VolvoBlog...tailgate struts

Following the content of the ever-popular Saablog I decided that my blog needed some car-repair stories to spice things up. So I will detail my project.

My rear hatch on the Volvo had been a bit saggy. The struts were able to hold the gate open under most conditions, but if the car was facing uphill or the weather was particularly cold, I would generally need to hold the hatch open in order to keep it from crashing down onto my head while I was getting my cargo from the cargo area. I asked my brother for replacement struts for my birthday, and he got some for me. I looked up instructions on Volvospeed and they seemed very straightforward. The trim seemed easy to remove, held in place by plastic clips and one screw on each side. It was removed more easily than I had anticipated.

Here is the original strut in place. At this point, it started to rain, so I went to my place of employment so I would be able to work on it inside. I would also have access to more and better tools from the shop. If I could find them.

The next step was to pry the old strut off of the car. Struts are held in place on each end by ball and socket joint. The ball is on the car, and the socket is on the strut. Removal was quite straightforward. Installation is the same as reverse...

So I got the first strut out, and it took not long at all. When only one strut is on the car, you need to prop the hatch open with a broom or something. While it was propped up, I was pretty nervous about it falling down and breaking my leg or skull...

So now installation. Should be easy. The first end went on...

So then the other end should be easy, right? Hah!!! The thing was seemingly too long. I could not raise the hatch high enough to get the socket over the ball. It was maybe 1/4 inch too long!!!

So, lets look at the struts. Old one on bottom, new one on top...

So, They're the same, right? They look the same. But I tried and tried for more than an hour to get the back end on. I used clamps, cables, zip-ties and pliers, but there was no way I could shorten up the strut and make it fit on. So, I'm looking and looking, and it looks like maybe the new one is just a touch longer. So I'm looking at the new one that is not on the car, andI notice that the silver end is loose. The ends are just screwed on. Look at the ends... The new one is on the left, the original is on the right.

The new one is that much longer and won't go on the car!!! So I just swapped the ends, and bing, bang, boom--it is on the car!! The right side took 2 hours, the left side took 5 minutes.

So while I was screwing around in the back of the car, I decided to see if i could figure out what the rattling was in the back. I ordered an anti-rattle kit for the hatch in the hopes that it would help. I got the interior of the back hatch off. I broke a couple of the clips holding it together. At least they should be included in the kit I ordered.

Here are the bits I broke off while removing the interior of the hatch. I hope I get some more! And then to add insult to injury, when I got the hatch off, I found that the upgrade for the anti-rattle had alerady been completed!!! The one thing I did find out was that the rattle was not coming from the rear hatch. With the hatch cover off, driving around the rattle that has been driving me crazy was still there. Arrgg!!! I'll be taking more parts off and driving around until I've removed the rattle!!!