A while back I bought 2 of Rodney's rear decklid struts, and they've always worked fine. A couple of weeks ago I took them off for my rear strut and spring replacement. I laid them down in my garage on top of my small fridge to make sure none of the parts went missing. They were still attached to the plate that goes over the third strut bolt. Today I put them back on, and they no longer seem to hold the lid up. Any idea what could have caused this? They were working fine when I took them off, but now it's like there's not enough gas in them.
Rodney also sells replacements. I have averaged around 4 to 5 years between replacements on my Meras and they have very heavy deck lids. When they go it is generally during a large temperature change or when stored in my basement for a few months.
Cold does affect them. Also like everything else, non use makes them go bad. If theyre not exercised occasionally, the seals leak and gas escapes...same as an air conditioner compressor clutch. I turn on my car AC ever month or so even in winter to keep them from leaking, just like my convertible tops. Most ACs wont turn on outside in winter, so I just do it in the warm garage for a few minutes. I know some cars anyway the dehumidifier does come on in the winter with the heater but I dont know if that engages the clutch or not.
Went to Parts Source today, and they do have a strut that's comparable, but two problems.... 1 - They're $50 each, and 2 - The shaft is considerably wider than the Rodney version. Would have to cut the top off, as it's made for ball stud just like the lower end, and not sure how hard it would be to tap the end to the right size to allow the ring to screw on the end.
Went to Parts Source today, and they do have a strut that's comparable, but two problems.... 1 - They're $50 each, and 2 - The shaft is considerably wider than the Rodney version. Would have to cut the top off, as it's made for ball stud just like the lower end, and not sure how hard it would be to tap the end to the right size to allow the ring to screw on the end.
I believe that Rodney will sell you a replacement set for less money and no mods are required. It took me about five minutes to install my replacement struts a few weeks ago and the rear deck lid now stands up quite well.
I cannot remember what I used, but when I needed to replace the struts on my Rodney Dickman strut kit I used the struts used on school bus emergency seats. I got the idea because I used to work in a school bus service facility and realized they would probably work. They were not only a perfect match size-wise but also had a heavy load rating & were less than $20 each at the time. If you have a local heavy truck supply shop they should be able to look it up and order it (International, etc).
