Gas lifts that hold up car hoods, trunks and rear hatches can wear out and become a problem, especially in cold weather. Why risk injury from a falling hatch? Here’s how to fix the problem quickly and cheaply.
Buy a pair of gas lifts (always replace them as a pair) at an auto parts store. They cost $16 to $25 each. Right- and left-side lifts often differ only in very subtle ways, so before you leave the parts store, ask the clerk to label them. Labeling will save you time and frustration when you get home.
The lifts attach to the hood and fender with bolts or a ball and socket arrangement. The bolt styles are easy to identify. Just remove the bolts and replace the lift. The ball and socket styles have a “C”-shaped clip that prevents the socket from popping off the ball. To remove the ends from the ball studs, just insert a small flat-blade screwdriver into the center of the clip to pry it out. That’ll allow you to disengage the ball and socket. Use the screwdriver to pry out the C-clip on the replacement lift and snap the end onto the ball.
1. Support the hatch. Lift the hatch slightly higher than its normal open position and have a friend hold the hatch up while you remove the gas lift. Or lock the hatch in place with a lift support clamp attached to the lift shaft while you work on the opposite lift.
2. Disengage the lift. Remove the top portion of the gas lift first. Jam a flat-blade screwdriver into the depression in the center of the C-clamp. (Use a socket and a ratchet to remove the bolted-in-place variety.) Then pull the gas lift off the ball stud. Reverse the procedure to connect the new lift.
A variation on the ball and socket has plastic fingers that snap around the ball. To release the tension on the fingers, pry off the four-legged friction cap and pull the lift off the ball stud.