My daughter had trouble starting 02 Expl Sport --battery terminals corroded and only clicked when she tried to start. I was able to wiggle positive cable and it started. Same thing again when she tried to go home after work but wiggling the cable didn't work so she removed the positive cable--without removing negative first-- and cleaned it. She put it back but had to get a jump to start. She said it didn't want to pick up speed and had to accelerate very slowly. When she got home a killed it she said there was a clicking sound that started and continued. I told her to leave it unlocked because the terminals needed to be cleaned properly and the theft system needed to be reset as the cables hadn't been removed and replaced exactly right. Then she tells me the fob isn't lock/unlock the doors. Now, exterior driver door handle has broken so has to be opened from inside and it is the only door unlocked. Have only ignition key... so my best guess is to get the hood open so I can disconnect the battery and reset the system. So how do I get the hood open?

 

Welcome to the forum! This doesn't help with the current issue, but it sounds like there's been a lot of maintenance that's been neglected and you may want to fix once you get over this current hurdle. If you or someone you know is good with a long screwdriver / bent wire clothes hanger / similar rigid hooky thing you may be able to go through the grill and catch the tab for the hood release cable. It's been awhile since I've looked through the grill of a 2002 Explorer to know if the hood latch is visible or tucked behind the condenser and radiator. You may also be able to find a tow truck operator, locksmith, or police officer that would be willing to use a slim jim or similar tool to unlock your vehicle in exchange for proof of vehicle ownership and possibly some money too. Another option would be, if the Explorer happens to have the 7 pin RV trailer wiring, would be to backfeed power to the system by carefully using a jump start pack and properly sized wires to apply power to the RV trailer wiring connector. The final option I can think of would be to break a window to let yourself in to the Explorer and release the hood normally. You may want to source a replacement window from a junkyard (along with a driver's door handle) before breaking a window. They are not too bad to replace once the door panel is removed. The worst part would probably be cleaning up the broken glass.

-Rod