The primary hood latch on my wife's 1991 Chevy Caprice wouldn't let go
> yesterday so we couldn't open the hood. By primary hood latch I mean
> the one that's operated from inside the car that releases the hood
> enough to get your fingers under the grille and operate the secondary
> (safety?) release to raise the hood.
>
> Anyway, I decided to try a high-tech solution I've seen work on other
> cars: I pounded on the hood with my fist while she operated the
> release lever inside the car.
>
> It worked.
>
> The latch mechanism was filthy and sticky so I sprayed it with WD-40
> and wiped as much as I could while working the mechanism with my
> fingers. I finally gave it a liberal squirt of silicon spray lubricant
> (not WD-40). Seems to work fine now.
>
> OK, so what's the question? My neighbor insists that I should have
> _greased_ the latch mechanism. I have a spray can of white lithium
> grease that he said I should use because it's better and more
> permanent than the silicon spray.
>
> I'll appreciate any opinions, comments, etc. on this.
>
> Thanks,
>
> -Len
>
Yep, He's right. You could also use regular grease (wheel bearing or suspension) Look at the door hinges of a new car....what do you see.. White grease.. WD40 will eventually dissipate and the problem may reoccur, much sooner than grease.