HELP! Hood won't open

[condorjohn]

Not long ago I bought a 1995 Mazda B2300 beater for dump runs and such. Last week I went to check the oil and when I pulled the hood latch, under the dash, nothing... Feels like the cable is either broke or got disconnected.

What can I do???

[skeettx]

https://www.justanswer.com/car/0nbb8-hood-latch-1995-mazda-b2300-pickup-stuck.html

At this point you will need to get a flash light and a very long screwdriver (Will use this as a prying device) crawl under vehicle, under front bumper and look up between grill and radiator until you find the latch assy. you should be able to see the cable that goes into the latch. At this point you are looking for the lever on which to pull back on with that long screwdriver. That lever is going to be the same lever that the hood release cable connects to. Basically you are going to act like the lever and pop the hood open. Some times it take a while to find the exact point at which to do this on this truck, but I have always been successful.

[Mk42gunner]

IIRC that is basically a rebadged ford Ranger. You might be able to do the screwdriver trick from the front of the vehicle, through the grill.

Once you get it open, you can either replace the hood latch cable, or rig a wire to work it. Depending on how much money you want to invest.

Robert

[condorjohn]

Thank you, gentlemen...

[zarrinvz24]

IIRC that is basically a rebadged ford Ranger. You might be able to do the screwdriver trick from the front of the vehicle, through the grill.

Once you get it open, you can either replace the hood latch cable, or rig a wire to work it. Depending on how much money you want to invest.

Robert

As a Ford man I am super brand loyal, but one could argue that the last generation Ranger was really a rebadged Mazda.... [smilie=l:

[Dunross]

I put north of 350,000 miles on a '95 B2300. It had the best parts of a Mazda and the worst parts of a Ford.

Once had my hood latch do the very same thing. In my case the cable was not snapped, but the latch was effectively jammed. Played the bongo on the hood over the latch with a rubber mallet until the shock & vibration motivated the latch to finally move enough that I could then lift the hood.

If the cable really has snapped then it's the screwdriver trick discussed above.

[crappie-hunter]

Before my dad passed , he had a garden tractor that he couldn’t get the hood up to change the spark plug, so he took an air chisel to it and cut a ragged hole to access the spark plug, boy was I ever upset with him. I got over it and wish he was here today so I could pick his brain on things he was good at, and we could still hunt together.

Please don’t do that to your truck.

[zarrinvz24]

Before my dad passed , he had a garden tractor that he couldn’t get the hood up to change the spark plug, so he took an air chisel to it and cut a ragged hole to access the spark plug, boy was I ever upset with him. I got over it and wish he was here today so I could pick his brain on things he was good at, and we could still hunt together.

Please don’t do that to your truck.

Sounds like he might’ve been from the generation that survived the depression. They were a tougher than iron bunch but were ever practical. Bet he never had a problem with the hood latch again!!

[WebMonkey]

was listening to amos and andy.

why won't the hood open kingfish?
the hood has been welded shut to keep dirt out of the engine.
you need to get use a mechanic with a long arm going through the tailpipe.

sorry, love my OTR

[megasupermagnum]

Yes, in 1993 Mazda pickups were discontinued, and the 1994 and on Mazda pickups are pure Ford Ranger with some minor cosmetic changes. I have had my 1994 Mazda B4000 for many, many years. It just rolled over 320,000 miles a couple weeks ago. You can reach the latch from below with something long. A screwdriver might be a little short, unless you have smaller hands. An easier way I did it when I thought my cable broke, was mine has a decent gap from grille to hood. I simply stuck a long screwdriver from the front, and flipped the latch from the front. It turned out that the cable on mine was ok, and my hood was simply frozen down.

[sghart3578]

This is no joke. My daughter drives a 95 Suburban to haul my grandkids around to school, etc. She dropped it off for a smog check one time. The smog tech called her and said "We can't get your hood open!"

My daughter said "My Dad showed me a trick. Pull on the latch that releases the hood, then slam the door shut really hard!"

The smog tech called back and said "That worked like a charm!"


Steve in N CA

[redneck1]

I've had a small pair of vice grips on the cable where it broke out of the release handle on my 1998 Mazda / ranger for 4 years or so now .

78,000. ( 228,000 total ) miles with zero oil changes and still going strong .
I've been waiting for it to die for five years now so I can get something different. But it just keeps going ........

[Mk42gunner]

78,000. ( 228,000 total ) miles with zero oil changes and still going strong .
Yikes.

I'll admit to being a bit lax occasionally on oil changes, but the most I ever went was 7,500. And that was all in one month.

Robert

[jim147]

I've had a small pair of vice grips on the cable where it broke out of the release handle on my 1998 Mazda / ranger for 4 years or so now .

78,000. ( 228,000 total ) miles with zero oil changes and still going strong .
I've been waiting for it to die for five years now so I can get something different. But it just keeps going ........

Did it start this winter trying to move that slug out of the way of the crankshaft with the starter?

[Garyshome]

"78,000. ( 228,000 total ) miles with zero oil changes"

So you HATE your truck or are reallllly lazy!:violin:

[Brassmonkey]

"78,000. ( 228,000 total ) miles with zero oil changes"

So you HATE your truck or are reallllly lazy!:violin:

Got that anti rust system self lubricating chassis and underside.

[redneck1]

Its been a rather dependable truck for the twelve years I've owned it .
To dependable actually . it just won't die so I can replace it .
Half a quart of oil every 1500 miles or so , doesn't smoke , knock or use any more gas then when I took care of it .
I fear the rust is gonna kill it before the engine dies . or the tires go bald
There isn't enough body left to justify tires .

[Gtrubicon]

Get a sawzall with a Milwaukee torch blade, liberate that poor piece of sheet metal from the truck