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Hood Latch


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Just purchased 2012 TC and found that the hood latch does not open with the key. The situation is that the key goes into the socket but will not turn either right or left. I have douched it down with PB Blaster. I have wiggled the key. Tried it at various depths of insertion and I simply can not get the key to work, (I got two keys with the truck and both work in the ignition, and all of the doors plus the gas cap cover.) I don't want to try to turn the key too hard for fear of breaking it off. I am about convinced that the latch lock needs to be replaced.

Is there a way to open the hood without the key? Better yet is there a way to circumvent the key latch (Which in my opinion is a completely stupid idea) and replace it with a conventional latch?

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I looked at the Ford repair manual and to remove the hood latch requires, of course, the hood to be open. When you turn the key, do you have any resistance? If not, the tumblers in the lock are stuck.The key needs to turn first left, then right to open the hood. When you tried lubrication, did you spray inside the lock by pushing past the inside cover over the key hole? When you bought the Transit Connect I am sure the hood was opened to show you the engine so the lock had to be working. keep us updated, as mrtn wrote, we have not seen this issue. Good Luck.

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Key will not move either right or left. Tumblers frozen in place would produce the symptoms I am seeing. I tried PB Blaster on it to no avail. I saw the hood in the open position when the mechanic was working on the door alarm, so I know it will open. It just isn't acting the way I expect it to.

I have pushed down and pulled up on the hood to make sure there was no load on the latch. No workee.

The dealer told me he would look at it. I was just trying to avoid the 18 mile drive if there is an easy fix.

I don't like the idea of using the key to open the hood. Maybe if I lived in Turkey (Which is actually pretty darned nice.) it would make more sense. If there were an easy way to modify the latch so that it works with a lever or cable, I would do it.

I must hasten to add, that my schedule has not permitted much time all at once to work on this problem. I can only take a few moments to fiddle with it before I have to move on to the next crisis. I'll figure it out but just haven't had the time to really dig into it.

The way PB Blaster works, the lock may be like new when I get home (I am in Florida with family) because the PB Blaster has had the opportunity to sink in and do its work.

Edited by Doc Hoy
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Doc, you have done all you can. Yes, the locking hood is necessary in some parts of the world. I remember stories about the old Soviet Union. When you parked your car, if you were lucky enough to have one, you needed to remove the windshield wiper blades to prevent them from being stolen!

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34 minutes ago, 103west43rd said:

Soviet Union. When you parked your car, if you were lucky enough to have one, you needed to remove the windshield wiper blades to prevent them from being stolen!

This is correct. I remember parking my old Lada in front of the University in a predominantly Russian part of the town and a thief knocked on my window offering used wipers from a plastic bag. So I threw my wipers and the radio under the seat and went to the class.

Still today the same people steal mirrors, ding protectors, headlights and parking sensors from cars. 

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  • 2 weeks later...

Okay....So I am stumped by this hood latch business. I was given two keys with this truck. Both of them work in every place they are supposed to in this truck. In fact, the key for my 2011 works in this truck too. Every place a key goes, all three keys work.

EXCEPT FOR THE FRIGGIN HOOD WHERE NONE OF THE KEYS WORK!

In the interest of a reminder, all of the keys act like they are the wrong key. None of them will turn either CCW or CW. They stop solid no mater how far into the lock I push them. I am fairly certain the key is going all of the way in. It bottoms out before the head comes into contact with the grill. I have squirted every kind of schmutz I can think of into the tumblers  and the behavior of the key is precisely the same.

Some of the folks on the internet say that it is possible to drill out the key lock tumblers in the hood latch and then open it with a screw driver. I would do this but I would want to ensure a positive latching of the hood.

Q: Has anyone tried drilling out the lock?

I would take it to Ford but when you go in there and look at the service writer, the dollar signs go around in his eyes like the wheels of a slot machine.

Q: Has anyone had a latch replaced and if so, what did it run?

I looped a bent rod under the hood and grabbed the latch, trying to pull it, but apparently the key lock is holding it in place. Won't move.

Q: is there a way to reach in and unlatch the hood past the lock mechanism?

 

 

Edited by Doc Hoy
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Doc, the price, back in 2011 was $154.38 for the lock and a half hour labor time to replace it. Of course, that is with a hood that opens. Drilling out the lock is an option as long as you do not ruin the hood latch it fits into or the back support for the entire assembly. Out on the internet, there are suggestions to get under the van with a long screw driver and reach up and pop open the latch from the striker. It seems like a lot of work if you van is under any used car warranty. Is it?

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Unfortunately, it is not. The manager of the lot where I bought the truck told me he would get it working. But that was three weeks ago and I hate to bother him. In addition it is 18 miles away and my time is pretty precious. Still, if he remembers the commitment he made to me my guess is that this is my optimal option.

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BTW, I have read nearly every article on the internet that deals with these latches and this particular problem and none of them are detailed enough to work from. Photos would be good but the ones I have seen are too dark, too light or out of focus.

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The worst case is when you Carefully drill out the cylinder then you will have to get a new lock cyl to replace it.

Do you have a small inspection mirror to put in through the grill  to see where the locking clip is located.  I do not have the correct manual and the parts breakout is not detailed enough to see what the clip looks like.  I am sure that you can find a TC some where to open the hood on and see what holds the lock cyl in.

mrtn or 103west 43rd  open the hood on your 2012 and snap a photo of the back of the lock assembly, and post it !!

Edited by G B L
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9 hours ago, G B L said:

mrtn or 103west 43rd  open the hood on your 2012 and snap a photo of the back of the lock assembly, and post it !!

Okay (not too well visible):

 

 

 

Edited by mrtn
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Got it open!

 

First of all, thanks for all of the attention you all have given to this problem.

Inspection of the lock mechanism from outside simply did not provide any clue as to the root of the problem.

1. To get a better look, I removed the plastic grill. This meant breaking the two top studs that hold the grill in place. It appears that at manufacture the grill is positioned properly and then a spring fastener is pressed on to each of the two top studs. They are pressed on and lock in place so there is no real easy way to get them off. There are actually six locating studs on the grill but only the top two have these spring fasteners on them. My 2011 is exactly the same way. It is as though the grill was designed in such a way that the four lower locating studs are at a location that you simply can't apply the spring fasteners. They appear to be for location only.

2. Once the grill was out I found that I needed to carve away the backup grill housing (or whatever it is called) around the tumbler housing because I still could not see the lock mechanism. The grill back is made of soft vinyl so I just carved it out with the side of a drill bit in a drill. This gave me access to the lateral bolt (8 mm) which holds the tumbler housing in place. I removed that bolt (It would only turn about 30 degrees before I had to re-position the wrench and it is about an inch and  a half long, so it took about 15 minutes of turning.) allowing the tumbler housing to move ever so slightly. When I did that I immediately felt the tumbler assembly catch in the "X" shaped fitting in the lock/latch. I tried the key right away and the hood opened perfectly. 

3. Once the hood was open I saw exactly what the original problem was. The lock/latch assembly is pushed back about 1/4 inch and is bent. It is as though the tumbler house had been hit very hard pushing the lock/latch back toward the cross member of the front clip. There is no obvious damage to the tumbler as would be expected if it had been struck. There is no damage to the grill. I would assume that the previous owner in trying to open the hood pushed on the key too hard but that person would have to put an awful lot of force on the key to bend the lock/latch out of shape as it is. More force than the key or tumbler housing would likely stand. There is no obvious damage to either of the keys.

4. Faced with having to reinstall the grill with broken locating studs, I simply drilled two holes in the grill and used some stainless steel screws to hold it in place using the same locating holes as were originally used before the studs were broken off.

I know a lot more about this hood lock/latch than I did two hours ago, but I doubt it will do me much good. I'll prolly replace the mechanism with a new one to avoid potential problems because the existing lock/latch is bent.

 

 

Edited by Doc Hoy
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