First off when I pull on the hood cable it feels soft and I have to push the cable back in after popping it. Then hood does not pop up as it should after pulling the cable. I have to give the hood a good pull to open it.

How could I fix this?

 

Clean and lubricate the hood latch. Trace the hood release cable and make sure it's not kinked or binding anywhere.

 

When I first got my car I spent two hours trying to open the hood. Someone had put a hood lock on it. After going crazy with a sawzall cutting at the cable and lock we go the hood open. It still wouldn't open well and took a lot of effort. By any chance are your hood shocks shot? Once I put new ones on it helped 100 times more.

 

Makes a world of difference! WD-40 is the miracle spray!

 

All of the above. And you can adjust the latch components for better alignment. And you might try "stretching" the big spring that pushes the hood up.

 

I have had the same problem with my hood on my 84. I tried the WD-40 it worked for a few weeks. I replaced the hood shocks but that didn't change anything other than the hood stays up. If you get a solid ideal that works pass it along. I am afraid one of these days the tug on the fiberglass hood is going to cause cracking.

 

Lubricate the latch now that you've cleaned it with WD40.

 

WD-40 won't last because it's not intended to... It's intended to displace water, hence the name, Water Displacement formula number 40.

If you look in the owners manual, there's a handy chart of regular maintenence items that should be lubricated, including the door locks, door hinges, the hood latch... It should tell you exactly what GM recommends. I don't really feel like digging one out right now, but I'm going to guess that it says either axle grease, or motor oil. White lithium grease is another popular choice. It also doesn't hurt to clean all the old crap off the latch with carb cleaner.

If all else fails, instead of beating on the hood and leaving dents, try lifting the back edge of the hood back by the wipers. You might also want to check the hood catch to see if there is a groove worn in the parts causing it to hang up.

 

Check the hood alignment. The hood probably slid back a bit. Move it forward and that should take care of it. Atleast that's what I think the problem is. And for everyone that replaced your hood shocks, did you try replacing the pop up spring first? Hood shocks weren't made to lift the hood up but to hold the hood up

 

Well I WD-40ed the hood latch, pulled the cable about 4 times to work it in, sprayed white lithium grease and pulled the hood cable 4 times to work it in and now the hood pops fine. Thanks everyone!

 

Don't forget to do the same with door latches. I removed mine and cleaned all the sand out of them. The doors close a lot easier and quieter now.

 

Eh, i gotta do this but for now i just bang it a few times and were good. though, i think ill follow suit in the spring

 

Once i got my sticky hood open i used white lithium greese. worked for a bit but got stuck again. I kept at it a few more times and it seems to be good now. Haven't tried opening the hood for a while though since it's sleeping in the garage.

 

I used to be like the Fonz with my black firebird, just had to tap it in the right spot..

 

Mine was like that, ADJUSTMENT on the latch fixed it !!!! EASY,,,,just use your comon sence !!!!

 

MY poor sunbaked Z that spent all its life down south needed all
its locks/latches/hinges lubed up real good with spray white grease
so everything would open/work easily when I brought it up north
to snow and ice land NY !

Its shiny rust/rot free body is now sleeping in the barn for the winter
waiting for spring to arrive!

 

One other thing to check is the hood height adjustment screws. Two black rubber adjusters one for each side, they are at the front. If they are to high it will put pressure on the hood causing it to be hard to open or close.

 

I'd really check all the alignment that ppl are sayin, otherwise it will most lowly just happen again.

 

The biggest problem I've seen when hoods stick is the striker gets worn causing the latch to be out of adjustment. The stricker is piece on the hood that the hood latch contacts upon closing. Mine after several thousand miles has a groove worn in it where the latch hook sat all the time. You can either replace the striker, weld groove and grind back to original shape, or readjust latch to remove the added gap.

 

yes sir, just did that myself before i even read this

 

atleast your problem isnt like mine, i cant get my hood to shut because the latch is bent

 

Just solved my "sticking hood problem" .When i first bought my car the hood would only open if someone was pulling it while i was in the car pulling and releasing the leaver. Eventually that wouldnt even work anymore and i would have to crawl underneath the bumper, reach up and manually release the latch. ( not fun in the Canadian tire parking lot trying to replace a dead battery)

The first thing i did was removed it and welded/filled the big grove that had been made from years of wear(thanks coconut8888),then grinded/drilled it back as smooth as possible with a big enough drill bit.

Then i greased it with white lithium grease and reinstalled it as high as it can go(if you haven't taken your latch off yet; you'll notice the two bolts are in a rectangular/oval hole and it can be slid up or down after loosening these bolts; i think this is probably the most common cause for this problem as the weight of the hood over a long period of time will push it down too far to properly work)

 

any idea where a guy could source a new spring for the hood latch release? the dealership wasn't of any use..

 

Glad to hear the latch stricker repair helped you out.

 

Just do what I did, I had the same problem with mine, and after I rearended a Suburban, the hood opens fine now..... Oh wait....no don't do what I did.

 

hey guys just wanted to say I used some PB Blaster sprayed that in the latch worked in by pulling the opener a few times then sprayed in some brake cleaner and it pops up like new now...I would try that...

 

Ok im having a similar problem.
just bought a new hood latch as the previous one was bent to shitss.

And now that it is installed, i still cant get the hood to close all the way.

Only the safety latch clicks, the actual hood bar wont work its way thru the mechanism.

Soo after reading a little, just WD-40 it and throw some grease on it?

 

Sooo tried it. Tried it all.
Every way possible..

The "striker bar" wont go thru the latch.
And when trying to close it, i have to hold the latch up.. Not sure if im
supose to have to do that..but i do.

 

Had the same latch release problem for the past couple of years. Had to jerk up on the hood to get it to release. Thought it was just worn out untill I found this thread. Went out in the garage, cleaned, lubbed, and HOLY CRAP! it works like new. Thanks for the info.

 

Fixed my problem. Just moved the striker rod over. Fits like a champ.