I have a 2001 Jaguar s-type 3.0 and my hood will not open. it was working fine yesterday, and just all of the sudden stopped working!

It pops it with the lever, but only the driver side of hood comes up, but the passenger side is still locked. I can pull the driver’s side of the hood up just enough to pull on the latch while someone is pulling the lever and it still won’t open.

How do I go about opening it up? plz help !!!

 

I don't know but what I suspect is that if you're not careful it'll break worse than it already is and could be a nightmare even for a tech to fix. Right now there sounds to be plausible amounts of access.

Please put in your location in case a known tech is near. Also see below and you need to post a newbie intro as the signon stuff said - there are reasons

 

I would almost be willing to bet, that you have to remove atleast the passenger side FRONT belly pan if not all of it, to gain access from underneath. I hope you have very long arms or a long screw driver or crow bar, to flip the spring side hold down.

I see if I can find a picture of the front belly pan.

 

This may help:

 

There is a short cable running from the right hand driver's side that has snapped off. You need to replace it . With a 1/4 inch drive rachet an a very long extention with a wobble connector to a what might be a 13mm bolt that holds one side of the hood release. Reach through the grill and after you take one out, then lift that side of the hood enough to get at the other bolt and be careful to reach under and detach the latch from the hood or you will detroy the front plactic cover that's over the headlights. You can attach a temporary wire from one latch to the other till you get the proper one . The new wire has a piece of metal at the end that slips through a hole from the back side of th latches. You can also try a very long screwdriver to undue the latch.

 

It sounds like Im going to need to put the car on a lift ?? All I have is a flat tire jack.. I hop that works... wow... Thanks for the info.. If anybody has any other ideas please post...

 

Boyd Brown III, It may do you well in going to the new member section of this site and introducing yourself. By doing so you will be able to view pictures, and enjoy all the site has to offer or you wait 3 days, or get to a 10 post count.

You might want to add your location as mentioned above. One more thing to consider is going to the "UserCP" button and putting in your vehicle details in your "signature", ie.. year, model and engine for future help.

I hope you are not talking about the jack that came with the vehicle. PLEASE do use jackstands as well!!!

 

Stay out from under the vehicle if you use the jack that came with ithe vehicle. It is not safe to go under a car with just a jack of any kind. You should have a jack stand or two under the car in case the jack flips out from under the car.

 

Found this thread on first keyword try from google. Exact same symptoms. I will remove the belly pan and go from there, remove bolts on passenger side latch.

I was in the middle of replacing fuel filter, behind left front wheel fender liner. Very good youtube vids for that. Could do that without removing wheel but it's comfortable if wheel removed. With fender liner removed, maybe I can see why antifreeze leaks--probably nipple on reservoir, I've read. Then we're on to rear window falling down, shadetree mechanic failed twice, charged twice, so I've taped it up for two years and now's the time--sounds a level or so more difficult than these other probs.

Well, on to belly pan removal for hood latch release, cable replacement. Thanks.

 

Same thing happened to me! It is the cable that goes between the 2 hood latches. Don't try getting to the offending latch from underneath the car - won't work and you'll get frustrated very quickly like I did!

What you do is (daytime! - I did the following at night and natural daylight would have helped) - get a hanger and make a tight loop at the end and bend at a 90 degree angle - fish it through the front grille and wrap the end hook around the cable right near the passenger side latch - you will more than likely see the exposed metal cable and pull - hopefully, you'll luck out like I did and disengage the other latch.

Once you get the latch open - on the hood - remove the 2 bolts that have the metal loop that goes into the latch until you replace that cable. This way you can lock the hood (only driver's latch will lock) and drive around until the replacement cable arrives...

The cable replacement is pretty straight forward. Just take your time removing the cable from the plastic retainer clip on the front end assembly - you break that and the cable will just hang there... Good Luck!

 

abonano, wow, thanks. I have one of those overgrown dental mirrors that might help, or just a really bright light to find the cable through the grille or from the slight crack on driver's side since that unlatches. A magnet pickup rod might catch the wire. Certainly the old coat hangers must not be replaced by plastic hangers or 10% of the economy could disappear overnight!

 

God bless metal coat hangers, I have one parked between the ac and the wall that has had multiple uses.

 

The mirror may help but the cable will be easily seen behind the grille - the trick is to catch the cable right near the passenger side latch and yank it hard. Don't try the magnet to get the exposed cable - won't help.

Remember, once you get the hood open - remove the loop on the hood itself so you don't lock the hood up again until you get that cable replaced.

Here are a few pics from my experience.

 

Does the cable always break right at the driver's side end? Good if so.

I found that I didn't need pliers, just fingers, to pull on the end and pop the passenger side latch.

 

If the cable breaks off at the driver's side - you'll have an easier time getting to it. If it breaks off at the passenger side - good luck - time to go fish with a wire hanger...

 

Aargh.... sorry to revive this.

I have a newer car, with the mesh grille, so access is more awkward... AND neither latch is operating (which just means the driver one is not, so it's not passing the opening cable tug along to the other one).

Ideas please!

Also, more pictures would be handy - such as close ups of the driver side latch (the one not in abonano's pic). Maybe more of the side abonano posted but for a newer car (2003-on).

 

Sorry to read this John.

Joyces Jag isn't here right now or else I would be out snapping pictures for you. I did not go back through this thread, but aren't you going to have to remove the front bumper skin pan and reach up? I know your back isn't at its best, I hope you have a helper.

 

Same here John SWMBO has the car at work. I can't offer much more than sympathy without having a look.

 

I gather there is little point even trying to reach up... but maybe that is wrong?

I have the parts on order (2 days was fastest) so pics are not needed instantly.

 

Trying to reach up is a real PITA at least in my 00 S Type anyway that is why I went through the grille. Luckily my issue was not the main cable but the bridge cable.

However, I eventually had to change the main cable as it was holding by 2 steel strands... Luckily I caught it before it was too late...

The mesh grille might pose a challenge. I would imagine the 03+ MY would have a similar set up as the 99.25 - 02MY.

Let me know if you need any specific pics and ill take them off the 00