During summer or "hot" days, when I open the hood(s), they stay up (or remain open). But during winter/cold days, the hood will just "slam" down unless I support them. Do I need new struts (the "shock absorber-like support")? Thanks.
I need new ones too, mine also does that, they work in warm temps and not in cold. I have a 2x4 in the trunk that i use to prop it open with temperarily til i get new ones....
Ron, Rutlands sells them for about $60 apiece. I need some also, but plan to check Pep Boys first to see if there is a suitable substitute. When you get them, ease them down when you close the hood. Gas struts wear out faster when they are slammed down quickly. I have an 87 328 which had the old-style fixed front bonnet strut, which led to an almost inevitable bent hood. I removed it and use a bar to support the hood. The deck lid is standard gas struts.
Thanks Morrie. I saw a "generic" one at ebay, about $75 a pair. I may get the OEM ones. I actually thought the old-style strut (saw it in a 1986 model) was better bec. it had a "lock." But I've heard enough of this "bent hood" stories... Ron
I just bought struts for my 348 OEM from Sachs (Stabilus). Go to: www.sachsna.com I contacted them (the catalog is online) to get the part# and phone # for the local distributor. Mine were $25.31 each - way less than from the dealer and local parts houses. Pep Boys sometimes carries the brand but didn't have the correct part# in stock. Good luck
A couple of years ago my struts were getting pretty tired. I took one into Pep Boys & found the best match against their display selection. Best match was about 1" shorter, but a bit stronger than original. Don't have the part #, but believe it was for a SAAB 900 rear hatch. They work quite well, the lid actually pops up a few of inches when i unlatch it. Believe I paid about $20 each. BTW, the ones from Ferrari.uk are exact replacements, but don't have the Ferrari logo printed on them. Last I heard the T.Rutland ones had the logo, but were a tad pricey. Wrapped my old ones up & saved them. Maybe someday I'll be able to make a silk screen of the logo.
Thanks, Verell. I'll look for SAAB struts. If I can't find them, my only concern would be getting ones that are too strong, though I think it would be hard to bend anything under the engine bonnet. It doesn't appear that the pressure is listed on the stock ones. Does anyone know the approximate pound setting on the originals?
Morrie -- The (true manufacturer's) force specification for the gas spring might be in Newtons -- is there a capital "N" printed somewhere in the gibberish on the outside? (But in any case check the catalog at SachsNA per ShanB's post for your application PN)
Thank you very much ShanB for the link (www.sachsna.com). I saw the "Stabilus" label on my old struts and this appears to be Ferrari's (OEM) source for the struts. Oh mann, they just put that "Ferrari" label and the price inflates to 2.5X! The price of ownership... Ron
My lid struts arrived last night and I installed them. I must say that the rear deck almost shoots up like it's got Viagra when I go to open it. The struts fit exactly and were the exact same as the factory struts without the Ferrari logo. I am pleased that for less than $52 I have new OEM struts.
ShanB, I noticed on the Sachs website, that they list the local distributor, not the local retailers...did the distributor sell to you directly, or did they direct you to a local dealer? Dave
Dave: I called Sachs customer service and they gave me some numbers for parts houses that could sell to end-users like you and I. The contacts listed directly on the site are for regional distributors for parts houses and retail businesses If you call Sachs directly they can tell you who the best source would be for your needs. For example, although my local Pep Boys had a slew of Sachs shocks, they didn't carry the particular model for the 348 and seemed clueless as to how to make a special order. On the other hand, the guy at the parts place recommended by Sachs knew , exactly what part number I needed to order (and seemed very familiar with Ferraris) and had the struts drop-shipped to me directly from the factory in short order. Shan
....The short answer is that I called Sachs customer service and they put me in touch with a retail parts house that was familiar with special ordering Ferrari parts. Hope that helped. Shan
Here's the SACHS part #s from their online .PDF catalog: 3x8 ENGINE COVER: SG237001 328 HOOD STRUT: SG437002 The SACHS sales agent for the NE States (& presumably most of the east coast) is: Liedel Fitzmaurice, Inc. 12 Overlook Avenue Rochelle Park, NJ 07662 Ph: (201) 843-4403 Fax: (201) 843-7964 [email protected]
There is a spring loaded strut replacement gizmo available from NAPA, don't have the part number right in front of me at the moment, that is worth a look. $10, the way this thing works is that when you open the lid, a spring loaded 'limb' catches the strut in open status and braces it that way until you manually move the limb out about a 1/2 inch. Easy to use, never wears out, fits onto the existing strut. I started using these cuz i got tired of struts wearing out, plus the existing struts don't always hold the lid up, even if they're brand new struts. If anyone's dying to check this out, post a reply in this thread and i'll see if i can dig up the part number.