Front hood latch

[savinor]

I'm having a problem opening my front hood. I've had this '99 for 8 months and it has always been difficult to open. At first it just required that I get my fingers under the edge. (do not pop up) Now I need two people, one to pull the release and a second to pull up hard. I have adjusted the latch up because the hood seemed to far down below the bumper interface and used a little silicone spray on it with no improvement. Is the cable adjustable? Why doesn't it pop up when released?

Thanks,

Rich in CT

[Tool Pants]

No adjustment that I know of. There is a spring inside the latch. You are going to have to take a look at it to see what is going on.

Remove the headlights and the plastic cover for the latch. The cover has 4 round black things you turn and then you can remove the cover. You can test the operation of the latch with a screw driver.

[an_engnr]

I have almost the same issue... My car is a '99 as well; The front hood has always popped up nicely, that is until recently. A few months back, it stopped popping up (it was a sudden change rather than a gradual decrease in it's popping ability). I have not taken it apart, but from a visual inspection, the helical spring is in place and appears to be in fine shape.

I also tried the judicous application of lubricant and the loosining of the latch mechanism (to achieve better alignment), both to no avail.

Currently, when I pop the front hood, the hood does not raise at all. I then have to squeeze my fingers carefully under the edge, at which point I am able to raise the hood. I really don't have a problem getting the hood up, but would be reluctant to let someone else open it for me.