Hood release difficulty and WD40

[2kSL1]

I have to pull pretty hard on my hood release to get it to pop open. Where could I lube it to make it easier? Would replacing the cable solve the difficult to open issue?

Also, what are some other common areas that could benefit from some WD40 that you can think of? I just got a can and plan to use some on all my hinges and on the throttle spring. I'm just wondering if there is anything else I should get while I'm at it.

[fdryer]

WD-40 wouldn't be a good first choice for hood release lube as its too thin. Lithium grease is the preferred lube of choice as it doesn't run off and is thicker for door hinges, hood/trunk/door latches, hinges etc.. WD-40 might work better to lube suspension rubbers used on stabilizer bars, trailing arms, etc., as it can work its way in to stop squeaking in winter cold.

As to the hood release issue, you may have to examine the whole hood release cable, its clamps, and alignment of the hood latch pin to latch. With the hood up the release handle and cable should be free to pull with little resistance otherwise the cable-to-housing by the hood latch needs some lube. With the hood release cable freely operating, examine the latch pin to latch alignment, not if its centered but height wise. If the hood is misaligned too high, the pin higher in the latch, the release handle may be more difficult to pull. Lowering the hood lowers the pin in the latch to allow less release handle force to pull. The radiator frame should have two alignment rubbers to align the hood to match the other surfaces when the hood is closed. This also raises and lowers the pin to provide less force to pull on the release handle. Lowering the two rubber snubbers by screwing them in or out just a turn or two can lower the force needed to pull the hood release handle. Try screwing in the rubbers a turn or two.

[fetchitfido]

Spray some lithium grease on the latch, work it a couple times by hand, spray again, repeat until your happy or seeing that more spraying isn't going to help.
Don't remember which one of my S-Series I used it on but it made opening the hood much nicer.

[bountyhunter]

If you need a light spray lube, this stuff is 1000X better than WD-40.

[2kSL1]

Wow! Great info! Thanks fdryer! I'll pick up some white lithium greased today, fetchitfido. And thanks for the pic, bountyhunter, I'll keep an eye out for that stuff and try it on those sticking/squeaking spots.

I love this forum!!

[blusw2]

The biggest thing to remember is that WD40 is not really a lubricant. The WD in the name stands for water displacement, and the 40 was just the 40th formula that they tried. It is a pretty good solvent, but a crappy lube. It makes things not squeek by washing out the small bits that were squeeking, thats about all that it does.

[SLCraig]

Toss the WD-40..
I use a range of spray lubes but one of my favorites lately is Wurth HHS2000/HHS-K

http://www.goodspeedmotoring.net/pro...roduct-review/

[alordofchaos]

Originally Posted by blusw2

It is a pretty good solvent, but a crappy lube.

PB Blaster is better at rusty bolts... I've heard good things about Kroil, too.

[2kSL1]

Twisting those rubber stoppers down a bit made a HUGE difference. I have some lithium grease, so next time I'm tearing into the dash for something, I'll lube the cable up. Thanks for all the input!

[TrotFox]

I'll just add to the WD-40 dissenters... It's a good cleaner and makes a decent cutting fluid but won't lube for the long run. In fact, it has been implicated in causing faster-than-normal rusting when used as a "protective" oil coat. It washes away the oil, then evaporates into a sticky mess that you don't want to have hanging around.

I have learned much from owning a machine tool. :]

Trot, the corrosive, fox...