Hood Only Opens When Pulled Up On

Question

I've got a 2002 Nissan Almera Perfect 1.8L MTX on which the hood only opens if I pull up on it while someone else yanks the hood release lever.

If I manually set the latch with the hood up, then pull the lever, the latch releases properly every time. It's only when the hood is in place that the latch has trouble releasing.

Here's what the latch looks like:

It's in the latched position here. Just to avoid any confusion, the latch was bolted back in place during all my tests.

EDIT 16/6/2017

I tried working some WD-40 style oil into the mechanism, and while it was clearly is operating more smoothly, the hood still won't open unless I pull up on it while someone else pulls the release lever in the cabin. Is it possible that maybe the spring has just gotten weak and doesn't have enough strength to push the hood up when the lever is pulled?

Anything else I can try, or should I just head to the junk yard for a replacement latch?

Answer 1

Assuming you are looking to overcome the hood failing to release, I see some corrosion where the hood loop is held.

That can cause it to bind and hold it from releasing. Add some grease here. In fact, the whole latch needs to be lubricated.

Answer 2

As I put in my comment and you confirmed by saying it had had a slight bump - I think it is likely that it is slightly out of line as the radiator and metal support do not seem parallel - this could cause the mechanism to bind exactly as you describe.

Answer 3

What I noticed is that if I tighten down the three bolts which hold the latch in place, the hood displays the aforementioned behavior, but if I leave the bolts somewhat loose, it opens just fine. So it must be something with the angle / placement of the latch I suppose...

So my solution is leaving the bolts a bit loosened to change the angle of the latch, and now it's working more or less OK.