Hatch Strut Replacment - part #s and tips?
Thread Starter
Safety Car
Joined: Jul 1999
Posts: 3,548
Likes: 1
From: Fayetteville, NC
The hatch struts on my '96 Grand Sport seem way too slow in allowing the hatch to open, (in fact, it won't open all the way, I have to 'muscle' it open). Plus, I'm sure I'm using too much effort to close it. My guess is that the previous owner used the hatch so infrequently that the struts are bad.
So... I want to replace them with genuine GM parts. Anyone have the correct part #'s for both the left & right struts?
Also, anyone who's done the swap have any tips for doing the swap? Seems pretty straightforward, and I do have a set of service manuals that I've looked at. I think even I, who has little professional mechanical apptitude, can handle the job.
Thanks ahead of time!..
So... I want to replace them with genuine GM parts. Anyone have the correct part #'s for both the left & right struts?
Also, anyone who's done the swap have any tips for doing the swap? Seems pretty straightforward, and I do have a set of service manuals that I've looked at. I think even I, who has little professional mechanical apptitude, can handle the job.
Thanks ahead of time!..
Race Director
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 16,477
Likes: 1
From: Enter Post Count Here
Struts may or may not be your problem.
Remove the end of one from the hatch and just check how hard it pushes and how hard it is to push. Common sense will tell you how firm it should be. If it is really soft, replace it.
On the other hand, what you describe sounds like a faulty hinge assy. With help, drive one pin out at a time, clean it, lubricate it, and reinstall it.
That fixed my '87s problem. Good luck.
Remove the end of one from the hatch and just check how hard it pushes and how hard it is to push. Common sense will tell you how firm it should be. If it is really soft, replace it.
On the other hand, what you describe sounds like a faulty hinge assy. With help, drive one pin out at a time, clean it, lubricate it, and reinstall it.
That fixed my '87s problem. Good luck.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Jul 2001
Posts: 1,196
Likes: 107
From: Fairview, TX
I had the same problem but it kept getting worse. I bought my struts from Mid America. It is very simple, If I recall correctly I think there was a clip at each end. I propped up the glass with a 1X2 and replaced one side at a time. Took about 2 minutes.
