Hood latch cable replacement
 

Has anybody replaced the hood latch cable that can share some tips on the process? I did a google & youtube search & I found some diy vids but nothing specific to the 3rd gen 4runner. Although I'm assuming the process is similar, was looking for some pointers to hopefully minimize the risk of messing something up in the process.

I broke the plastic piece that houses the end of the cable that locks into the hood latch assembly (the part under the hood). I thought about using some JB weld as my first fix attempt but in the event that it doesn't hold, I ordered a new cable as my back up plan. Will try to take a picture of the broken plastic piece to post later.

It's super simple. The hardest part is getting the dash connection through the firewall. Pull you battery and it's a bit easier. You don't really need a how to vid of it. It took me less than 5 minutes.

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Mine has stretched to the point that I'm having to use a set of pliers to put additional torque on the cable in order for it to pop. Assuming your install goes easily, I'll be ordering the part soon. I'm just straight out of time for additional projects with my schedule right now, so things that hit snags cost me too much time that I don't have at the moment. Let me know how it goes!

Good to know. The job itself seems straight forward but the 2 areas I was thinking that could possibly create some delays were getting the new cable through the firewall grommet and getting hung up somewhere along the cable's path & potentially breaking off old brittle clips as I try to pull it through.

Did you feed the new cable starting from inside the cabin, through the firewall grommet & go into the engine bay or did you start in the engine bay, go through the firewall grommet & then into the cabin?




I'll for sure update this thread with the outcome. I took some pics of the broken plastic piece on the cable that I've been meaning to post but trying to edit the size of my pictures on my mac takes forever & anytime I post a pic from my iPhone it turns out HUGE or upside down. When I get a hold of a PC I'll post some pics. I plan to do this next weekend as long as I'm able to pick up the cable and a few additional parts. I put some JB weld on the the broken plastic piece earlier today but I have a feeling it won't hold up very well. I'm going to let it cure 24 hours before I assemble everything. We'll see how it goes...

This is the end of the hood latch cable that clips into the latch assembly. Circled in red is the plastic piece I broke.

Attachment 278605




Part on the latch assembly the plastic piece on the cable clips into.

Attachment 278608

I have replaced two on different trucks and started from the inside and worked my way out. That was some time ago, but I did remember some old mechanic told me to lube the end of the cable (WD-40 back in the 90s I guess) so that it doesn't bind up and cause friction, thus ending up with what you are stuck with at the moment. Plus Southern humidity and heat isn't easy on any plastic parts.

On a side note good luck rounding up all your welding and fab tools. Keep it ongoing.

Humidity sucks man. Was planning on lightly lubing the cable with some silicone paste, should be safe on all the rubber and plastic components it will be running through right?

Thanks LittleCaesar, I'm sure I'll be picking your brain many more times about the welding gear and tools in general. :cheers:

I started in the engine bay. I don't fit under dashes very well with a 52 inch chest, lol. Way easier to feed it through the fire wall standing up. I did lube the end going through the grommet.

I replaced the hood latch cable over Christmas weekend, was much easier than I thought. These are the steps I took.

1. Remove the grill to gain access to the hood latch.

2. Unbolt the 4 10mm bolts securing the hood latch to the radiator support.

3. With the hood latch removed, unclip the hood latch cable from the latch mechanism.

4. Remove the battery & coolant reservoir to gain access to the hood latch cable and make note of how it runs through the top portion of the radiator support > in between the coolant reservoir holder and drivers side headlight > in front of the battery tray> along the drivers side wall of the engine bay & through the firewall grommet.

5. There are about 3 clips that are holding the cable in place & it is easy to remove. No tools needed to remove the cable from the clips.

6. Remove the 4 10mm bolts holding the dash panel underneath the steering column.

7. With the dash panel removed, remove the 2 phillips screws holding the hood latch cable lever to the dash panel. This will allow you to unclip the cable from the lever with less difficulty.
Attachment 281098

Attachment 281099


8. I taped a piece of an old extension cord wire to the end of the cable to pull it through the firewall. *Use duct tape & not painters tape so you don't pull the 2 pieces apart.
Attachment 281100


9. Here is a picture of the extension cord taped to the old cable after I pulled it through the firewall.
Attachment 281101

10. I detached the extension cord wire from the old cable then taped the new cable to the extension cord wire in order to pull the new cable through the firewall grommet.

11. I then ran the new cable along the path of the old cable as I was removing it.

Attachment 281076

Attachment 281077

10. Tape another piece of old extension cord wire to the new hood latch cable to pull it through the top of the radiator support in order to clip it into the latch mechanism. *Again, use duct tape and not painters tape.
Attachment 281102

11. With the new cable clipped into the hood latch mechanism, bolt the hood latch mechanism onto the radiator support.

12. VERY IMPORTANT. Test to make sure the new cable is functioning properly BEFORE you put your grill back on.

Lightly applying silicone past to the cable made it much easier to through the firewall grommet & radiator support.
Attachment 281103

Thanks for the details of replacing the cable. Do you happen to have a part number handy? Need to do this to mine, as it sticks sometimes.

I hope you got to procure a new tool or two for this job.

3m silicone paste is excellent in its use.

Cable part number is 5363035060. The sticking my not be due to the cable. If you haven't already, try lubricating the latch mechanism with some penetrating or or you can loosen the 4 bolts holding the latch mechanism in place & try re-centering it.

Great stuff. Used a small amount to work into all my weather stripping so my doors wouldn't freeze shut and used a cotton swab to spread it along my window track so it wouldn't squeak rolling up my windows when it would rain.

Lol, nothing too cool but I did get a set of soft sanders to use with a roll of adhesive backed sandpaper to re-paint my skids. It still sucked sanding down old paint but the soft sanders made it easier. However, I am in the market for a good power drill because my ryobi batteries will barely hold a charge now. Gonna be growing up soon and will be moving out of the city and getting a house in the burbs so will be needing a new drill. Good news is that I just put an offer in on a house with 3 attached garages! (1 of the garages is considered a boat garage which has a taller ceiling...no more working in my parking deck or friend/family driveways!!). Been browsing the fein and festool selection just for fun :heh:

Thanks for taking the time to write up this tutorial on replacement of the hood cable.
Mine was binding badly since I bought it a few months back and using a pair of pliers and a screwdriver got old real quick.
Had the replacement cable sitting on my workbench for past few months but figured I would knock it out when doing radiator replacement and adding trans cooler.....that Happened this past weekend.
All done and made easy with the help of your write up and Timmy The Toolman’s video on trans cooler installation.
These 3rd gen Runners are a pleasure to work on, just like most other early Toyota products.
Thanks again!

Good to hear. Glad it helped. :cheers: