RandomlyJames.com

On Sunday I took on the task of replacing the hood release on our 2005 Hond Civic. I broke it off last wekeend while changing the oil. I purhased the part directly from Honda. I was bummed to hear that it was one assembly, I had to replace cable and all. I was hoping to just replace the plastic handle. Honda ordered the part and had it in the next day.

So to replace the hood release I first popped the hood. To do this I had to use pliers and pull what was left of the hood realease inside the car. Once that was open I noted the path the cable traveled from the front of the car back as far I could see.  I took 4 push bolts out from around the hood latch assembly which attaches to the front grill. There are 3 bolts to get the assembly out, I then was able to get the end of the cable out of the assembly. There are also 2 clips you will have to take out along the path of the cable. I used needle nose pliers to pinch them and push them through the body to release them. Next I went inside the car, took the interoir piece off that covers the hood release. Then unbolted the hood release from the car. I then used wire cutters to cut the old hood realease cable.

I took the new boot/seal off the new cable and taped the new cable to old one so I can pull it through. This is a good trick to do that will save some time but this time it did not work. It became hung up on the old seal/boot that goes into the firewall and the tape broke. Leaving me with the old cable on the garage floor and the new cable still in the floorboard of the car.

I quickly ran inside and looked up how to replace the cable. I did not find any videos(found some on how to open the hood from the outside). And read some posts on Honda Civic forums about doing it. Most of them said to remove the fender to route the cable correctly. While others said to relocate the cable altogether for so it would be harder to theives to pop the hood.   At this point I was dreading having to take the fender off and was looking for any other way around it.

I shoved the new cable(once I got the tape off) through the firewall and heard it hittitng inside the fender. I then proceeded to push it on through hoping it would find it’s way. No Luck. I then had an idea. I jacked up the driver side front of the car, took off the front wheel and took the screws/push bolts out of the back part of the fender well near the door. I then could reach in and grab the cable and feed it through the correct hole. Routed it back around to front of the car put the clips back in and hooked the end of the cable into the hood release assmebly. After bolting everything back together we tested it and it worked. It only took 2 hours, but if I had not tried the tape trick then I would of been finished in a hour.

I wrote this post because I don’t want anyone else thinking they have to remove fenders to replace the hood release.