Can't open hood; broken release cable

[David_Jennings]

Sorry about the generic nature of this question, but I can't figure it out. My brother's 89 Diesel had the hood release cable break at the release under the hood (as opposed to in the cab, where you could grap it with a vicegrips.) How the heck do you open the hood without a crowbar? Somebody out there must have a trick. Sooner or later he's going to have to check his oil. Thanks.

[markrinker]

Hmmmm...if memory serves me right, you can see the end of the cable and hood latch mechanism through the grille. If you can reach it with a screwdriver or long pliers, you can manually actuate the latch.

If 'impossible' to reach or actuate, I'd drive to the closest Chevy dealer and ask the lead service tech. Those guys will known a way around this type of problem. Guaranteed you are not the first to have this happen.

[David_Jennings]

Good advice, thanks. My brother called to say that he was able to reach the actuator by using a screwdriver to bend back the plastic grill, alowing access to the hood release. He pushed the cable down, cut it, stripped it, and used a pliers to pull it open. He now has a little black piece of licorice hanging out of the front of his truck, but he can check his oil.