shellback83

The cable for the hood latch broke on my 1999 GC. I need to get under the hood. How can I get it open through the grill?

BatmanXJ

Option 1
Remove front grille then you have to fiddle about with the catch it is quite tedious but the only way or take to a dealership

Option 2
Stick a pair of pliers through the grill slots and then I grabbed the cable with the pliers and pulled the cable away from the latch. the hood popped open and then i saw that the part that holds the cable in the correct spot had worn out.

Option 3
Take 4 screws out of the grill then worked a 16in or so metal hook and pulled on the cross rod to pop open the hood.

Could be more

89xjrocker

Had that problem on my old explorer I went in from underneath with some needle nose found the cable and pulled like mad.

shellback83

I appreciate the quick responses batman, and 89xj. It appears the cable has come out of the latch mechanism. I'm going to try removing the nuts I see through the grill. I only found 3 screws at the bottom of the grill, but something is still holding it at the top. Thanks again.

dave1123

Yes, there are 4 screws under the edge of the hood holding it. My 97 ZJ gave me fits because it was air conditioned and there was no access from the bottom. I got it by using visegrips on the cable thru the grill and levering it sideways until it popped. The cable sheath came out of its clamping slot. You can make it easier by pulling the handle inside the cab and clamping it as well. On the fix, all I did was use a wire tie to hold it in it's clamping slot.

Jeeps are easy. A friend's Dodge Caravan was so well protected, we had to cut a "door" in the hood and drill out the bolts holding the latch strap. We tried to cut the latch strap with a Sawsall and a fireman's blade, but the strap was hardened steel and wasted the blade. Pulling the cable wasn't an option because we pulled it's entire length out by the handle!

shellback83

Success! I removed the 2 nuts that hold the latch mech. on through the grill. You need a universal adapter to get at them(you can't go at it straight on). After that I lifted the hood and latch all together. Then I was able to get to the 4 screws holding the grill at the top. Everything got much easier with the grill off. Re-assembled, job done. Thanks for all the help, I hope I can return it someday.