The last couple of times I tried to pop the front hood, there is an audible popping sound but it barely moves up. Very difficult to even get a finger under it to lift it. Any idea what the culprit may be? Thanks.
Hood Not Fully Popping
- Thread starter ozone
- Start date
Here is a picture of a really grotty NSX hood latch assembly.
When you close the hood, the loop on the hood presses down on a spring loaded cam which normally pops the loop up against the secondary or safety catch (the thing that looks like the profile of the head of the creature in the movie Alien). You can see it in the photo underneath the secondary catch. That cam piece is spring loaded. When you press down on the cam with the retention loop it causes the cam to rotate and the main catch engages and locks the loop down. When you release the latch the spring loaded cam is supposed to rotate back releasing the main latch and kind of push the loop up until it is stopped by the secondary catch. The secondary catch is the one you release when you squeeze your fingers under the front lip of the hood. The best case is that like the latch in the photo, yours has become really dirty and grit is preventing the smooth operation of the spring loaded cam. The worst case is that the spring which loads that piece has broken.
Inspect the latch and see if that cam in the latch is still spring loaded. If it is totally limp then something is broken inside and removal is required. If it is just the spring that loads the cam you might be able to find a replacement. If the cam is still 'loaded', then it may just be grit impeding operation. If it looks clean you could try applying some penetrating lube; however, I would be inclined to remove the latch, clean it and then grease it with a lightweight grease. Anything too heavy and operation will become difficult in cold weather.
When you close the hood, the loop on the hood presses down on a spring loaded cam which normally pops the loop up against the secondary or safety catch (the thing that looks like the profile of the head of the creature in the movie Alien). You can see it in the photo underneath the secondary catch. That cam piece is spring loaded. When you press down on the cam with the retention loop it causes the cam to rotate and the main catch engages and locks the loop down. When you release the latch the spring loaded cam is supposed to rotate back releasing the main latch and kind of push the loop up until it is stopped by the secondary catch. The secondary catch is the one you release when you squeeze your fingers under the front lip of the hood. The best case is that like the latch in the photo, yours has become really dirty and grit is preventing the smooth operation of the spring loaded cam. The worst case is that the spring which loads that piece has broken.
Inspect the latch and see if that cam in the latch is still spring loaded. If it is totally limp then something is broken inside and removal is required. If it is just the spring that loads the cam you might be able to find a replacement. If the cam is still 'loaded', then it may just be grit impeding operation. If it looks clean you could try applying some penetrating lube; however, I would be inclined to remove the latch, clean it and then grease it with a lightweight grease. Anything too heavy and operation will become difficult in cold weather.
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Thanks Old Guy, much appreciate the detailed write up and explanation. I will check it out...I am hoping it's just a case of being dirty.
lol
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