Hood won't open

On my "E" 350 had the same problem. Mine was caused by easing the hood down and not giving a good hard shove at the last moment to get the lock to fully seat. The cable or the latch in the grill wouldn't release. I had to take off the windshield wipers, that plastic panel under the wipers to get access to remove the hinge bolts completely removing the hood. Reset the hood latch and put everything back together. Just don't baby the hood when closing. If you have to go this route, operate your cable release before reassembly to make sure cable has not parted somewhere along its path.

try this . one person pull and hold the release, the other beat down on the hood in the latch area ,even push down and release in that area.

Agree with two person job. Shoot some wd40 under there and let it soak for ten minutes first. Keep the latching mechanism working by routinely spraying it when open. Just a tiny bit to keep it clean.

WD40 is not a good choice for lubricating things. It is a water displacer. That is what the "WD" is for. Over time, it dries to a very sticky residue. A better choice for lubricating is silicone spray. A better choice for breaking something loose is PB Blaster, a penetrating oil.

midnightsadie wrote:
Try this. One person pull and hold the release, the other beat down on the hood in the latch area, even push down and release in that area.

Yes!

Also try simply lifting the hood when another person has the inside latch pulled all the way. If you are totally alone without help, push down and lift on the hood even if it doesn't move. Then repeat. It just might release enough for your to do the rest alone.

Once you get it open, spray a lot of silicone lubricant on the entire latch mechanism. The silicone spray won't attract grime as much as WD40. But I have used WD40 type products too. It's better than not spraying anything at all.

I have deleted my suggestion. It appears your issue is not related to the outside latch release.


Gary Haupt

I have the same problem with my old 1990 E350. I have found that lubricating the latch mechanism under the hood does the trick.

If the hood fails to pop when I pull the inside latch, I go outside and push the hood down again until it clicks, then go back inside and try again. It may take a few tries, but usually it will eventually "pop" and the secondary latch engages.

Have your better half put some down pressure on the hood while you pop the release. That might work

I went out and looked at ours. Really couldn't find much to suggest. I take it the hood won't come off the fully closed part of the latch. Bouncing down on the hood, or bouncing down and tugging up, WHILE the inside handle is pulled, might get it to release.
The release cable runs from driver side, of course, just below the radiator support. It can be reached from the upper outer (driver side, near the headlight) opening in the grille. But then what? Person in front could tug on it while person inside tugs on the handle. You could reach in and cut it, then strip it down to pull on the core with vise grips, but my guess is the problem is in the latch mechanism not the cable. I could just touch the lower driver side corner of the latch, which is where the cable attaches with one screw. I do NOT think it'd be likely to catch the core, to the right (passenger side) of that screw with a hook made from a coat hanger or the like.
DID look like removing the wipers and air inlet grille to get at the hinges would work but the latch likely won't let go of the hood. Here's what I suggest:
1. Talk to a Service Manager or Assistant Manager at a Ford Dealer
2. Or perhaps a Locksmith who does vehicle lockouts - Or a Body Shop
3. Post the question on an auto forum like batauto.com since this problem is the same for all Ford Van types across a range of years

This probably won't help but....I got a chev pickup, pull release, hood don't move, go hit with fist front of hood (just left of center), hit toward back of vehicle (not down toward ground), it pops up. Continually happens to me. Service shop mechanic told me a chev truck mannerism or trait. Don't know bout Fords