How to Replace Hood Latch Rod Retainer 2002-08 Dodge Ram

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Hi, I'm Mike from 1A Auto. I hope this how-to video helps you out, and next time you need parts for your vehicle, think of 1AAuto.com. Thanks.

In this video, we're going to show you how to replace the hood latch rod and retainer. This is a 2008 Dodge Ram, but this is the same for 2002 to 2008 1500, as well as a 2009 2500 and 3500. Items you'll need are the new latch rod and retainer from 1AAuto.com. You also need some grease to put it back together, flat blade screwdriver, and penetrating oil, if you have some difficulty.

Open up the hood and if you're replacing your latch activation rod, then most likely it's not going to be here. So, you can go up from underneath, there's just a few clips that's on a panel underneath. You can remove that panel and reach up and, basically, you have to, by hand, activate the secondary latch and open up your hood.

Here's your latch activate rod. You can see it just pushes this hook to the side, which releases the hood. Most likely, if you're replacing this, you may have gotten in a little accident and it bent up or your clip may have broken off and it may have fallen off. It's pretty simple, you just take this clip and push it to the side and then pull the rod out, pull it down.

There's a retainer here which we sell at 1AAuto as well. You can pull the rod out, just kind of follow the contours and it'll come out. Original part from the car and new part from 1AAuto, this MPBHO00008, this is actually a Mopar branded piece so it's, obviously, an exact replacement.

Since our old one is in good shape, we're just going to reinstall that one. If your retainer's still there, you can put the new one in through the retainer like you removed it. Or, here's a new retainer from 1A Auto, you can see it just has the clips here.

So, from the backside, you just want to try and squeeze those clips and push the retainer out. You can see my old retainer has got a couple of broken clips so I'll put a new one in. You can see that this bar here is rusted some, and that's thickened it so sometimes the retainer won't stick on there, so I'm going to scrap off this paint.

That's actually better for the vehicle, because once you scrape that off it stops holding the moisture next to the metal, so it will delay the rusting some. Put my retainer in there first. Put just a little bit of grease, anything slippery, just a little bit of oil or something to help those teeth kind of slide in. Then you can slide your latch rod in, just keep following the contours. Then make sure both of the ends of your latch rod go up and in, in place, push it in, and then lock the clip on.

All right, little bit of grease on here, both things that slide through that retainer. It slides well. Just use either some oil or white, spray white grease. Just have a little bit of fray oil here, right up in the pivot point, and even a little bit where the clip is. Then I'm going to spray here, the latch, and then I have a little bit of grease on my finger, put it here on this post, let it work well. Your hood should close nicely and open.

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