Chevy & GMC Vans

So the Safari has been sitting for a while, and the battery has run down. I need to get the hood open, but I pull the release in the cab and the hood latch is not letting go, or if it is, the hood is not popping up enough to get out of it. I think the cable is still attached as I hear it. How can I get the hood open?

I have had to give a closed fist smack right in the center of the hood before. You may need a helper hold the hood release lever open.

I have tried doing it with the help of my wife. Still no luck. I need to get the hood open to get the truck running.

You may have to reach further behind the pull release under the dash/side plastic and try to tug on the actual cable to get a little more tension while someone is pushing/tapping on the hood.

For mine, I cleaned and slightly adjusted the hood release mechanism, adjusted the rubber bumpers, gave a little pull on the spring and fixed the wobbly release catch so it wouldn't hang up when trying to open. It's a one hander now.







Video proof!

https://d1wst0behutosd.cloudfront.net/videos/190732.mp4

I slide my dainty girly hand under the hood to manually move the lever Strovelander fixed...its a tight fit, but works until I can try something more permanent like he did. For me it isnt the cable it is the wobbly release catch thing he mentions I think, as it doesnt pull straight, its loos and does so at an angle which means it doesnt let go.

So I sprayed under the hood at the latch liberally with PB Blaster. Let it sit. Sprayed again, then tried having my son hold the release inside while I beat the hood into submission. Just when I was about to give up because it is cold and my hands were getting sore, it popped open. I tried boosting it, but while I had power, the van would just get to the point where it would turn over, but would stop there. I figured I would try charging the battery overnight then try boosting it again. I have a sneaky suspicion my battery it toast.

Batteries don't go bad, do they? They're supposed to last forever, right?

I have a 93 Safari. The hood release is broken. I know that on some cars you can release the hood manually by reaching below the hood but the design of the Safari seems to make that impossible. Does anyone know of a good way to open the hood when the release is broken?

Sometimes you can get a thin socket with a wobble drive extension between the hood and the grill, remove the two bolts of the hood latch and good to go. Use a file folder or some tape to prevent scratching of the hood/grill.