| How
to Open the Hood
How can you do even simple "under-the-hood" jobs
- such as checking the oil, antifreeze, and transmission fluid;
refilling windshield wiper fluid; and checking accessory belts
- if you don't know how to get the hood open?
The
good news is that opening the hood of a car is easy and uncomplicated
- if you know how to do it. Although the location of the hood
release may differ from one vehicle to the next, all releases
work in pretty much the same way:
?
In newer models, the hood release is often inside the vehicle,
some¬where near the steering column or on the floor next
to the driver's seat. (It generally displays the word Hood
or a picture of a car with its hood up) In older models, the
hood release is behind the grill or behind the bumper.
? All vehicles have a safety catch that stops the released
hood from pop¬ping all the way open. The purpose of the
safety catch is to prevent the hood from accidentally coming
open and obscuring your vision while you're driving.
? Once the hood is up, it usually stays up on its own, unless
you need to prop it up with a safety rod.
If
you haven't the faintest idea of how to get your hood open,
head for the full-service bay the next time you go in for
gas and ask the attendant to show you how to open the hood.
You may pay a little more for fuel, but the lesson will be
worth it, and you can get your windows washed and your tire
pres¬sure checked for nothing! (If you're really short
of cash, just ask for $5 worth of gasoline; the difference
in cost will be negligible)
Here's
how to open the hood of your car yourself:
1.
Find your hood release and pop open the hood.
Either consult your owner's manual, or try to remember the
last time service station attendant opened the hood of your
car. Did he or she a~ you to pull a lever inside the vehicle?
Or did he or she go directly to thl front grill?
If the hood release is at the front of the car, look around
and throug grill and feel under the grill and behind the bumper
to find a handle, lever, arm, or button. Then pull, press,
or push front to back and sid side on the thing you find until
it releases the hood. If the hood rele is inside the car,
press, push, or pull it until you hear the hood pop open.
The hood will open a little, but it will probably be stopped
by the safi , catch: a metal lever that, when pressed one
way or the other, release the hood so that it can open all
the way.
2. With one hand, raise the hood
as far as it will go. With the other h feel along the area
between the hood and the grill for the safety Release it and
then raise the hood the rest of the way.
3. Secure the hood if necessary.
If the hood stays up all by itself, fine. If it doesn't, look
for a safety ro~ that's attached either to the underside of
the hood or to the bottom edge of the hood opening. Either
lift or lower the rod (depending on I, where it's located)
and fit the end of it into the slot that's provided to' hold
it in place.
On
some vehicles, the hood is held up by two gas-pressurized
cylinde known as hood shocks. If the gas has leaked out of
these units, be care because the hood could come down at any
moment. If that's the case, replace these units or secure
the hood with a broom handle or similar object.
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