This tip saved us real $$$$. Our 2006 Tundra was in the garage with a broken cable and dead battery after we were gone several weeks. We drilled out the hole to access the cable. One tip we needed was to have someone lifting the unlocking piece while another opened the safety latch. THANKS!
Lmao @ or you're just into stealing car batteries....½" drill, just above the hump, drill at an angle, etc...Remember kids, you can skip this step most times when you want to steal the catalytic converter, but it will still come in handy for those four cylinder RAV4's. Just remember: If I can do it, you can do it.
Thanks for this. Got me started in the right direction. I was also able to monkey a pick in from the right side of the latch assembly. A shorter pick is best as there's not a lot of room to work...but there's quite a bit of space in the latch mechanism to slip the pick in from the right (and towards the front of the vehicle). Small patience test as its all blind. This was for a 2000 tacoma...not sure how much space there is in some of the other years...
I was lucky. My 99 4runners hood would open just fine, but would not close. When the inside lever was pulled it would stay extended out, with the latch mechanism stuck in the open position. Pushing the inside hood release lever back into its normal position was a nogo. So I kept a screwdriver in the cab to insert into the latch mechanism to pull a a lever back to where it should be, and the inside hood release would be pulled back to where it belonged, and the hood would latch closed. I did that for perhaps 4 years.
Just did this on a 2001 4Runner. It worked like a charm. I used a DeWalt bit after seeing that the HyperStep comes in a set that costs $300. Could you maybe do a video on how to rewire the cable through the latch? That’s where I’m stuck and can’t locate any instruction. Thanks a million for this upload by the way.
I had a problem with a broken trunk latch on an Audi sedan once. And I couldn't get in through the back seat because it was a full steel sheet all across between the wheelhouses. But a very long socket extender and a 14mm socket saved the day because then I could remove the piece the lock latched on to and remove it and get the trunk open. There was a small square hole behind the back seat after that, but that wasn't visible when the back seat was in place so no big deal.
@@grandmasmalibu - i like to work from my couch while i'm drinking a beer with the other hand :) PS. I was gonna mention this technique of removing the bolts..I've done it a few times. Yes the latch is still attached to the hood but you can raise the hood up enough to get access to everything. No need for drilling etc, and you can lube and reuse all the parts afterwards if you want. I'm actually quite surprised eric o doesn't do it this way.
On my old Ford truck, you can release it by hand. The cable was broken when I got the truck and I still just open it at the grill. One finger can release it as if you pulled the cable.
I can see grandpa now!! Out by the barn, with his hand auger, trying to drill into the hood of the old Chevy pickup, to see if the remains of the 1972 battery are still good!!
Hey Eric. Since you have all the big 3 aftermarket scanner: Verus, Launch, Autel. I think we would all like to see a video from you about your thoughts and experience with these scanners. Not so much about which is the 1st, 2nd, 3rd. Just things like pros and cons. I have an Autel Elite and I’m getting a Verus Edge mainly for drivability troubleshooting + guided components test information + handheld 4channel scope. Maybe a little overkill, but ever since I watched you, keith, Ivan, ScannerDanner, I’ve always wanted one for myself. I like the graphing and datalog buffer on the Verus.
I had this problem once. It was great because I was about to drive for two hours but my low coolant light came on. Went to check th level but the hood latch was seized solid! Lots of panther pee, a big screwdriver and lots of swearing later I managed to open the hood and replace the coolant.
Hi Eric, why'd you add LLC after your channel name? It lost its flow! I don't think you need to have LLC after your company except for state/fed filing purposes!
I have a 96 Toyota Corolla and the past 2 day ive been smelling a burning that smells lile a hot glue gun. Is this why or is there melted plastic causing it to not open?
Good Sunday Morning Eric O - here in down-state Essex, UK, I saw my Subscriber notification of your ‘Saving Mrs. O’s mother - Cave Man Style’ live feed @ 6am+ here as I was checking traffic before I drove Mrs. R 25 mi+ to work the other side of London (using the A406 North Circular Road - the UK’s answer to NJ’s Route 1 - LoL!). So I’ve had over an hour to anticipate just what kind of brawny heroism was on display only to find the post removed. Knowing you just a little bit, I can only think this was for good reason like protecting your good family name, your wife and mother-in-law’s dignity and things of that nature... Would you be able to do a small piece to camera to give us, your world-wide and time-differenced followers, a synopsis of this heroic deed with content acceptable to all family O members...? Jeff R, Barking, UK.
News Flash, small town in NY state plagued with battery thefts from toyota's, suspects were last seen with wagging tails and husky coloration.... GG Dr. O
looks like they do,,,,,, my 92 k1500 still has 97 percent its oem parts ..no matter who makes a car or truck salt kills them my truck has been in salt but it gets fluid filmed
no need to drill on them, just need a long metal rod with a small bend on one end and larger on the other. you go in through the open doors. I'm sure there's videos on it already ;)
Eric O. Thanks for another video! I need to know... are those hyper drill bits any good?? Trying to decide if they are worth the money from Matco. Not sure if anybody else makes em..?
You should be checking the oil, the radiator coolant, power steering fluid, brake fluid, belts and hoses at least once a month. So the latch should be used at least 12 times a year.
My hood opens four times a year. Once by the Toyota mechanic that gives the car a service, and the other three is me filling wiper fluid. 15 years since I last checked the oil level on a Toyota (and yes, I drive fairly new, or new vehicles). Cheers!
In the 80's after college I was buying my first car. I asked around at work about what was the best car to buy. All the US car owners told me that warranty service was great at all those companies. When I asked the Honda, Datsun, and Toyota guys about warranty service they shrugged and told me they didn't know because they never had a need for warranty service. I bought a new '87 Honda Accord. It's still on the road today.
@@kthwkr When people ask me about warenty on products I always tell them that if the product they are buying needs warenty it's a bad product and they should not buy it.
News Flash...Toyota truck battery thefts are up 38 percent due to an instructional video. lol Why not just soak the new latch in Fluid Film and fugget about it.?
I did one of these with the Jetta hood latch, and had some conflicted thoughts about whether I was teaching a few criminals quietly watching from the back. There's no doubt these videos help more than they harm, and it would be a lot of effort just to gain access to a battery. The only people motivated to learn how these hood latches work are those who forget to lube the latch mechanism at each oil change.
Anyone that is looking to do no good already knows how to usually. They could be the ones teaching us things. They don't exactly care about damaging other parts though, so this cleaner method is probably more work than they want to do.
You should try CorossionX Eric! We use them at work for the military vehicles. When we first got it they sprayed a bearing down with it and then let it sit on our shop for 2 months in saltwater. They came back pulled it out and there was absolutely no rust at all
2002 Tacoma.....I just had this problem, but before the drilling, I stuck a piece of rebar through the grill and gave the latch assembly a few bangs. I pulled the hood latch and voila, popped right open. Lubed it up and is working great. So try this first.
Hopefully that works for my '04, because the technique in this vid looks like a blind prayer got answered 🙄 UPDATE: Your tip about whacking the assembly was gold. Just smacked a plumbers wrench 5 or 6 times and...boom!! Take a bow, buddy ✌️😗👍
Great tip! Worked at an auto auction for a few years and can't count how many hoods I had to get open or to stay shut....nobody seems to ever lube these things
My family had been in the auto body repair business for 80+ years; my cousin, Ray, would have sworn at it for 15 minutes, then told the painter's helper to "give it a shot, there's a fiver in it if you can get it open".
