DIY: Frunk / Trunk Release - dead battery

[white out]

First off, whomever designed the locks on the Frunk/Engine cover for the '99 cars has a special place in hell reserved for him.

Second, I spent an hour last night trying to find the front release cable through the right blinker. That was USELESS. So using my superior skills of trying to figure out how to open a very basic trunk. I decided to look at the source, the latch, from under the car. Here's my method for opening the trunk.

My car does not have the 3rd radiator, but it has the cut outs on the bottom of the bumper cover.

It is real tight, but you can wedge your head under the bumper cover and look through the radiator cut outs and see the cable running along the bumper beam.

Use a coat hanger, reach up through the cut outs and pull the release cable down.

Once the frunk was open I placed the cable in the bumper supports so that in the future I can reach under the car (ie not crawl under) and pull the cable.

SPECIAL NOTE - careful with your head, it is a tight fit under the front of the car. I gave myself a black eye from wedging my head under the car. :lol:

yes, my bumper cover is in bad shape - previous owner street parked it in Chicago and liked to tailgate.

[Kim]

First off, whomever designed the locks on the Frunk/Engine cover for the '99 cars has a special place in hell reserved for him.

Second, I spent an hour last night trying to find the front release cable through the right blinker. That was USELESS. So using my superior skills of trying to figure out how to open a very basic trunk. I decided to look at the source, the latch, from under the car. Here's my method for opening the trunk.

My car does not have the 3rd radiator, but it has the cut outs on the bottom of the bumper cover.

It is real tight, but you can wedge your head under the bumper cover and look through the radiator cut outs and see the cable running along the bumper beam.

Use a coat hanger, reach up through the cut outs and pull the release cable down.

Once the frunk was open I placed the cable in the bumper supports so that in the future I can reach under the car (ie not crawl under) and pull the cable.

SPECIAL NOTE - careful with your head, it is a tight fit under the front of the car. I gave myself a black eye from wedging my head under the car. :lol:

yes, my bumper cover is in bad shape - previous owner street parked it in Chicago and liked to tailgate.

If I were you, I'd take this opportunity to route both emergency cables to more convenient locations. I took the rear cable out from under the left taillight and ran it to an area where it was more accessible under the engine / rear bumper. Once there, I use a tie wrap to secure it.

In the front, I removed the right headlight and rerouted the cable from the right door jam area, around the headlight, and in behind the bumper. Once there, I tied the cable loop to a piece of fishing line with I threaded through the tow ring screw mount ... and finally tied the fishing line to the back of the bumper plug. Now, if I need emergency access, I pop out the bumper plug, pull out the fishing line connect to its back and there is the front release cable.

[white out]

Yeah, I need to do the rear.

[Hilux2400]

I have connected my front trunk release to some nylon cord that I have routed to the right front indicator recess. I have wrapped the end of the cord around the indicator drain plug. It's easy to pop the light out and find the cord and then just pull the release. I have left the engine cover release cord in its original location under the left rear light group. It's easy to get to this by just opening a gap with a plastic comb and pulling the end of the release cord out with a piece of bent wire that I keep in the glove compartment. I have covered the hooked end in heat shrink to avoid scratching the bodywork.

I have also checked that the fuel cap release wire is in working order. It's in the door jamb.

H