engine struts installation HELP

Fitted new units to my Mondi recently. They are really easy to do, just unbolt one at a time and slot the new unit straight in there. I'm sure the extended length is ~ the same as the installed length (between bolt centres).

Mike

 

1. Use a stick to keep the lid propped open while you do the deed.

2. Tape or zip tie the prop stick to the lid so you won't have to worry about it falling out of the way and the lid falling on your head.

3. Do one at a time

My 10 minus 8 cents

 

I'll assume 355 ones are the same, since mine are shot, too. Where did you order your new ones from?

 

And who said we were shadetree mechanics......make sure you use an OEM Factory stick...lol

 

Prop open with a stick, cause one strut will not hold the lid open. You do not need to unbolt them....look closely and unclip the little wire retaining clip and slide it (down or up depending on the orientation) off to remove. Similar clips on the new one to install.

BTW, if you are not a stickler for having "identical" struts, you can buy an "almost identical" strut for much less. These are made by the same manufacturer Stabilus but for a Ford Focus. They are a bit stronger and use a slightly different clip (actually the new style clip is much easier to remove/install than the original style wire clip).

Here is my post from a while back:
ay recently bought some of the Stabilus SG404018 lift struts (oem for the 2002 Ford Focus) mentioned in another thread. Bought them from www.rockauto.com for less than $30 for the pair delivered. These are Stabilus brand, the same as oem Ferrari factory ones, but differ in the following ways:

1) These are stronger (good thing) rated at 465N versus 400N

2) They are made domestically in North Carolina (manufacture dates on the strut were 2006, and the dates on the outer packaging were Jan 2007)

3) They have a new style black plastic cups, rather than the original metal ones. But they also use a new black metal clip that makes installation and removal much easier than fiddling with the wire securing loop that the oem Stabilus (German made) ones had.

4) They have a 17.5mm piston, rather than the 15.5mm piston on the oem struts.

Unless placed side by side, they otherwise look identical. Even in my cold garage, the lid rises immediately upon release of the latch. Interestingly, they have a damped braking action during the last bit of travel and slow way down on the last inch of travel (kind of neat).

I will be curious if these last any longer than the last set (28 months). My last set was noticeably weak in cold weather after only 12 months of use. Though last summer they would work well on a warm day with a hot engine, rising readily, much like these new ones do.

 

I just ordered some cheaper replacements from rockauto.com, they're a bit stronger but don't seem too strong.

http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=25808&page=2&highlight=struts

My only tip is be careful not to drop a nut or wrench...not much room for hands working on that lower connection, I dropped a wrench down and had to fish it off the top of the underbody tray. No prob for the 348's I guess.

 

As I stated previously, they have clips, use them, and you do not need to use a wrench! I swapped both of mine in less than 10 minutes.

 

The prop stick from FERRARI with the Cavallino on it retails for $499.95. You can pick one up at HOME DEPOT for .50 !! But it doesn't have the horsey on it !!!

 

LOL One can buy a horsey decal for about $1 from daniel!

The .50 stick can't be used until it has the decal affixed .

 

I got a pair from trutlands.com (salesman is Brian Keegan)

Be careful not to drop one of those bolts...the fishing trip is no fun.

 

I replaced mine and it was pretty easy. You may have to move the hood up a bit off the prop to get the bolts to line up. But overall it was a 5 minute process.

 

Hey don't you need 2 wrenches for each end. There's an inside nut and the outside lock nut as well. Turning the outside one also turns the inside one and it does not loosen. I replacing the ones in the trunk and the lower hinge mount is in the way of reaching the inside nut. What a pisser! Now I have to find a narrow 13mm crescent wrench to use alonside the regular one.

 

All true...and this is my excuse why I dropped one wrench down onto the underbody tray!

 

Remove them by unfastening the clips, you do not need to use a wrench.

 

I saw those, but I replaced the whole strut anyway. Heck, I paid for the entire part I'm not gonna disassemble it!

Here's the EZ way - took 10 minutes. Prop hood with broom handle, preferably one stolen from the Ferrari F1 paddock. Use a 13mm crescent wrench on the inside nut. Use a socket or a 1/2 inch anything on the lock nut. Yep, 1/2 inch is close enough to 13mm to work just fine. Do the top one first. After the top is removed from the hood support bracket, lower and flex it out of the way so you can get the wrench on the inside nut on the lower hinge. Watch out you do not scratch the paint of the headlamp housing as you are moving it around.

Note: Your replacement struts will come with the threaded mounting studs facing the same direction, but you need to twist them 180 degrees to install in the hood area. The engine compartment is installed as they come. On installation, tighten the lock nuts only snug - they aren't going to back out.

This is ridiculously EZ to do.

 

Be careful when removing the nut that holds the original strut (especially the lower end). I dropped the first one I took off and could not find it after two hours looking. Also, I removed one strut at a time and then just lifted the lid until the new strut lined up with the bolt location. Pretty easy really.
BT

 

Tomorrow morning I intend to replace these with the Ford Focus ones I ordered from Rock Auto. I read above that I can 'clip' these on and off. How?

The new ones have a c-shaped .25" wide clip that seems to slide on the ball joint. I pryed it off with a screwdriver until I decided that it was probably supposed to stay on there. Do I just put it over whatever the current ones are hanging onto and push?

That being said, I don't see any clips on the current struts, although I didn't look too close because the engine was hot (I had intended just to have a look, but the weather was good, so I had to put 30 miles on).

I've made darn sure I have a broomstick, secure tape, wrench, and struts. Beyond this, I'm stumped.

 

The cheaters way of replacing them is to back off those "C" clips u see on the ends of the struts - old and new. Then you can slide the replacement on without ever having to unbolt them and replace the "C" clips. If it were me, and it was, I'd just replace the whole damned thing using the bolts. Do it right.

 

My rear struts no longer seem to hold the trunk up. I will follow the advise on Page 1 on fixing the issue.

In some other threads it was mentioned that the strut was of poor quality - hence the lack of a permanent solution.

Is there anything from a practice standpoints (dos/donts) that affects the life of these struts?

For instance, my usual m.o. after a nice long run is to open the trunk and leave it open for a couple hours to let the hot air vent. Is keeping it open for an extended time period not good for the strut?

 

The engine struts supplied by Ferrari are junk. End of story.

 

They should hold the lid up period. Replacements are easy and not expensive. The Ferrari part is not too expensive (comparatively speaking) and the job is simple. Yes, they are probably under-spec for their load level. I find that I burn through them about every 2-3 years. The rears (engine compartment struts) have to hold up a very long piece of metal. The leverage seems wrong. The fronts aren't as bad.