2004 Highlander - Hood Latch problem ... How to remove Grille?

[crcr]

I have a 2004 V6 2WD Highlander. Yesterday after I checked the oil, the hood latch has refused to latch. I tried spraying WD-40 into the Hood Latch mechanism and then immediately working the opening lever under the dash, but to no avail. At this point my best guess is that there has been a failure inside that hood latch mechanism behind the grille.

So I was thinking to remove the front grille to get to the hood latch to remove and replace it. Does anyone have experience removing the grille, and or replacing the hood latch, and can offer some tips? And/or does anyone have any experience or suggestions for a solution to the hood latch problem, other than to just R&R it?

There are 4 plastic pins holding the top of the grille, which I have successfully removed, but the grille is still held firmly at the sides next to the headlights, and possibly along the bottom of the grille, but so far I am unable to see how it is attached. Can anyone tell me the proper procedure to remove the grille?

Thanks in advance for any assistance!

[cerivera]

try this, should be 2 more clips Good luck

[crcr]

Thanks for the relevant page from the Toyota manual, cerivera! I really appreciate it.

I'll describe the procedure of removing the grille for the benefit of others. First, remove the 4 clips labelled A by prying up carefully on each one, which releases the clip to pull out completely. Then, the two clips labelled B between the grille and the headlamps, which are accessed from under the hood, are difficult to access, but doable. I used a long nose pliers to squeeze those two clips. I found it necessary to remove the top battery hold-down bracket for easier access to the driver side clip B. Lastly, you have to reach down to the inside bottom of the grille and one by one, release 5 or 6 clips from the claws, as shown in the illustration. Then the grille is freed up to come out.

With the grille out, I had easy access to the hood latch. It turns out that the reason it wasn't latching, was that a small spring that holds the mechanism in place to hold the hood closed, had come off. And luckily the spring was still there. I re-installed the spring and squeezed the ends more tightly together to hopefully prevent it from coming off again.

Thanks again for the print-out from your manual! It was very helpful. Now my hood latches properly again. Hubba hubba!