My 2002 Ranger has a lot of slack in the hood release cable. So much I've got to use pillars to open the hood. Is there anyway to take the slack out of the cable.

 

i dont think there is any way to adjust it,,, but it sounds like mine before it broke it got harder and harder to pull,,, i would have to pull a lot of times before it would unlatch,,,,turned out the cable was broke and aparently only having a few strands holding it and they had stretched,, then it broke,,,,my advice to ya is change that now before it breaks because it is a pain to open after it breaks,,,,

 

Also check the latch to make sure it operates properly. I had similar but found the latch was corroded to the point it would barely release, replaced latch and it works fine again.

Yes, fix it before it breaks...

 

You might want to inspect the latch assembly - hood hold down - as if the levers have had to pull hard due to a munged up latch, they may have bent, leading to too much slack in the cable. The latch should be easy to cycle by hand. Use a tool (not a finger...) to 'close' the latch, then pull on the lever the cable is attached to and determine if it is difficult to cycle, and needs lubrication. If it moves and releases readily, check the condition of the cable (frayed?) and the lever that it operates. If the cable looks bad, replace while you still have access as crawling underneath and trying to reach the release is not fun.
tom