I opened my hood with the latch and when I went ot close it the latch no longer works. Is ther some way I can close and secure my hood shut?
Have somebody hold the hood release cable in at the handle while you close the hood. If it works, your cable may be over stretched.
It's part of the latch assembly, when the hood is open you can see it.
The hood latch
To close the hood of a 2005 Porsche Cayenne, first ensure that the hood is properly aligned with the latch. Gently lower the hood until it is about a foot from the latch, then release it to let it drop and engage the latch. If the hood doesn't close completely, press down firmly on the center of the hood to ensure it is secured. Always double-check that the hood is fully closed before driving.
To close the hood of a 2002 Mercedes C320, first ensure that it is properly aligned with the latch on either side. Gently lower the hood until it is about a foot above the latch, then let it drop to close securely. Make sure the hood is fully seated and check that it is latched by lifting slightly to ensure it does not move. Always ensure that no objects or obstructions are in the way before closing the hood.
In a 2004 Nissan Sentra, the hood release latch is located inside the vehicle on the driver's side. You can find it near the lower left corner of the dashboard, close to the door. It typically has a symbol of a car with an open hood. Pulling this latch will release the hood, allowing you to access the engine compartment.
To replace a hood latch on a 1995 F-150, the old hood latch will have to be cut out with a blow torch. The new hood latch will have to be welded in place. Securing with bolts after welding will make the hood latch stronger than that of the original.
In the short run, secure the hood with duct tape, straps, or whatever you can come up with. Then either get the latch fixed, (maybe oiling it will sort it out.)or install some of those hood locks that racers use.
A hood latch is the mechanism that holds your vehicles hood in the closed position while in operation.
dodge truck broken hood latch
reach in from underneath grille area and pull on latch mechanism, use a stiff piece of wire with end bent into a hook(coat hanger) if you look you will see where cable attaches to latch pull on this area