can't open hood - cable broke...

[rret]

have a '91 festy. the cable to the hood latch broke - thus can't open hood. any ideas?

also battery is pretty much dead - can I charge it through the cigarette lighter plug? (Sounds weird, but should work if I'm patient, I think...) your thoughts?


(why charge the battery? - I would like to start the car and put it on a lift so i can peek up and see how to open the hood.)

[25Horseplay]

I had this happen, I removed the grill and popped the hood?

[Basement_Modder]

Jack up the car and try to find the cable from below. Once located, cut it with tin snips and pull the metal cable with needle-nose pliers. Should pop open, given you can find the cable. Then just buy a new cable.

Edit- the cigarette lighter plug thing- probably not. I'm pretty sure the power gets regulated before it goes there...

[Team Lightning]

I have an Escort GT parts car that the cable won't unlock the hood. I use a screw driver through the grill to unlock the latch. Might work on a Festiva but I haven't tried it.

[DriverOne]

I've heard of 12v socket chargers, but nothing that you can jump a car with...

[econoaddict]

You can charge it via the cig lighter, it will be a long slow process, the same as a light duty trickle charger.
I have managed to reach up through the grille and get a festy hood open. I have scrawny hands.

[marinepolice03]

you can always push start it to get it to the shop if it's a manual trans.

[Basement_Modder]

The first thing I'm gonna do when I get my Festy is install hood pins, so that I can open it whenever I need to.

[Damkid]

^^Hood pins can be a PITA so if you are still running a stock festiva hood and still have the latch in place, personally that's what i would use

[festivaWES]

The cable also runs under the drivers side fender splash shield. Probably your easiest less damaging option. I don;t know how you would be able to remove the grill how the retainers clip on to the radiator support..

[Team Lightning]

If you can get your fingers on the grill holders you can release them. It's push down if I remember correctly.

[htchbck]

If you can get your fingers on the grill holders you can release them. It's push down if I remember correctly.

Some of us have big hands, thats why God invented the "flathead screwdriver" You can look at the tabs and see which way they go, there's six, and a philips screw in the middle. not too hard to get ahold of the latch once the grill is off

BTW, see you saturday Jerry!

[rret]

thanks to all - i had like 12 answers in 8 hours! this is a great forum!

[walth]

for a temp fix you can zip tie the latch and have it hang down by the grill sort of and then to open it you just reach in the grill and pull down.

or permanent fix for skeeter...lol

[boydg1]

.... When my cable broke I moved the hood release handle outside under the bumper. I took what was left of the cable and made a very short hood release out of it. No one other than myself knows that's where it is, I am not going to advertise it and It has worked out very well. If you are interested in the arrangement I would gladly take and POST some pics.

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