Chrysler Repair: Hood Release Problem, detail knowledge, release lever

Question
I have a 96 3.3L fwd Intrepid. Whenever I pull on the hood release button it goes click but doesnt release the hood. I dont think the wire is broken, but rather is just not pulling enuf to unlatch the hood. ANy remedies? I've unscrewed the panel on the bottom of the door sill to get at the mechanism and it looks ok, should I maybe pull on the wire with some pliers? Or any other ways to get at it from under the hood maybe?

Answer
Hi John,
I don't have detail knowledge about the Intrepid hood release but in general my experience has been that the mechanisms tends to bind up at the latch release interface between the hood "plunger" and the latch hole into which it fits, at the front of the hood (if the hood is hinged at the rear). One thing you might try, with the help of a friend, is to push down on the top side of the hood directly over the point where the latch mechanism is located while the other person tries to use the hood release lever. This will tend to relieve some of the friction caused by the spring loaded action of the plunger tip and allow the latch to move more easily. If that releases it, then the fix is probably to grease the moving parts of the latch slider and the plunger. If that doesn't get you inside the the engine compartment, then I would suggest that you take a look from the ground and see if you can get at the latch mechanism from underneath. If you can see it, then you may be able to see the cable that is supposed to pull the slider to the side, and if you can get a long screwdriver tip on the place where the cable is attached to the latch slider mechanism you might be able to give it some help in sliding to the side to release the plunger. The friend might push down on the hood while you are doing this to again relieve any friction in the interconnection.
Then when you see once you get inside whether the normal handle release is or is not able to move the latch sufficiently to release the plunger and if not, maybe make a cable adjustment that will increase its range of motion.
The last possibility is that the latch mechanism may be held in place on the crossbar with bolts that are removable from underneath using a socket with extensions and a ratcheting handle and you could remove those bolts and the whole latch would come off the structural member so as to allow you to lift the hood enough to then separate the latch. I believe that the designers usually leave you an alternative in case the cable should break, etc.
Roland