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How to remove wagon hatch struts? 850

posted by  from_rx7_to_855 on  Sun May 18 09:41 CST 2003
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I have the interior trim pieces out of the way, and I see that it's simply a ball-and-socket attachment at both ends. What's not obvious is how to seperate it. There's a small hole in the outside wall of the spherical socket, but I'm not sure if that comes into play.

By contrast, the Scan Tech replacements I got have very straightforward retaining clips around the sockets. These are not to be found on the (stock?) units on my 85 855.

TIA!

Steve








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    How to remove wagon hatch struts? 850

    posted by  from_rx7_to_855 on  Sun May 18 11:03 CST 2003
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    Hey, nevermind. The correct answer to my own question seems to be, "pry the socket off as far as possible, then smack the strut with a rubber mallet." The small hole in the socket is actually a pair of holes that the retaining clip slides through. Nevertheless there was no clip on either of my stock Volvo struts.

    Other considerations -- as you might expect, the tailgate WILL swing down when you remove one of the weakened struts, so either have all parts of your body out of the way, or do as I did and swing your legs up to catch it. (Pointing this out probably says more about me than anyone else, but hey, whatever I can do to keep Darwin at bay. :^p ) Now I'm just waiting on a buddy to hold the hatch all the way up while I smack the strut socket into the ball on the hatch, and I'll be set.








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      How to remove wagon hatch struts? 850

      posted by  Haleakala on  Tue May 20 03:50 CST 2003
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      last visit: Fri Aug 28 05:18 CST 2009
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      I was able to catch the tailgate guillotine with my shin, as it came crashing down when I removed the one strut. I can't believe I didn't break my leg, which must have been turned sideways and hit the calf muscle instead of bone. I got smarter and used a step ladder with "shim" to get the tailgate at just the right height to install the new struts. Just wish I thought of that first.








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        How to INSTALL wagon hatch struts? 850

        posted by  someone claiming to be from_rx7_to_855 on  Tue May 20 04:16 CST 2003 [RELATED]

        Thanks for commiserating Haleakala, and for your mpg response. I actually set up the stepladder-prop-up technique myself, didn't like it, and am still waiting for a buddy to help. I might just try using a shorter, three-step ladder. The IPD catalog not-so-helpfully advises, "installation is the reverse of removal." Uh-huh. The Scan Tech units are just a mm or two too long at full extension -- not too long if you smack 'em in with a mallet, I imagine -- but I'd like safe-ish conditions before I attempt that.








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          How to INSTALL wagon hatch struts? 850

          posted by  tmckinn on  Mon May 26 17:25 CST 2003
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          Wow - I'm glad I ran across this post. I just received my struts in the mail. I had no idea the tailgate would fall after removing one strut. How timely. :)








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          How to INSTALL wagon hatch struts? 850 1995

          posted by  HO on  Tue May 20 05:31 CST 2003
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          last visit: Tue Aug 12 14:01 CST 2014
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          When I took out one of the struct, I didn't realize that the tailgate fell immediately. Fortunately, I pulled my legs fast enough to avoid accident. I then used a 2x4, which was long enough to hold the tailgate high up there. Finally, I asked my daughter to hold it for me to install the struts.

          Ching-Ho Cheng
          --
          1995 855 NA, Bilstein Shocks, K&N Filter, E-Code Lens, Apline CD-Changer







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