whatever its called that holds hood up) closed and now we cant open it. the release handleis limp. so how can we open hood? handle

you can look for an auxiliary cord under the engine compartment- but very few cars have those- you can try to eyeball the latch behind your grill, and if you can see it, try to release it with a screw driver- but all this crawlin' around under the car is uncomfortable- get a man to do it, they love dirty stuff like that- problem solvers- if the man you get to do it is a professional mechanic, he will also fix the hood release for you, the right way- and check your oil, too!