Hood strut replacement.

[Dooda Wok]

How does one compress replacement hood struts (and hold them compressed) long enough to change out the old struts? This must be one of the first things needed before doing any engine work. I don't want to break anything! Clark's mainly says to get some help. Help!

[Rjackel944]

i haven't done this yet, but why not prop the hood up with a 2x4, and then put them in?? just a thought..

-Ryan

[krystar]

u def want a second hand to help. otherwise u could smash yer windshield and have another headache.

iirc, i think the shocks in full extension go beyond the mount points....but i probably just used a screwdriver or something to lever them enough compression to fit the pin in.

[white944cup]

I just did mine last week.......prop the hood open as far as you can go, but be carefull not to force it against the windshield.....I have heard horror stories of people breaking their windshield by going too far. You will need a helper for this.....remove the old strut and install the new one at the bottom attach point. Grab the top of the strut and apply pressure (and your weight) to compress the strut more than is necessary for installation. Swing the top end into position and gradually let up the pressure until the holes begin to align. Have your helper attempt to install the pin as you are releasing the strut. The pin might hang up before it goes completely thru all the holes....a couple of light taps with a hammer should get it to go all the way through. Install the retainer clip and you are good to go.

[m73m95]

no no no..... you all have it wrong

first thing ... put both of the new struts in the freezer. This will do 2 things. Make them a tiny bit easier to retract, and when they do retract, they will expand slower.

After a few hours in the ice box, they'll be ready.

Take off just 1 of the old struts. Hold up the hood with your head (Its not real heavy because of the other shock helping you on the other side).

Install the bottom end of the new strut. (Head still holding the hood up)

Using both hands, compress the strut just enough to get the top of the strut to hook BEHIND the mounting point on the hood. (Less than an inch)

Now, use the weight of the hood to compress the strut. Compress it a few good inches.

Now the fun part (And where the slower expand speed of the frozen strut comes into play).... Lift the hood up enough to stab the pin in the hole of the strut before it has time to expand past the hole in the hood

It takes some timing, but its easier than it sounds.

Took me all of 5min to replace both struts. No busted glass. No busted knuckles. No Blood.

[porsche4life]

I pushed it up with my back and swapped the struts....

[944Spec_bound]

on a side note....
where do you get GOOD hood struts? I assume the Pelican units are good?
I bought two different sets at my local autozone and Kragen, both times the hood just weeped shut with them installed.

[porsche4life]

I bought some that were OEM spec off Ebay..... that was like 3yrs ago.... So far so good...

Sure they sagged a little the other day... It was 13f outside....

[ernie9944]

They have the heavy duty one out there, they are the same one they use to hold up the lid on a 911 with (whale tail) that's the one I use ,those will not sagged in the cold. I believe they are about 5$ each more than the regular one but it's worth it.

[pinball_0]

Definately be careful, I was one unfortunate that cracked my windshield by changing hood struts... within 24 hrs of my aquiring my cabriolet.

And I found out the windshield isnt cheap... the only thing that made me feel better was that the original had grooves from wipers and a star from a rock....

It happens right at the bottom corner of the windshield and the rear corner edge of the hood. So I do recommend following the freezer method and co-worker to prevent windshield contact.

OR have a dealer put them on so if they crack it its their insurance.

[Dooda Wok]

Thanks for all the good tips! I'll try the deep freeze technique this weekend.

[imaidiot]

i didnt think about the freezer method, but it makes sense..........I just compressed mine a few times on the garage floor and they were a little easier to work with..........I also bought mine off Ebay and havent had any issues what so ever............Did them all by myself, and as my handle states.....................Im a idiot!

[mattdavis11]

One side at a time. The only thing I can think a helper would be useful for is shagging beer, but luckily for said helper, it's not even a 1 beer job.

[f1bash]

Put a tie wrap around the end of the new strut where it fits onto the bonnet so the shoulders of the strut hold it in place . Then connect the strut to the bracket inside the body then put tie wraps through the bracket and then through the tie wrap you have fastened around the flat on the end of the new strut tighten this up then connect the tie wrap so it is in a loop going from the bracket where the strut fastens inside the car through the tie wrap you have around the end of the strut where it fastens to the bonnet. Then as you compress the strut pull on the tie wrap you have looped and when it is compressed by say 4"- 6" the tie wrap keeps it in that position and you can just then lower the bonnet until it lines up with the bolt hole. Put the pin in and retaining clip then cut the tie wraps off. I know it sounds complicated but i did both struts by my self within 15 minutes. Cheers Tony

[Aufgeladen944]

I don't remember how I did mine, but it was easy. I had a friend over to hold the hood and make sure I didn't kill myself.

[smj]

Sorry for a nearly three year later follow-on, but this thread was one of only a few that came up in response to some Google searches on the topic.

Just did the hood (and hatch) struts on my 968. Tossing the new front struts in the freezer for an hour didn't make much difference - perhaps more time was needed. The condensation after I'd had them out for a bit made compressing them nearly impossible due to slipperiness. Eventually I was able to compress them a few times with two wood blocks, a low wall, and body weight. Barely. And they snapped right back without pause.

However this was not a problem. As I believe I did when I replaced the corresponding struts on my 944S, I put some soft closed cell foam padding (like mouse pads) under cardboard, between the corner of the hood and the windshield, then propped the hood up as high as I could. Removed the old struts - actually took the battery out to get at the passenger side lower strut end - and applied the shop vacc to remove as much of the leaf buildup and whatnot as I could find. Similarly I found the little bit of extra clearance from removing the fuse box cover on the driver side helpful.

I found I didn't need to compress the new struts to fit them, though I did need to raise the hood a little bit higher. For the hood-side attachment I placed the strut socket lightly over the studs, then used a big pair of offset pliers (not sure of correct name) to pop them on past the inner retaining clip. Had fun fitting the outer retaining clip, but thanks to the mention here I hadn't destroyed them prying off the old ones with brute force.

Aside from cleaning up and charging the battery, this was pretty low effort. I spent two hours on both ends more because of cleaning the engine bay, and the sun setting while a neighbor stopped to shoot the breeze. Rear hatch might've accounted for 20-25 minutes of the total.

[Gawernator]

I froze mine for 8-10 hours, they compressed themselves enough to just pop in with no effort... took about thirty seconds.

[curtisr]

I changed the struts yesterday and was disappointed that there was an immediate sag. I think I just might take out the hood support strut from my '77 924 and use it instead.

[Gawernator]

Which brand?

[curtisr]

Originally Posted by Gawernator

Which brand?

Stabilus. But a confession is in order: I went to the discount auto parts store and matched the existing strut to the many offerings to be found in a jumble bin. These were not model specific.