| Author |
Message |
James Selevan (Jselevan)
Member
Username: Jselevan
Post Number: 789
Registered: 6-2002
| | Posted on Tuesday, October 28, 2003 - 9:40 pm: | |
Phil - great suggestion. I checked, and sure enough, they were upside down. I took them off and worked them a bit with the body up, and reinstalled. The lid now lifts easier. Does not pop open, but easier. Thanks for the help.
Jim S. |
James Selevan (Jselevan)
Member
Username: Jselevan
Post Number: 786
Registered: 6-2002
| | Posted on Tuesday, October 28, 2003 - 9:11 am: | |
Phil - sounds simple. How much does it cost to have the struts recharged? New ones are not that expensive, thus the difference in price is the criticial issue.
Thanks
Jim S. |
Phil Hughes (Ferrarifixer)
Member
Username: Ferrarifixer
Post Number: 255
Registered: 7-2003
| | Posted on Tuesday, October 28, 2003 - 6:08 am: | |
I said "simply" a lot there didn't I.....well it is!
Good luck |
Phil Hughes (Ferrarifixer)
Member
Username: Ferrarifixer
Post Number: 254
Registered: 7-2003
| | Posted on Tuesday, October 28, 2003 - 6:06 am: | |
Firstly, check the struts are fitted the correct way up.....
They also have oil as a damper inside them and need to have the body of the strut at the highest point, otherwise the oil acts as a restriction. If they have been up side down, you'll need to operate them many times once inverted to move all the oil back to the correct end before they'll work properly, but they will come back.
If they are installed correctly, your next option is to get them regassed. There are many mobile vans that come to your door and do it in a few minutes. It usually involves a small drilling and fitting a short pipe, then gas (nitrogen) being forced inside, then squashing the pipe and soldering it up, then covering with heatshrink or painting... so it may detract from originality.
Some mobile gas strut servicers have a pressure chamber where the whole strut goes inside and the pressure is simply forced past the seals to replenish what has escaped. This leaves no evidence of tampering. If your struts are simply old, this may last for many more years, but if the seals are damaged it will likely last only months.
The amount of pressure inside can be varied, so you have to be careful not to over do it. I recently did a 400 bonnet and it damn near flicked me over backwards when I released the safety catch....so simply drilled the hole and got it re-set a bit lower pressure!
If you can't find a listing anywhere, simply go to the largest used car sales outlet near you and I guarantee they'll know one! |
James Selevan (Jselevan)
Member
Username: Jselevan
Post Number: 784
Registered: 6-2002
| | Posted on Monday, October 27, 2003 - 4:28 pm: | |
Drew - thanks for your input. I hoped that the struts would aid in lifting, as they do on my TR. I will now search for and install new struts.
Thanks.
Jim S. |
Drew Altemara (Drewa)
Junior Member
Username: Drewa
Post Number: 199
Registered: 2-2002
| | Posted on Monday, October 27, 2003 - 3:01 pm: | |
My rear struts will lift the deck of my Boxer. In fact, I have to hold back a little to keep it coming up too quickly with too much force. |
James Selevan (Jselevan)
Member
Username: Jselevan
Post Number: 780
Registered: 6-2002
| | Posted on Thursday, October 23, 2003 - 11:35 pm: | |
Skip - your policy has been mine as well. However, I recently changed the struts on my TR, and wow, the rear deck nearly lifts itself. I did not realize how much mechanical advantage new struts could offer. I thought, perhaps, that my struts were tired (low gas pressure) and while able to keep the deck up, new struts might help save my back.
Jim S. |
Skip Williamson (Darolls)
Junior Member
Username: Darolls
Post Number: 175
Registered: 7-2003
| | Posted on Thursday, October 23, 2003 - 11:18 pm: | |
Jim, as long as the struts hold the 'deck' up, don't worry about it.
When the struts no longer hold the 'deck' in a full, upright position, that's when you replace them. |
James Selevan (Jselevan)
Member
Username: Jselevan
Post Number: 779
Registered: 6-2002
| | Posted on Thursday, October 23, 2003 - 10:55 pm: | |
When lifting the engine deck, do you find that the struts aid lifting the deck, or is the deck quite heavy? The deck on my Boxer stays up as it should, but I do not sense that I am getting any mechanical help from the gas-filled struts. Do they need to be replaced? Same is true for the front deck lid.
Thanks for your help.
Jim S. |