Hood Release

[Restifier52]

Hi everyone! Hope you all had a great Christmas. I have searched the site but haven't found the info I'm looking for. My hood release stays out when I pull it out and I have to push it back in when I want the hood to close again. Is this normal or am I missing a spring somewhere? Thanks.

Rick

[del]

Hi Rick - Mine does the same thing. Kind of irritating, ain't it! I'll be interested see if someone posts a solution.

[Howard Prout]

There should be a spring in the left latch that pulls it back.

[Restifier52]

Thanks Howard. I have an idea now of how to fix this. I will be taking The Baby (not the official nickname yet but I'm leaning toward it) to the shop next week to get the stance fixed. Right now the front is too high due to the lower weight of the 351/AOD. 2012 will be my first real season of driving and I plan to make the most of it. Happy New Year everyone!

[cuul59]

Hood Release Quick Checks

The handle should spring back once you release it. Most likely this is an easy fix. Start by checking BOTH left and right latches to see if there is anything disconnected or broken...you can do this by comparing them to each other. At this time take a look at the cable to see if there is excessive free play and adjust it as necessary. However the most likely cause is simply a lack of lubrication. Use WD40 or similar parts penetrating fluid and spray it liberally throughout but latches. Then work the latches about a dozen cycles of opening and closing to get the lubricant worked into the right places. If all this fails, you may need to replace the hood latch cable...not a hard job and they are available from the usual parts suppliers.

[60 T-Bird]

I ended up replacing the spring (actually made one), replaced the control cables and greased them. Works great now.

[Restifier52]

Can you describe what you did to make the spring? That is something I never thought about fabricating!