My hood unlatches but doesn't "pop" & can't remove the engine bay cover.

[josh8140]

I'm not sure if this is normal for my car or the mechanism is broken/stuck but when I pull the latch to open the hood it feels very loose like nothing is connected and there is no "pop". The hood doesn't move but if I slide my finger under it I can still open it so it is unlocking at least. I can see the top of the mechanism hook rotates left and right as the lever is pulled but I can't remove the front engine bay covers to get a better look.

Some of the mounting holes have screws and others have caps as you can see in the attached pics. I've pulled with a bit of force on the caps but I feel like they will break before the cover gives way. The screws don't unscrew as if there's no thread. Is there a trick to getting these off lol?

Thanks for any help guys.

[trentmeyer23]

Has the car been in an accident? This bonnet issue usuallly occurs when the latch supports have been bent. Some bending of the supports can rectify this.

With regards to the screws, they are called scrivets. They are a 2 piece design, so the outside needs to be held while the screw head is turned anticlockwise. These are often stripped due to people over tightening them.

The other pin style clips require the centre to be pushed in with a small screwdriver until you hear a click, then lifted out. They can be reset with the pin pushed back out for reinstallation.

[josh8140]

Thanks Trent, the car hasn't been recorded as in an accident but it sounds like it may have. Will it be obvious what the latch supports look like?

[trentmeyer23]

Yes, you will need to look under the plastic cover for them.