Hey all, first post on the forum. I've got a 1991 Chevy pickup that I just got from my grandfather. The battery is dead. I've got a new battery, but I can't get the hood open.

It's got a grill guard which limits access, and the grill itself has been broken out like someone had difficulty getting access to the latch. After pulling the hood release in the cab, there was no audible release. I can reach in and push the hook back, but the hood itself never pops up when the hood latch in the cab is manipulated.

There's also a deweze on the back (bale unroller), which has fallen to the ground, and the truck is angled in against a fence. This makes it difficult to tow or put on a trailer, and it's out in the boonies.

How can I get the hood open to put a new battery in? I tried prying on it and banging on it to no avail.

 

The hook you are pushing is the secondary hook. You have to release the primary latch. Try looking at the release handle inside the truck. The cable might have broken off from the handle and if it did, you might be able to pull on the cable with a pair of pliers to release and open the hood.

 

I did check it last time I was out there, and I couldn't see that the cable was broken near the handle. Is there a backup option? I'll definitely give it another look when I'm there.

 

I can't help with a backup though I've had similar problem on my 93. When I pulled the handle in cab to release the hood, it wouldn't pop. I was pulling pretty hard and assumed something was stuck by the hood latch. Regardless, I sprayed the wire going into the cable around the handle in the cab and worked it back and forth a while. Turns out it was stuck up close to handle and eventually I could pull handle further and the hood popped.

 

Does the hood release inside the truck move easily and all the way or does it only move a little bit?

 

It didn't feel to me as if it was being obstructed. The first time I hit the release there was a sound as if the initial latch released, but maybe the cable snapped. Now there is no clicking sound when use the hood release lever. It pulls and there's some resistance, but no click. It's been a few weeks since I looked at it, I'll take a video next time I'm at the vehicle. Will bring a can of WD40 too.