1987 Dodge 4x4 Pickup Hood Release

The hood release latch on my '87 Dodge 4x4 broke which prevented me from opening the hood. The battery had died and after raising the hood to check the size, I went to Wal-Mart for a new one. Upon return, I pulled the hood release in the cabin and it simply pulled free.

An initial inspection of the hood release mechanism revealed nothing as it cannot be seen! Spend about a hour on the Internet looking for a solution. One 'expert' said to remove the grill and reach in to release the cath. Well dud, the hood must be up in order to remove the grill. The grill itself has horizonial and vertical divides which prevented me from inserting my hand. The truck also has an A/C so the space between the grill and the frame is very narrow and I have large hands. A very frustrating situation.

The solution. I had to break a couple of the grill's horizional divides on each side of the center post. Then using an o-ring returning type device I was able to touch my fingers after having slide them up both sides of the center post. O-ring removers look like a small ice pick with the tip bent to form a half circle. Mine is short so it had to held by the end. In order to get any pulling leverage, it was necessary to tie a cord around the handle.

Then reaching the remover over the top of the frame I kept tring to snag it on the release. Each time it caught on something, I slide my hand down the attached cord and pulled on the cord. After several attempts it actually worked! The release mechanism is attached to the frame and shielded by the hood. It cannot be seen by looking throught the grill or with a mirror. Snagging it with a hook type device is purely by feel, and luck.

This is how to release a broken hyood latch on a 1987 Dodge 4x4 Pickup. If any one has any question feel free to ask.
Dave