When opening the front hood of a car, the cable sometimes breaks. This is a rather unpleasant occurrence that causes a lot of inconvenience to vehicle owners: access to the engine is blocked, and problems arise with changing the oil or windshield washer fluid. Before starting repairs, it is necessary to understand how the hood release mechanism of a particular car model is designed and what the root cause of the problem might be.
Actuation Mechanism Design
The car hood protects all the most important mechanisms of the vehicle. The hood opens and closes thanks to an actuation mechanism via a cable. It is this cable that connects the lock on the front hood to the lever located inside the cabin. In modern car models, an electromagnetic element is installed instead of a mechanical lever. The mechanism operates on the following principle:
- The driver in the cabin, when needing to open the hood, presses a button.
- The button closes an electrical circuit.
- The resulting electromagnetic impulse acts on the cable.
Why the Cable Breaks
This most often happens due to natural wear and tear, especially when the car is subjected to intensive use. Although the hood is not opened every day and the cable is made of durable materials, after several years of use, the material still ages and deforms. The cable, like other components and parts of the car, is exposed to temperature fluctuations, humidity, etc. When tensioned, it rubs against other parts of the vehicle. The result is that a process of abrasion begins at the points of contact.
Another common cause of cable breakage is the lack of periodic maintenance of the release mechanism components. What can happen? The hood lock must be cleaned of dirt and dust and lubricated with special products; otherwise, it begins to stick or even becomes completely blocked. When the button inside the cabin is pressed, the hood doesn’t open on the first try. In this case, the cable is jerked several times in an attempt to open the hood, it stretches, loses strength, and breaks.
The likelihood of a cable break is higher in the autumn-winter period. Due to increased humidity levels, the locks inside the heated car, including the hood, begin to stick. The situation described in the previous paragraph develops. The driver applies force to get the hood open, and the cable snaps.
Therefore, it is necessary to periodically check the condition of the cable to avoid an unpleasant situation where the hood won’t open at the most critical moment. If your intuition tells you that something is wrong with the cable, it’s better to replace it.
If the problem couldn’t be avoided, the hood won’t open, and the cable is broken, the only repair option is to replace the cable. How to properly secure the cable for long-term operation:
- It must be very securely fastened.
- During installation, ensure there are no sharp bends whatsoever.
- The lock mechanism should be treated with silicone lubricant or grease.
How to open the hood when the cable is broken: several methods
How to open the hood depends on the urgency of the situation and the location where the cable broke. If it happened near the hood release lever inside the car’s cabin, you can choose one of two repair options:
- If the cable has just come off its retainer, simply put it back in place.
- If the cable is broken, grab it with pliers (along its sheath) and pull.
Repair will take more time if the cable broke deep under the hood. In this case, one solution is to take a long metal rod (like a bicycle spoke) and bend a hook into one end. Carefully insert this tool through any opening in the radiator grille into the engine bay. Use the hook to feel for the end of the broken cable, hook onto it, and give a sharp, firm pull – the hood should open.
If this method proves ineffective, you will have to open the hood by acting directly on the lock. The choice of method depends on how the front hood opens. For different car brands, the hood may lift either towards the windshield (i.e., backward) or in the opposite direction (i.e., forward).
If the hood opens backward (towards the windshield), the following procedure should be applied:
Recommendations for Using Cable Components
To avoid finding yourself in this troublesome, albeit not entirely hopeless, situation, it is necessary to adhere to the following recommendations:
- Lubricate all cable exit points with suitable machine oil or grease. This should be done periodically to prevent wear from friction.
- Ensure that during use and installation, the cable does not develop sharp bends or kinks. The material loses its strength at these points.
- Do not yank the lever forcefully or make sharp, abrupt movements when trying to open the hood.
- Ensure that while the vehicle is in motion, the front hood is securely fastened to prevent any instances of it suddenly popping open on its own.
- If the cable needs to be replaced, preference should be given to high-quality, multi-strand components from well-known manufacturers.
- Do not use ordinary rope as a substitute replacement.