Toyota 53510-AA051 Lock Assembly, Hood

Start with Solara models by marking a line around the latch to guide your installation, then take out the plastic cover covering the latch if present, held in place with plastic pins. Once you've removed the screws holding the hood latch to the radiator support, loosen the bolts to move the latch both up and down. Also remove the plastic cover underneath for full access. You need to take out the latch, remembering to first remove three screws and the radiator grille if your Solara. Unplug the hood cable by taking it off the latch holder and pulling out the cable base from the latch assembly. We reattach the latch last, making sure it clicks into place firmly and the hood bumpers shift a hair. To access the cable, disconnect it from the latch assembly. Now take a piece of wire or string and attach it to the cable's free end. Unclip every remaining retaining clip holding the cable onto the radiator support. Begin by taking off the plastic inner fender well below the car. In the driver's space, uncouple the driver's door sash cover, foot panel, and knee boost panel, which includes the hood cable lever. Grab both cover and grommet at the back of the car, keep moving them forward until you can see the wire through the opening, verify that the new wire has a matching grommet, and loop the string from the old grommet's end onto the new one. Pull the new cable and wire or string through the firewall opening by hand until you reach the latch assembly. Reinsert the new cable into the hood cable lever in your passenger compartment. Make sure the cable housing fits properly into its notch on the handle bracket. Place the cable back in by unlatching it from the passenger side, then press the rubber grommet down from the cabin to line it up correctly in the firewall hole.