Hood NOT Closing

[SEVEN40iL]

So I went to open up my hood today just to check fluids, and when I went to pop the hood, it didn't really pop up like normal.

So with a bit of a pull on the hood, it popped up and I managed to open it and check whatever I needed checked.

Then I went to close the hood, and it comes down no problem, the hook catches where it needs to catch in the "popped up" position, but when I push down to fully close the hood, nothing catches and it just pops right back up.

I looked around, lubed it up, played with the mechanism, but have yet to find a way to get it to close!

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks

P.S. I used the search function for this topic, but I only found people with the opposite problem of not being able to OPEN their hood!

 

[AP9]

If the hood open lever (in the vehicle) isn't still stuck in the pulled-out position, perhaps the cable has broken or disconnected? Feel for slack in the cable.

 

[koda2000]

If the hood open lever (in the vehicle) isn't still stuck in the pulled-out position, perhaps the cable has broken or disconnected? Feel for slack in the cable.

i agree. sounds like the latch (the part the cable is connected to at the latch) may be in the closed position. try pulling on the release and see how it feels. also try moving the part the cable is connected to (by hand) in the direction it needs to move to open the hood. now that you've lubed it it should release and allow the hood to close. did you lube it with something thin to begin with?

 

[SEVEN40iL]

If the hood open lever (in the vehicle) isn't still stuck in the pulled-out position, perhaps the cable has broken or disconnected? Feel for slack in the cable.

i agree. sounds like the latch (the part the cable is connected to at the latch) may be in the closed position. try pulling on the release and see how it feels. also try moving the part the cable is connected to (by hand) in the direction it needs to move to open the hood. now that you've lubed it it should release and allow the hood to close. did you lube it with something thin to begin with?

UPDATE: So I checked out the cable, and it definitely has slack, but I had a buddy check if it worked when I pulled the level from inside the truck, and it did, and I pulled the cable from within the engine bay, where I noticed the slack, and it worked from there too.

When I initially posted this thread, I had just sprayed some WD-40 in there because it looked a bit rusted.

While I was out there, I kind of just got fed up with it and just kept pushing down on it to get it to close, and maybe on my 20th try, it held closed!

 

[koda2000]

UPDATE: So I checked out the cable, and it definitely has slack, but I had a buddy check if it worked when I pulled the level from inside the truck, and it did, and I pulled the cable from within the engine bay, where I noticed the slack, and it worked from there too.

When I initially posted this thread, I had just sprayed some WD-40 in there because it looked a bit rusted.

While I was out there, I kind of just got fed up with it and just kept pushing down on it to get it to close, and maybe on my 20th try, it held closed!

well, if it's working now maybe it just took a while for the WD40 to soak in. keep it lubed with some white lithium grease. good for all your latches.

 

[delexploder]

My ( wife's) mounty got stuck both ways so I soaked the whole works with kroil left it alone for about an hour because its a true creep oil then it worked fine. On the flip side for lube im old fashioned I use a oil can with a mix of oil tranny power steering and mineral spirits

 

[Joe Dirt]

The ATF/Mineral Spirits mix is awesommmmme.

Yeah, you need to do some service to that release with some lube- otherwise, even though it closed, you still may not be able to get it open. I went through that the other week, had to lube up and use a screwdriver to trip the latch a bunch of times before it worked in. Works like new now.

 

[SEVEN40iL]

Thanks for all the suggestions! I will lube up that latch as soon as I can!

 

[tripplec]

Release Cable getting Hung Open

Yep its happen to our Sport.

Pull to open the hood doing an oil change and twice now. Closing it just bouces the hood up. The release stays back and the pull lever under the dash is flopping in the pulled mode. Its not getting pulled back.

Very hard to find what part of the latch to pry back to pull the cable. I am going to have to fix this as soon as it warms up this spring. The latch itself is oiled and has been. I suspect its the cable itself but I can't get at anything.

 

[Robman]

Slam it harder

I have to slam the hood pretty hard on 1 of my Explorers.

 

[tripplec]

That doesn't work since the latch which the release cable pull stays pulled back so it cannot engage. After some prying and poking I get it to move back enough that it does but the next time its the same again.