Anyone know how to remove the hatch struts?

[humanimal]

The support arms on my hatch door are so weak that I have to prop it open with a 2x4. I did a searches in the repair guides & questions, but didn't find anything. I found a Tercel in a salvage yard that has decent hatch struts, but I can't figure out how to get them off. I thought i could just separate the joints by prying the sockets off of the balls with a flat head screwdriver or a hubcap removing tool, but they don't seem to budge. Do I have to take off the interior trim and all that and remove all four complete joints from the body & door? Or is there a way to revive the pressure in the old struts? Thanks for any advice.

[marlinh]

Those sockets actually thread off. I think you need a twelve mm or ten mm wrench (can't remember which size it is) and turn the bolt out of the hatch and body. The socket will spin in the strut. You have to support the hatch while you loosen those bolts off.

Good luck.

[Petros]

Welcome to the list!

yes, to clarify; there are some flats on the ball end of the socket where it attached to either the car body or the door. I think I remember them being 12mm, you use an open end wrench on them. An adjustable wrench is too thick to get it between the body and the socket.

[dlb]

yup, they're 12 mm. be careful when putting the new ones in. it can be a pain to do the job solo, holding the hatch up with your head while messing around with both hands, so it's easy to cross-thread the attaching bolts. be patient and make sure they go in smoothly.

has anyone ever bought brand new hatch struts? i was thinking recently that there must be new ones available and it would be really nice to have a hatch that popped up like it should. i hate getting hit in the head while grabbing grocery bags, especially when it's pissing rain out.

[Petros]

They are available through most autoparts stores, there is a large tire chain that sells them (Les Swab tires) in the USA. I think they are generic and common to other vehicles, they do not cost much as I recall, perhaps $35 each. I suspect Rockauto would have them, you just need to know the length. New ones will cause the rear door to fly open abruptly, I prefer finding used ones that are not quite so violent at the wrecking yard for $4.

[humanimal]

Awesome, thanks everyone. I don't know why I just assumed there was a nut on the other side of those ball fixtures. Heh, I feel stupid for not just trying to unscrew them. dlb, I did consider buying these new ones on ebay, $34 for a pair, including shipping:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/220880223218?ss ... 1423.l2648
but I agree with you Petros, the wrecking yard is such a better deal! Thanks again, guys!

[Petros]

that is a great price on e-bay. likely the same brand that the chain stores carry too. I have found about half of the factory ones are still good after all these years, so the wrecking yard is not a bad bet. Just check them out before you remove them.