Hood not locking mechanism sticking, changing entire latch did not fix it!

[Francis K]

Hi fellas, strange one here I can't pin down. I can't get the hood to lock without fiddling with it, I can get it to where it's held down before it's fully locked but not full locked down. I have to push down the circled part in the pic to pop it into position with a flat head to finally get it to lock for me, the second pic is after it is pushed down. Funny part is I picked a take off entire latch assembly from a working hood and swapped it out but still have the same issue with the new lock!

So has to be something else making it always stick, anyone have any ideas??

 

[RuggedOverland]

The only thing I can think of that I have had to play with in the past is the hood height with the stops on the front. If the latch is replaced and still having the same issue, it could be the cable itself holding too much tension and might be worth cleaning/lubing.

 

[reklund5]

Is your hood release cable pinched between the battery tray and the body? Seen that a few times. Make sure it moves freely

 

[HuyFZJ80]

I just dealt with this issue the other day. I sprayed the crap out of the latch mechanism with some lubricant as it was “sticking”. Check the release mechanism from the inside. If it has tension when you hit the hood release, then you’re good. If there’s no tension after you pop your hood, then the cable is stuck somewhere. And as the previous posted stated, the cable runs under the battery tray, which could pinch it off. Check there too. Good luck!