How to Lubricate the Hood/Trunk Latch in a Chevy Silverado

Since 1999, the Chevy Silverado has been hauling people, materials, payloads and other items down the highways of the United States. Because this is a full-sized working truck, you need to clean and lubricate the hood latch and the tailgate latches every time you change the oil. Use the following directions for all 1999 and newer Silverado models.

Instructions

1

Start at the front of your Chevy Silverado. Pop the hood and secure it, so you'll be safe while working on the latch mechanism.

2

Clean the hood latch mechanism on your Chevy Silverado using a cloth. Make sure you clean both surface grime and sand and gunk found inside the latch mechanism. To get the deep down grime, you may need to wrap the cloth around a screwdriver or your finger and swab out the inside of the mechanism.

3

Complete a rust inspection around the hood latch. Remove any rust you find, as the iron oxidation will lead to squeaks and latch malfunctions. After removing the rust by rubbing it off or brushing it off, treat the area with WD-40 or another anti-rust agent.

4

Wipe away excess WD-40 and apply your lithium lubricant--Sep White Lithium Grease Aerosol is a good choice. To lubricate this latch completely, you need to spray around the edges of the latch mechanism, as well as, spray directly into the latch mechanism.

5

Test the latch several times to make sure it doesn't squeak or catch. Apply a second dose of lubricant, if you're still having problems with the latch.

6

Move to the back of your Chevy Silverado and lower the tailgate. You have tailgate latches on both sides of the tailgate, so lubricate and clean both sides.

7

Scour each latch mechanism with your cloth, remove any rust build up, treat with WD-40, wipe away any extra WD-40 and then apply lithium lubricant to each latch. Make sure you spray the lubricant directly into the mechanism. Test the tailgate for squeaks and sticking and add more lubricant, if needed.