Volvo Hood Release Cable Replacement

Eventually, your car’s Volvo Hood Release Cable will break. That is likely because of corrosion, or just the cable or other parts becoming worn from use. The cable will likely snap at either end, at the hood release handle or at the spring lever. That will make you unable to open or close your hood in the usual manner. When this happens, this is how to replace it.

Here is how to replace your hood release cable if it breaks making opening (or closing) your hood inoperable. Many thanks to MVS Volvo Forum member tailor for working in sub-degree temperatures to document this fix and then for posting it up here!

tailor »

The hood release cable just broke, here are the pearls of wisdom that graced me in my unheated garage on Saturday.

Tools that you will need( some for subzero temps)

New cable(cable pictured here is for catch to catch)
Pliers
Extra vacuum tube( only because I broke some)
Vino(optional)
A good deal of patience and perseverance

See pic:

There are two cables that are needed to open the hoods on 850’s and 70’s, this may apply be for other models as well. One cable runs from the inside handle, drivers side, through the fire wall to the left hand hood release catch and another that runs from the left hand release catch to the right hand side release catch.

If you drive on the “correct” side of the road, like Bill of Durham then it would be the opposite way….right to left.

I would think that the vast majority of cable replacements will be for the first cable, mine broke where the pin is crimped, this pin slides into the hood release handle in the cabin.

See pic:

I removed the three screws to access the kick panel on the drivers side, it allows better access to the cable, and opened the hood by grabbing the end of the wire with a pair of pliers and pulling.

See pics:

If the break is at the hood release catch in the engine compartment………. a trip to the Dealer or Indy might be in order, unless someone here can add a “How to open” in this circumstance .

Maybe I went a little too far in removal of below items, but here goes anyway as I could not see any other way around it.

1) Disconnect and remove battery and battery tray(make sure you have radio code)
Once the tray is removed, check out the vacuum pipes, I broke some in the area of the tray and it is a pain to get too anyway so you may as well replace now.

See pics:

2) Remove air box cover, filter and base, place base of airbox out of the way.

3) Disconnect the cable from the hood latch cable ties and other ties, remove the retaining clip in the cabin from drivers side bracket, white metal attachment point, as the cable has broken here, you can slide the retaining clip off the wire, you will not be able to pull it through the fire wall grommet anyway!

4) Tape, very well, joining end to end, the old cable and new cable before you pull it through the firewall, towards the engine compartment. Now…”mui importante” , this is really when you need help, get someone to feed the cable through the firewall while you gently pull and encourage the progress from the engine compartment.
You do not want to have the cables separate from one another at this stage, it is not a pleasant task to be fishing for the new cable in a very limited space. If it goes “pear shaped” at this stage it is a real “Biatch” to get it through.

5) I took off the left hand hood catch in the engine compartment, to make it easier to insert the cable, height adjustment of the catch may necessary when you re-attach. This is to ensure the hood is level.

See pics:

Thread the new cable along the previous path to the hood release catch and insert into the catch, from the cabin re-attach the retaining clip and insert the cable crimped end in the hood release handle.

6) You will have to re-adjust the cable which is done at the retaining clip in the cabin to either take up the slack or ease it off.

7) I did not replace the second cable which runs across the front of the car from catch to catch, it may have been a good idea

All back together and adjusted.

Hood release cable replacement

The hood release cable part will cost anywhere from around $20 to $60, depending on where you buy it. There are a number of good videos on YouTube, if you need to see more than tailor’s photos that are part of this discussion, that walk you through the process on a variety of different Volvo models. There are also at least two other posts on this blog about this topic – see links below.

An important piece of the puzzle if your hood release is broken while your hood is closed is how to open it. Here’s a guide to how to approach accomplishing that task if it happens to you: https://itstillruns.com/open-hood-cable-broken-7533604.html