Hood flutter is annoying. Any Jeep JK owner that has driven on the highway or into a headwind has experienced it. It looks like this:
There are a couple of ways to fix hood flutter. The first is to remove the spring that keeps the hood from crashing into the body when closing. I have seen many people slam a Jeep Wranglers hood, this isn’t necessary. Lowering it gently and latching it shut is all it needs. I don’t let many people raise the hood of my Jeep for service or otherwise. But, I would hate to damage the hood because someone closed it too hard after I removed the spring. So, I didn’t consider this a good option. The second way to fix this issue is replacing the latch with an aftermarket part. There are many to choose from, some offer a new design and others lock.
I prefer my latches to look stock and I’m not concerned with locking my engine bay. So, a Daystar Hood Latch was the best option for me. It replaces the weak rubber in the factory hood latch with a slightly shorter, stiffer, material. Make sure it’s 70 degrees outside for the initial install. Colder weather will make the latch constrict and difficult to use. This isn’t an issue after it relaxes a bit, just the first few times it’s extremely tight.
Installation
The install is straight forward and easy and uses basic hand tools.
- Use a vise and screwdriver to separate the lower latch connection. It has a plastic cover that will snap fairly easily and a steel inner pin.
- Slide the inner pin out and remove from the Jeep.
- Hold one side steady and twist the other plastic cover until you will hear it snap.
- Use the provided hardware to reassemble the new Daystar latch and attach to the factory mounting points on the Jeep.
- Repeat on the other side.
Problem solved. No more hood flutter.
