I got the hood to open. I took a long hack saw blade (could not find my long handled screwdriver....someone's been in my TOOLS!!!) and opened it by pusing the lever in the direction of the cable. Here is what is going on:
I pull the cable from the hood release (front of the car) and I cannot feel any movement in the cable in the cabin. I pull the cable in the cabin and no movement in the cable at the hood. As I recall, the cable on the hood and the cable in the cabin are connected via a wheel...sort of a wheel coupling. Does this sound right? Anyway, the cable from the hood is not connected to (nor in any way influenced by) the cable in the cabin.
I cannot find any "wheel" or coupling in the FSM.
Am I correct about the "wheel coupling"? How do I reconnect this cable?

clint

(My loving wife just told me "no one has been in your tools"...so I must have misplaced it).

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81 300D N/A 130K miles (Nelly)
87 300D Turbo 80K miles (The Scalded Dog...because it runs like a scalded dog)
95 e320 Wagon 104K
2003 Sprinter 47K miles.
1999 Tandem Bicycle
One beautiful low miles wife (who likes diesels) (that's my wife holding the sign)

My son and I fixing Nelly's odometer