Hood Latch Problem: won't open

[wallball]

I removed both latch spring mechanisms from the hood to clean them up a bit and lubricate them. I installed the passenger side one with fasteners a little loose and closed the hood to align it with the receptacle. The driver's side one was not, is not, installed. Now the release latch will not release the passenger side latch. What happened? And How do I get it open?

How screwed am I? (I read other posts about broken cables and stuck hoods and it seems like a nightmare to get the hood open.)

[z3forlife]

Have you had someone push down on the hood while you pull the release

[Vintage42]

I removed both latch spring mechanisms from the hood... installed the passenger side one with fasteners a little loose and closed the hood to align it with the receptacle. The driver's side one was not, is not, installed. Now the release latch will not release the passenger side latch. What happened? ...

There is a crossover cable between the driver and passenger latches, No. 13 here:
http://www.realoem.com/bmw/enUS/show...diagId=41_0040
Mentioned here:
http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/sho...3&postcount=12

You are pulling on the driver latch, but you did not replace it, so it can't pull on the crossover cable to the passenger latch.
And you have to get the hood open to replace the driver latch so it can pull on the passenger latch.
I think you will have to access the passenger latch, or its crossover cable, from the grill or below in order to get the hood open.
The threads on stuck hood or broken cable should apply to that.

[wallball]

There is a crossover cable between the driver and passenger latches, No. 13 here:
http://www.realoem.com/bmw/enUS/show...diagId=41_0040
Mentioned here:
http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/sho...3&postcount=12

You are pulling on the driver latch, but you did not replace it, so it can't pull on the crossover cable to the passenger latch.
And you have to get the hood open to replace the driver latch so it can pull on the passenger latch.
I think you will have to access the passenger latch, or its crossover cable, from the grill or below in order to get the hood open.
The threads on stuck hood or broken cable should apply to that.

Only the upper part of lock mechanism is missing. The lower parts are still installed and untouched. I'm thinking, hoping, that it's a matter of having someone push down on the hood as Z3FORLIFE mentions and will try that as soon as my reluctant helper rises from sleep. Thank you for the links and suggestions.

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Have you had someone push down on the hood while you pull the release

That's next, thanks.

[wallball]

Pushing down didn't work. I got underneath and cannot see any cable to pull on. I popped out a kidney grill and cannot see a crossover cable. It's very confusing. I really can't figure out how to pop this thing.

[z3forlife]

Can you reach the pass side hood latch through the grill and loosen. Mine is in the shop or I'd look

[Vintage42]

... I installed the passenger side one with fasteners a little loose and closed the hood to align it with the receptacle...

Only the upper part of lock mechanism is missing. The lower parts are still installed and untouched.....

That means the problem is not in the cables or the lower latches that they operate. They have not been disturbed. Maybe the un-tightened loose upper passenger pin is floating in its lower latch, preventing the pin from being released.

[wallball]

I finally got it open. I popped one of the kidneys off and reached in and pulled on the crossover cable while my wife pulled up the release lever and it finally came. My theory is that because the passenger side spring mechanism was loose it got pushed to one side and the latch mechanism couldn't release all the way. So I got it all working and tried it a few times and it got stuck again. So I tried what I did before and the crossover cable had come free from the driver's side latch mechanism. Long story short: it was a PITA to access, had to pull the DS headlight out and the inner trim and just screw around forever. But I got it back on after fiddling for an hour or so. Jeez, lesson learned the hard way.

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That's exactly what I believe it was Vintage42!

[Vintage42]

So the loose pin got hung up in the latch and would not release the passenger side. And then in your pulling on the crossover cable to overcome that, the cable came loose, and you had to remove the DS headlight etc to reconnect the cable.