How do I fix the hood release on my 1988 lincoln town car? it seems that the mechanism is rusted and banging on the hood isn't working.
You are going to have to replace it to get it to work like it did. if you live in an area with lots of auto salvage yards (junkyards) call around for what you need. this part should not be expensive, probably under $20, but you can ask if they say they have it. if you want to make sure you get the right part take the old one with you. you will have to remove the hood release cable. figure out how it attaches to the mechanism, probably some screws hold it to the car, but the cable itself is the part you want to take off first while it is still attached to the car. there should be little bit of adjustment in the way it attaches, screw holes little bit bigger than screws and that should give you some up and down adjustment. you want it high enough to catch and hold firmly, but not so high that it hits the latch before the hood is down all the way. if you need a little more than it gives you to get it to work right you can always drill the holes a little longer, but you don't want them any bigger around. i tell you to get another hood latch because you would be wasting your time doing all this to a latch mechanism that's partly rusted away. the partly gone mechanism is just going to slop around and it won't give you a trustworthy operation, will beat your hood up (as you have seen) and could even let the hood fly open while you are going down the road. you can put some grease on the new latch around the area where the cable moves after you are done getting it aligned and it should give you years of service. hope that helps
Spray inside the edge of the hood near where the latch is with WD-40 or other lubricant. The latch is spring loaded and occasionally will stick. Once open, spray the whole mechanism really well. If unsuccessful, post back for other options.
Hope this helps.
Greg
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u need to have the dealer fix this.
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