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Eureka! I suppose during the time you guys were typing, I was arriving at the same conclusion. I pulled the latch mechanism out and examined it up-close. The tension spring was out of a pocket on the latch and not providing any push when the latch was released. Hence, the hood could be pulled up out of 'battery' but would not pop up on its own. I disassembled the mechanism, lubed it, and re-inserted the spring into the latch. Put it back together and now all is well. Very simple to do. This is how I did it and you may find it useful. Do so at your own risk, yada yada yada. 1st, open the hood and peel back the carpet cover just inside of the latch. Next, using a flat-head screwdriver, remove the four plastic 'screws' holding the trim plate between the bumper and the hood flange. They merely turn 90 degrees (so that they are perpendicular to the car's direction of travel) and pop out. Then remove the trim piece and place to the side. Next, using a ten millimeter socket, remove the two bolts securing the latch to the car. They are located just inside the trunk under the carpet you just peeled back. Once they are removed, the latch is now only held in place by two metal cables and the alarm pin switch wires. Carefully unplug the alarm wires. Push in on a small 'latch' on the lower half of the plug and pull out the lower half. Then carefully rotate the upper half about 45 degrees (it should be fairly easy to move, don't force it) and the plug will pop out of the metal holder. Then use a small screwdriver to gently push a release clip on the plastic mounting point. This will allow the small plastic mount to separate from the wiring plug. Now you need to gently remove the cables from their sockets. Take the tension off of the upper cable and gently pull the cable up out of its socket. Then remove the lower cable in the same way. The only thing holding the latch in the car now is the alarm wiring harness. Push the rubber grommet through the body toward the bumper. You can then pull the wiring through and the entire latch will come out of the car. Be sure to set the stainless steel shroud to the side. It was not attached on my car but may be on yours. Now that you have the latch out of the car, you can see the large diameter steel spring that is wound around the large post to the passenger side of the latch. That is the culprit. The small plastic shroud over it pulled straight out and off of my latch. This is the microswitch that tells the alarm that the trunk is open or closed. Set it to the side. You should now see the latch mechanism and the hole that the spring needs to be in to function properly. I used two screwdrivers to push the other end of the spring (the end on the release / catch mechanism ) over the catch. This allowed me to push the end into the latch more easily. I then popped the spring back over the catch. Now there should be tension on both the latch and the catch. Lubricate with white lithium grease, or some other semi-solid lubricant and work the mechanism to ensure that it is functioning properly. Once you have confirmed proper function, reassemble in reverse order (i.e. put the alarm switch back on - it should snap right back in place ), pop the cable back on, thread the wiring through and secure the grommet in place, place the stainless shroud on, insert the bolts and loosely tighten things. Once the bolts are in, line up the hood and the latch mechanism and tighten down the latch. Replace the plastic bumper/body trim piece but don't insert the 'screws' until you've tested the hood a couple times. Once it is clear that the hood is functioning properly, secure the trim, replace the carpet and smile at a job well done, for free. If I can figure out how to transfer my pictures out of my camera phone I'll add some illustration to this. Hope this helps. I was frustrated as *)*^*( until y'all help me realize what the problem was. Pictures ...

Note: Part numbers sometimes change without notice. Always double check with your supplier that you have the latest part numbers. (Special thanks to Chuck Jones for being the guinea pig and for taking the photos.) Parts you will need: 997.624.113.00 Actuator Tools you will need: Very short Torx T20 driver and right angle ratchet or tool to use the short T20 in a very confined space Regular screwdriver, phillips screw driver, and 10 mm wrench to remove th wheel well liner 1. Jack the car so that right front wheel is off the ground and secure it with a jack stand. Remove the right front wheel. 2. Remove the wheel well liner by removing the the plastics rivets (pry them out with a regular screwdriver). As well remove the 10 mm nuts on each side of the axle. Now remove the phillips screws that fasten the wheel well liner under the front bumper and remove the wheel well liner (and set aside). 3. Locate the EVAP canister and remove the electrical connection at the top of the canister. Now remove the 10 mm nut that holds the canister in place. Remove gas the vapor lines - one at the top and one at the bottom (again by squeezing the connectors). Remove the EVAP canister by pulling gently back and forth until it releases from the rubber gromments 4. Look back up under the fender (now that the canister is out of the way) and locate the broken actuator. Now using the stubby Torx T-20 loose (but do not remove) the two T-20 screws. The actuator itself is a bit tough to get to and you will need a really short T-20 Torx head to loosen the two screws. I say loosen because that is all you need to do to remove the part - it sits in two "U" shaped slots. Remove the electrical connector (by squeezing the tab). Here is a pic of the new part - as you see the Torx screws are already in place so that is all you have to do to replace it. 5. Put the new part in place making sure you feed the emergency pull line through the fender to its location in the door jam. There is room to slide it through the side so you don't need to try and thread it through the hole. Fasten the two Torx screws and reconnect the electrical connector. Chuck's car had the guide rose guide piece missing (so he needed to order one) Here is a pic of his car (without guide rose) and my car (with guide rose). Ref. P/N 997.624.505.00 We also noticed that on his car the plastic catch for the lock was missing (so he needed to order that too). Here is a pic of his car (without cap) and my car (with cap). Ref. P/N 996.201.243.00 6. Reinstall the EVAP canister by pushing it into place on the rubber gromments. Then reattach the vapor lines (they should snap back into place) and the electrical connection. Finally put the 10 mm nut back in place and tighten down. 7. Reinstall the wheel well liner (reverse of removal). 8. Mount the tire, lower the car and re-torque the wheel bolts. Done.