hood wont open

[nyc_medic]

Hello all,
I'm in need of some advise on how to open the hood on my 99 mountaineer. I believe that the release wire has broken, because when I pull on it i feels really loose, and the hood does come loose from the latch. Any ideas? Thanks in advance

 

[techieman33]

I did something like that on my 91 when i was taking the dash apart, what I ended up doing was just hitting the hood just above latch, and then i could pull the release and open it, I had to pull really hard though.

 

[YAMBIG]

First I would look behind the release handle for a frayed or broken wire. If you see it, tug it with vice grips or pliers. If that is'nt the case, I am not exactly sure of the setup (I have a 91 explorer), but I would suggest either going through the grille or under the bumper with a pair of long needle nose pliers and attempting to grab the wire housing (tight enough to crimp the wire so you are not pulling only the housing) and try to give it a good yank. This would probably be a lot easier with a second set of hands applying pressure to the hood to take pressure off of the latch. (also to open it if you have success popping it). If he drops it, make him lay in the cold N.Y. snow to pop it the second time!

 

[ExplorerDMB]

I had the very same problem on my 00. I would pul the lever all the way out and the hood wouldn't pop - what happened was that the cable just stretched and just stretched too far. What you should do is pull up the lever, take some pliers and pull on the cable and then get someone to hit on the hood or the pry up on the hood with their fingers. It should pop up. Then you can figure out exactly what it is. If you do replace the cable, you will want to lube up the latch. Good luck.

-Drew