I need help with my hood release latch.

[HISSSS]

Hi! I'm Mary. My husband and I have a 98 Frod Explorer Eddie Bauer. The primary hood latch wont realease. We have tried all the obvious methods. So now we are looking to find a way to open the hood without breaking something. Please help! Any info is appreciated. Especially since we don't really have the money to take it and have it fixed. Thanks in adavnce. Mary

 

[fixxxer]

Hi and welcome to the forum!.
Is the release handle under the dash working? If so, sometimes it helps if you have two people, one to pull the hood release handle then the other first pushes down on the hood, just above where the latch is then pull up sharply. If that latch mechanism hasn't been oiled/greased for a long time, it can seize up. If you peer into the grill where the latch assembly is, you should be able to see where the cable attaches from the hood release handle in the cab to the latch release mech. behind the grill. You may be able to get a long screwdriver with a thin shaft to push the latch to the side and get it to release. From there, it should be a simple matter to get the hood to release from the latch and open as normal.

 

[BrooklynBay]

Welcome to this forum! I've renamed, and moved your thread to the stock 95-01 section.

 

[$100horse]

Can it be lubed with something as simple as say...WD40? Or is there something better and more suitable for this procedure? Thanks.

Jes

 

[BrooklynBay]

You could try WD-40. It works very well with locks, and might work for you.

 

[RickMar]

Hi Mary;
The same happened to me once.
This will work. You are on the road to opening your hood !!

In the area where you have the break release handle you also have a hood release handle,just below the steering wheel.
The hood release handle as you know works a little different.
When you pull the latch it is pulling a thin cable within a black sheath. The cable runs through the firewall....along the left fender....half way across the front grill to the latch mechanism.
The problem is the end of the cable is hopefully stretched

If the loop at the end of the cable that connects to the release mechanism is broken you don't want to know what that scenario would be for that. Put that thought aside...I am betting it is stretched, almost positive.

To open your hood you need to do this:

(1) When you pull on the hood release there are two small 7 mm bolts that hold it in place. They are small and a little difficult to see... the release handle absolutely needs to be pulled toward you to expose the two bolts.
(2) Remove the two 7 mm bolts and the hood release latch and cable will dangle toward the floor.
(3) You will see a thin silver wire cable when you hold the latch in your hands and pull a little on the latch.
(4) When you pull on the latch handle... pull that silver cable as much as you can...at this point make sure the cable is pulled or extended as far as it will possibly go. Grip the silver cable tightly with a pair of vise grips at the farthest point.
Your almost done...take a break for a few seconds.
(5) Now pull on the silver cable straight toward you with the vise grips.
This will give the silver cable the little extra travel it needs to trip the locking mechanism and your hoodwill pop open.
You will probably want to replace the hood release cable. They do not cost much and pretty easy to do.
I hope this helps.
Good Luck;
Rick