Follow-up
'm replying to my own post so as not to waste folks valuable time. After the post, I got to thinking the cable was REALLY LOOSE. I had just reached my hand under the latch release and pulled on it to see if it was firm at all, but it wasn't. After figuring out there was no way to get the grill off until the hood was up, I crawled under the latch release with a flashlight. I noticed there was nothing to hold the cable tight at the release end. Turns out, there is a small white "collar", about an inch long, with ringed notches in it on the cable about 3 inches from where the cable attaches to the release handle. Looking closer, I noticed a notched "bracket" near where the cable should be. I "popped" the collar back into the bracket notch.
That did the trick. This "collar" provides the cable sleeve the anchor it needs when lifting up on the latch release.
SO, if anyone else's hood release get's "limp", perhaps look there first!!
Joe
