Thanks. I'd love one looking down at the driver's under-hood catch (similar to the left pic you posted above). It looks to be behind or in a metal box (all I can see through the mesh).

My car looks to be mirror image of the LHD cars so far.

I'm not going to try any more opening ideas in practice till I have the new parts as I feel if I get it open I should not re-close it till the parts are changed.

 

Here are some pics of the latch that attaches to the main hood latch cable. I took the pics from the grille perspective.

I also included a pic of the latch up top looking towards the bottom of the car. As you can see there's no room to work with from the bottom of the car.. and the latch is on top of a flat metal plate which prevents access from below.

Hope these help.

Anthony

 

Thanks. Mine looks considerably different - due to being a 2003-on I think - with worse access.

Peering through the grille mesh at the driver side there's a metal box around the latch that's visible in the above pics.

Anyone with pics of a 2003+ car please? That box and around it.

Also, where the release cable from the cabin emerges (and where it's routed if anyone knows).

I wonder if cutting the mesh out will be necessary...

 

See if these help:

2005 MY, 3.0, North American Model

I do not have time at present to enlarge the photos and explain. If the powers that be will allow me to come back and edit then I will do so.

Hope this helps a bit.

 

Thanks!

I now have the new parts so next is to examine everything more.

Even at a quick look yours is quite a bit different, rather to my surprise.

 

Please take photos of the whole procedure to help guys with the newer cars.

Great for future reference.

 

Hmm, that surprises me as well. Other than putting the steering wheel on the wrong side of the vehicle, who would'a thunk.

 

Jag V8.
I had the same problem as you, what I did is gently ease the plastic shroud off the grill at the bottom, and the wire mesh came out with a bit of a careful pull. I then took the screw out of the anti tamper block. Bent it back so I could get a hook on the cable gave it a tug and it opened. Replaced with new cable and all is good hope this helps. I have a 03 STR

 

Thanks.

Got it open but have more pics to take and post...

 

So... when I could not open the bonnet (hood) I'd noticed the release lever stopped and didn't want to pull further. From what I could see the cable had not snapped but appeared snagged. I was reluctant to heave hard in case the perhaps frayed cable just snapped.

The short story is I decided maybe the bonnet would open if the tension on it was reduced. A friend helped by holding the bonnet down and yes that let the release cable work.

For anyone else not so lucky...

Looking through the (mesh) grille I could see the driver side catch covered in a metal box - here's a better view:



It turns out to have 2 torx screws.



It slides off sideways - here's an inside view, showing the slot at the right that the release cable pass through on its way to the passenger side catch



Here's the driver side mechanism with bonnet release at bottom left (RHD, I guess opposite for LHD); the 2 hex things are where the cover was mounted



The passenger side looks something like this peering in the grille



So why was it reluctant to open? The catches seem fine and so do the cables etc. But this was loose



so I've screwed it in a bit and the bonnet now opens easily.

 

I was on a trip and found that I could not open the hood the latch on the right would not unlock. Drove it home and got it open and this is what I did.

With good lighting I could see the latch cable so I took wire and bent a hook at the one end and fished it in from the grill opening catching the small section of the exposed cable and pushed down on the hood as I gave the wire a little tug and it came open.

 

Been there, done that...lol

 

Is this considered the official thread for dealing with a broken hood release cable? If so, I'd like to share how I made a simple tool to open the hood on my '02 V6 after the driver's side cable came loose. After getting the hood open, I was on a roll and made a tool for the passenger side latch, too. The first tool, which I will call Tool 1, will only work on early models with the vertical slat grill, not on the later mesh style. The second tool, which I will call (wait for it...) Tool 2 should work on either style.

A quick description of the system may help. Two primary latches secure the hood in the closed position. A long cable runs from inside the cabin to the latch on the driver's side. From there, a short cable runs over to the latch on the passenger's side. Once released and the hood pops up, a single secondary safety latch (on the driver's side) keeps the hood from fully opening. This safety latch catches a horizontal post just inboard of the driver's side primary latch. We can use this post to guide the tool to release the primary latch. The guinea pig in the following pictures is my US spec (LHD) model, but I believe the RHD models will be a mirror image.

If the hood release won't pop the hood, the first step is to determine which side is not releasing. Do you feel any tension when pulling the handle? If so, the long cable and driver's side latch is probably working, and the fault is with the short cable to the passenger's side. If you feel no tension on the handle, the problem is likely with the long cable to the driver's side latch.

Here's a view of the driver's side latch. To release, you must push outboard in the direction of the arrow. Remember, this is on a LHD model, so RHD will be opposite. Note the horizontal peg for the secondary safety latch:




Here's Tool 1 for the driver's side latch. It is fabricated from 1/8" x 1-1/2" bar stock, with a 90 degree bend. The bend is approximately 6-1/2" from the end. The length of the other leg is not critical. 18" worked well. Note the notch in the end to help grab the latch, but this notch is not mandatory:




Tool 1 is inserted through the grill as shown:




Remember that post for the safety latch? Here it is being used as a guide to position the end of Tool 1. Butt the top edge of the tool underneath the post. The end of the tool is now positioned against the arm of the latch, where the cable connects. Push outboard (don't pry against the fragile grill) to release the driver's side latch. If the short cable is still good, both latches will release and the hood will pop up:




If the problem is with the short cable to the passenger's side latch, the procedure is a little different. The arm on that latch must be pulled inboard, so a simple hook will work. Here's a view of Tool 2 made from 1/8" rod. Note the hook on the end:




Fishing Tool 2 through the grill to release the latch on the passenger's side:




A close-up of the hook grabbing the latch. Pull inboard, in the direction of the arrow:



Hope this helps somebody.

 

Much tougher on a UK car - which has a metal cover over the area described!

 

do not use the Jag jack that came with the car. It is dangerous.

 

Proper jack + axle stand(s) please.