Guybrush Wilkinson

According my searching result this issue havent yet been discussed.

My town and surrounding areas are VERY strictly speed limited and radar controlled. If I manually set the rear spoiler in UP position, it will stay there most likely for weeks under my normal driving. If I want to exceed 120 km/h (when the manual UP setting is overrided and the spoiler will come down when slowing down to 60 kmh) I will have to take the risk being fined quite heavily.

My question is that will continuous spoiler up -position put more strain to the system than spoiler down -position, leading to premature failing of the system? I am rationalizing this by the fact that there are strong springs pulling the spoiler down so the hydraulic fluid pressure making the spoiler stay up must be quite high.

993c2cab

I've read stories of people leaving them up after washing thier car and having problems. Can't remember if the posts were on rennlist or 6speed.

dantzig

The hydraulic system works basically like this: there are two cylinders that look kind of like a pair of epoxy glue tubes side-by-side. The motor drives a screw that turns a worm gear that in turn pushes the pistons into the cylinders together. (All of this lives on top of the plastic cover near the fan on the deck lid.) Once the spoiler is up, it will stay up until the motor turns the other way and withdraws the pistons. So there is no additional strain on the hydraulics when the spoiler is up. Actually, there are no springs at all - just movement of hydraulic fluid.

OTOH, when the spoiler is up it exposes the pistons under the spoiler (outside of the car) to the elements. Water can get into there a bit more easily, I guess, and the pistons are more likely to corrode. If that happens, they will put more strain on the hydraulics when they move. You should lubricate those pistons occasionally with WD-40 or some equivalent.

OK, that doesn't really answer your question, I know. But I think that it helps to understand how it works.

Hope it helps a little,

Jon

Macster

The spoiler goes up at 75mph (in my car's case this is actually 73mph since the car's speedo is optimistic by 2mph).

The spoiler goes down at 40mph or thereabouts.

75mph is 120kph and if you can legally obtain this speed then enter a section of road with a lower speed limit yet one that doesn't let the car's speed drop low enough to cause the spoiler to lower, that's a ticket?

On what basis? Gee, I hope Finland isn't turning into CA.

Sincerely,

Macster.

nick49

This is mostly correct. The motor has a gear reduction built into its housing to multiply torque and reduce rpm and when powered up, a male end on a stub shaft fits thru a radial thrust ball bearing and into a female clevis on a screw ram. The screw ram passes thru a large black plastic threaded block that moves twin piston rods attached to pistons thru the length of stroke in twin brass tube cylinders. Motor polarity determines direction of travel of pistons and is controlled by up or down switch.

The wing lift rams, use a very strong spring inside to hold the rams in the down position. When the motor/pump is running hydraulic pressure at about 450 PSI/30 Bar forces the ram to the fully extended position against the heavy spring tension. A microswitch tells the motor when extended height is reached and shuts it off. A lower limit switch does the same on retraction.

What appear to be shiny stainless hydraulic rams are in reality just thin covers that are easily dented or damaged. The hydraulic cylinders are actually very small brass tubes about 12-13mm (1/2") in diameter.

If the spoiler is left in the up position, the heavy spring tension in each ram is trying force the wing downward putting pressure on a lot of cheap and easily damaged plastic parts in the motor/pump assembly.

This is a pic, not mine BTW.

Dock

Why do you want to leave it up?

Guybrush Wilkinson

Just for looks.

adam_

If you leave it up all the time, who cares if it is broken?

jimq

I dont understand. After manually raising mine it will go back down after I restart the car and go above 45mph+/- than back below 45 automatically.

SSST

There is a kit someone on here bought that allows you to install it permanently in the up position. You remove the existing hydraulics and then it uses the existing chrome supports but fixes them in the up position.

Yomi

Now I know how non-computer people feel when I describe perfectly obvious data structures to them.

(thanks for the technical post and picture)

jimq

Its $150 on Ebay

nick49

I just did mine. I machined a high carbon steel ball ended strut to fit inside the cylinder, installed it using my 20 ton press and fit a plug in place of the banjo bolt. Now my rams are in a fixed position exactly 3" extended. The nice thing is if I decide, I can remove the struts and go back to the hydraulic system. I can do this for others as well, installed, for less than the Ebay price. PM if interested.

I like the look! and better, I like that fact the spoiler "Error Warning", leaks, uneven lift attempts, stuck in up or down positions are all behind me.

qirex

@nick 49, Awesome way to explain the spoiler operation.

Now my problem is with my motor drive unit, the plastic block inside is stripped (I actually bought 2 other used motors on ebay - and BOTH of them were stripped too)

Since the plastic block is torn up, the worm gear cant engage anything - hence the spoiler "No Va"

Does anybody know where to find replacement PARTS for this plastic block - or do I need to have something machined?

Mgcl

qirex i can help you out on that bad pump i have fixed them in the past if you are interested on getting yours fixed give me a call Mike at 734-523-8119 days i am in Michigan or if you would like to fix the extra one you have and resell it or sell it me as is