Replacing hood release cable

[Dekorum]

When replacing the hood release cable, how do you feed the cable from the drivers floor board area to the under hood area? I was told you had to take off the fender but you can see the cable running along the top by the strut tower.. so I don't think you need to take the fender off.

 

[SublimeRT]

The black cable on the bottom that goes between the two bunches of wires and goes up and gets zip tied to the big harness is the hood latch cable. Obviously I've routed it in the fender though. It would normally go out that square opening on the side, up through the engine compartment and up to the latch. The below was copied and pasted from my Ford Manual CD.

Removal

1. From inside the vehicle, open the hood (16612).

2. Remove the two hood latch assembly retaining bolts. Remove hood latch cable retainer screw. Disengage hood latch control handle and cable (16916) and remove hood latch control handle and cable.

3. To facilitate installing hood latch control handle and cable, fasten a "fish line" about 2.5m (8 feet) long to hood latch control handle and cable.

4. From inside vehicle, unseat sealing grommet from cowl side, remove cable mounting bracket retaining screws and carefully pull out hood latch control handle and cable. Do not pull out fish line.

5. If necessary, remove hood latch support.


Installation

1. Install hood latch support, if removed. Tighten screws to 10.2-13.8 N-m (8-10 lb-ft).

2. Using previously installed "fish line," pull new cable assembly through retaining wall, seat grommet securely, and install cable mounting bracket retaining screws.

3. Thread terminal end of hood latch control handle and cable into hood latch return spring.

4. Rotate hood latch control handle and cable through hood latch V-slot, position cable retainer to hood latch (16700) and install screw.

5. Position hood latch and install two retaining bolts. Adjust hood latch and tighten retaining bolts to 10-14 N-m (7-10 lb-ft).

6. Close hood and verify correct hood latch adjustment.

7. If hood closing efforts and inside hood latch control handle and cable efforts are too high, adjust the hood latch upward and/or the hood bumpers (16758) downward. Tighten hood latch screws to 10-14 N-m (7.3-10.3 lb-ft). Tighten cable hold down to 1.8-2.6 N-m (16-23 lb-in). Tighten handle bracket retaining nut to 0.5-2.3 N-m (4.9-20 lb-in).