, 2009 Thanks for the idea, it turns out there's nothing that was stuck, just the hood itself wouldn't go low enough to get the catch all the way over to latch. I loosened the 3 14mm bolts holding the latch on, pulled it upwards about a 1/16" and tightened it down. Latches like a charm! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mr_edly Posted January 11, 2016 Share Posted January 11, 2016 WD-40 fixed this problem for me in Madison, WI cold winters. Again. Maybe next time I'll remember. Or, I'll find this great thread again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goatcrapp Posted January 20, 2016 Share Posted January 20, 2016 Same happened here. Used some spray on white lithium grease instead of wd-40. Fixed problem. Really, any lube should work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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