Raining hard, ran through puddle, right low beam goes out, went to change low beam bulbs, hood pops on left side but not right, pretty much jiggled, pulled, yanked and jerked everything, won't open, anyone have ideas? Trying not to go to dealer, I see them too often as it is.
Thanks!

 

The hood on my '05 320CDI won't open on the left side either. Have no idea what to do to resolve.

Are hood latches/cables also an issue on W211 cars?

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Jay

 

2004 E320 Wagon 4Matic

By mistake I disconnected the hood release cable from the passenger-side right hood latch. How should I pop the right hood latch without the cable?

I see about 2000 people viewed this thread, but there are no answers.


Here is a link to the hood latch assembly manual:
https://mbworld.org/forums/attachmen...release-1-.pdf

 

Have someone pull the release lever while you bang on the corresponding latch that wont release. If that fails you will need to get you something really long and manually release the latch from under the vehicle.

 

I mistakenly disconnected my right hood latch while reconnecting my hood sensor. I should have tested the hood multiple times after touching the hood latch! I would like to thank the forum members for helping me with this!


Here's how we got the right hood latch open:

2004 E320 4Matic Wagon (W211)

1) Jacked up front right wheel.

2) Attempted to reach the latch from the wheel well:
a) Removed front right wheel.
b) Removed the forward half of the plastic wheel well liner.
c) Looked for access to the latch area: no luck!
d) Removing the wheel was probably not needed.
>>> Advice: Skip step #2... this is not how you get to the right latch.

3) Remove the front plastic guard. (6 to 10 bolts with washers, 8mm?)

4) Remove the second plastic guard (another 6 to 10 bolts with washers, same size)

5) At this point, you should be able to see the two hood latches:

a) The front left latch is partially visible. The view of it is obstructed, bu t you probably could stick a long (2 foot) flat head screwdriver to trip the left latch. My left latch was properly releasing, so I did not try this. On the E Class, the compressor for the air suspension may be blocking your access. But you might be able to work around it. If you need to remove it, watch the Arnott Air Suspension videos on youtube. Arnott has detailed videos showing the process for the S-Class. The S-Class has the air compressor on the right side, the E-Class has it on the left.

b) The front right latch is located a few inches (about 5 to 8 inches) behind the smaller head light. There is a plastic guard below the hood latch. This part only exists on the right side, not the left. This plastic guard below the hood latch needs to be removed. This part snapped off with a little effort using the 18" to 24" flat head screwdriver. I have a few pictures on my phone which I should upload later. With the plastic guard removed, you now have access to the bottom of the latch. At this point, your 20 seconds from popping the latch.

Notes:
The distance from the bottom of the car to the bottom of the hood latch is surprisingly short. You might be able to release the latch with a shorter screw driver, but I wouldn't start the job unless you have something 18+ to 24 inches.

While you're at it, remove the latch (10mm), clean it, white grease it. Inspect the cable. TEST multiple times before closing hood. Inspect for gap between tip of cable and contact points in bottom of hood latch. Rework the cable location to reduce excessive slack at the latch.

The hood sensor tends to pop out too easily. The left and right hood latches appear to be identical. The latch on the right side is where the hood sensor is located.

Tools: 8mm & 10mm sockets, 18"+ to 24" flat head screwdriver, jack, jack-stand, flashlight, de-greasing (WD40) & white grease, and gloves!

 

I had this happen to me yesterday. Thought I would post a picture and video of how to get it open. Video took way more time than I should have spent on doing it Took 4 attempts since the lighting kept changing ...

Picture shows the latch from under the front of the car, with the front engine undercover partially removed. I also unplugged the headlights to give a better view. I also wedged a screwdriver down there after getting it open so that I could see where I was aiming at.

Hope this helps someone else



Below is the video:

 

Thanks guys, saved me a trip to the mechanic.

The pic and video were very helpful.