[Mariano]

Where did it break? Any chance it broke at the hood release inside the car? If so, you can get some pliers/vice grips and just pull really hard to see if it will release.

Thanks! I saw a video of someone doing that too. I checked the cable end inside the car and it's not broken there. I unhooked the cable from the lever and pull as hard as I dared but it didn't release. I was afraid to pull too hard and break something else.

When I pull the cable from the inside the car, the cable then comes back in, so I guess the cable may not be broken and the spring at the lock is pulling it back, so it maybe something different than the cable.

 

[Mariano]

^^ LOL. Thanks for the advice. No I was not going to put a torch close to the engine.

@Mariano
Did you get this figured out?

Didn't have time yet. Hopefully tomorrow.

 

[Mariano]

UPDATE: I tried getting between the radiator and the bumper, but same thing. I can't even see the latch. And from this side, I can't get my hand up there. The space is too narrow between the rad and the bumper, even for my skinny hands and arms.

I will try to remove the front bumper. Never done it before. I did remove the rear when I installed the trailer hitch.
In the videos about removing the front bumper, it always starts by opening the hood and removing the plastic trim on top of the radiator. However, it looks like I may able to loosen everything from the bottom and then force the bumper out.

 

[Mariano]

Did you happen to watch any of these videos?

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=crv+hood+stuck

Yes, thank you! I think I watched all of them. The ones that unlock the latch from underneath are about a GEN2 (or GEN1, not sure)

Will update with results.

 

[Mariano]

I opened it! I was lucky. Just when I was about to pull out the front fender and most likely break something, I asked my wife to pull from the release lever inside the car while I pulled the hood upwards and after some wiggling and pulling it opened.

One of the two springs in the latch was broken. It was dry and rusty. It's weird the second spring looks good. Maybe a different material. I definitely should have greased the latch.
The springs that operates the cable was good. The broken one was the one that release the lock.

I don't know if would have been able to pull out the bumper without opening the hood. There are two push pins that hold the black plastic cover against the top painted trim in the bumper.

The cable was in good condition. I added some lube to it. The fact that the inside release lever came back by itself doesn't say anything about the condition of the cable or the spring in the latch because the inside lever has a spring itself, so the inside release lever will always come back as long as its spring is good.

I will try to get a new spring that fits so I can get it to work today. Then will see if I get the OEM springs or get a whole new latch. The latch looks good though. No rust on it, and not much play in the levers.

 

[Mariano]

^^ Exactly. The one in your picture seems to be for a Gen4 (2012-2016). I found a similar picture on eBay. Anyways, it was very easy to figure out the position of the broken spring.

AT Home Depot I found a spring that looks identical to the broken one for $5 Now it's all re mounted and working.
It looks like Honda doesn't sell the springs. A new OEM latch costs a bit over 100 and there are some aftermarket for around 20.

Here is the latch with the HomeDepot spring (shiny and wider one):

 

[Mariano]

In the end, I didn't find out how to release the latch because I didn't have to, because my cable was good.

The cable gets into the latch from the left side of the car and connects to the lever that has the smaller spring. When you pull from the cable, the lever in the latch releases the lock, which is loaded by the second spring and lets the hood pop.

This picture shows the cable still connected to the latch:

The latch is shown from behind, so the cable is on the left of the car and the red arrow is the right side of the car.
The hooks on top are the ones that lock the hood, so that's upwards.
Half of the broken spring is still there.

In case of a broken cable, I'd say you should manage to slide in something from the right side of the car into the latch and push the lever at the end of the small spring (red arrow). If both springs are ok, that should release the latch.

 

[Mariano]

Its goofy that is $5 at home depot. Tractor supply likely less.

LOL $5 was actually for a box with four springs. I would have paid even more.

 

[Mariano]

Did you insert the screwdriver from underneath the car?!?

I couldn't find how to. From underneath, I couldn't see the latch at all.

 

[Mariano]

Be aware that this thread is about Gen 3 CR-V, (2007-2011 in US). A 2023 must be very different.