So I went to change out both of my headlight bulbs today (wife drives the '04, one bulb went out and we put off fixing it just long enough for the other one to go as well). First off, changing them out is only easy once you've done it once. Prior to that, it's not terribly obvious what needs to happen to get the bulb out, and the gap on the drivers' side is tough to work in. Had the bright idea to loosen one of the battery tie-down bolts and scoot it over an inch or so to give myself more room. It worked brilliantly, except that I sheared off the battery tie-down bolt (the one on the radiator support, 'twas extremely rusty). D'oh. Closed the hood, went to the hardware store to pick up some heavy duty zip ties to better secure the now-loose battery. Ghetto fix, I know, but it's getting dark and I didn't really have the energy to drill out the remnants of that bolt and hunt down a replacement. Problem for another day. Zip ties installed, I went to close the hood only to find that it now will not latch properly. It catches initially, but won't lock into place. I searched around GenVibe, found recommendations to adjust the bump stops but I don't think that's the issue (since I didn't touch them in the first place). Seems more like the cursed broken spring that's happened to a few folks on here. Looks like I'll be hunting for a new or used hood latch mechanism this week. Sorry for the long gripe, I'm sure there's a "how many idiots does it take to change a light bulb" joke in here somewhere. Pic for the heck of it:
james / bodhi tree studio / tattoos & illustration / http://www.bodhitreestudio.comebay store : vintage clothing & toys---03 Satellite Vibe GT // 04 Neptune base // 1986 VW Golf // 1990 VW Golf GL---
I feel your pain, my friend. Been there too many times.
"Don't look to the government to solve your problems, the government is the problem." Ronald Reagan"They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety." Ben Franklin.
I know our vibe will need a new battery oneday and as i was looking at my holddown bolts i decided to start soaking them with Zep penetrating oil now so they will come out then.
2006 Vibe AWD, Platinum/Graphite, Sun and Sound Package - Sisters
2007 Vibe FWD, Neptune/Graphite, Base
PAST - 04 Shadow Base, Moons and Tunes, Monotone, Traded at 23K for the 06 AWD.
Before you go looking for a new hood latch, WD40 the crap out of it. Same thing was happened to mine and I was adjusting the bump stops and everything as well. ONce I sprayed it with WD40 and worked it in, it's worked fine ever since!
April 2010 Co-MOTM * Custom LED Gauge Cluster swap * LED dome, HVAC, and shifter * Retrofit projector w/ blue halo * Kenwood KDC-HD942U * Herculined cargo area * Debadged *Wolfman's Garage
Quote, originally posted by Wolfman213 »Before you go looking for a new hood latch, WD40 the crap out of it. Same thing was happened to mine and I was adjusting the bump stops and everything as well. ONce I sprayed it with WD40 and worked it in, it's worked fine ever since!^thisIt was buggin the hell out of me, so I just did exactly that. Cleaned a bunch of grime off the latch and hit with a few wd40 blasts. Good as new!
de-badged o4 vibe
tein s-techs | 17" msr 105 wheels | 235 45 17 nexen n7000
weapon-r short ram (thanx BC!) | typeR sport pedals | LED 3rd brake
o2 triumph speed four
No luck I tried adjusting the bump stops too, just to see if it made any difference. No dice there, either. Does anyone have any good tips or step by step info for removing the hood latch mechanism? I can see a couple of bolts but it looks like there may be more than just that holding it in place (not to mention the release cable itself). Thanks
james / bodhi tree studio / tattoos & illustration / http://www.bodhitreestudio.comebay store : vintage clothing & toys---03 Satellite Vibe GT // 04 Neptune base // 1986 VW Golf // 1990 VW Golf GL---
Just had some success.. gave the WD-40 some time to work in, and while it still won't latch solidly when just pushing down on the hood, it will latch when you let it drop from a moderate height. So.. win?
james / bodhi tree studio / tattoos & illustration / http://www.bodhitreestudio.comebay store : vintage clothing & toys---03 Satellite Vibe GT // 04 Neptune base // 1986 VW Golf // 1990 VW Golf GL---
I say win! Give it more time to work in... I could feel when opening the hood, that the latch wasn't springing back as quickly. Now, after the wd40 shots, its goodAs for the headlights, you're right. The first time on the drivers side is a pita. But I've been replacing mine just about every 6 months...I dont even mind doing it in the winter anymore!
de-badged o4 vibe
tein s-techs | 17" msr 105 wheels | 235 45 17 nexen n7000
weapon-r short ram (thanx BC!) | typeR sport pedals | LED 3rd brake
o2 triumph speed four