DIY: Engine Decklid strut replacement
08-05-2011, 02:27 PM
#1
Drifting
Thread Starter
DIY: Engine Decklid strut replacement
When I popped the engine hood, it would just lift an inch and I would have to manually fully extend it, where it would stay in place.
I thought this was normal, until a recent 964 meet. So my shot, and quite possibly original, rear hood struts needed a replacement.
Required Parts list:
Gas strut x2 911-512-331-01 (Turbo / heavy spoiler 911-512-331-02)
Optional parts: You can reuse everything below, but in case you lose a part, here is the complete list.
Front Pin x2 999-166-043-02
Rear Pin x2 999-166-010-02
Clip x4. N-012-645-2
Would be a good idea to order a couple of clips, just in case.
Tools.
A piece of wood 30-31" (77-78cm) long.
Needle nose pliers
old white sheet, t-shirt etc to catch falling parts.
Magnetic grabber to fetch dropped parts
(note how 50% of the the tools are to find missing parts :-)
Prop the engine lid open with the wood.
Right side first:
Remove the air box cover to give you some room to work. Two clips on the back of the airbox, two on the front. Leave the air filter in place to protect against flying clips from the strut.
Lay out the white cloth beneath the airbox to catch any clips or pins.
The key to this job is learning how to work with the little N-012-645-2 clips.
To remove them, simply grab them with a needle nose at the red X and pull away to clear the pin and slide off in the direction opposite from where you grabbed it.
Once the clips are off, carefully remove the pins, and swap out the old strut for a new one.
Carefully note that the pins are different lengths and each end of the struts are different (forward and rear) so don't mix them up.
Practice sliding the forward pin in and clipping the tip with one hand, as it's much harder on the other (left) side if you choose not to remove the blower fan.
When I had just one replacement strut in, the deck lid popped open all the way. I could have stopped here, but figured it probably wasn't good to have most of the force on just one side as it might eventually twist/warp the deck lid.
After clipping the airbox cover back on, I moved to the other side,.
I was able to get my hand on both ends of the strut, with the blower motor still in.
This side would have been much easier with it removed, but if I wanted easy, I would have gotten a 911SC.
Again lay out a white cloth and carefully remove the clips with a tug and push. Replacing the forward pin and clip is a PITA with the blower in, but when I finally got it after about 5 minutes of fiddling and tuning my fine motor skills, it was nice to be done and not have to deal with the blower re-assembly. The trick for me with the left front clip was to do it all by feel. I was actually kneeling next to the car's left rear tire , and not behind the bumper, with my right arm in and past the top of the blower motor. When you look at what you're doing you lose much of your arm's length, which is much better utilized with an all-feel approach.
That's it. Now when I put a quart of oil on the spoiler and pop the deck lid release it can launch the quart 12 feet into the air :thumb up:
I thought this was normal, until a recent 964 meet. So my shot, and quite possibly original, rear hood struts needed a replacement.
Required Parts list:
Gas strut x2 911-512-331-01 (Turbo / heavy spoiler 911-512-331-02)
Optional parts: You can reuse everything below, but in case you lose a part, here is the complete list.
Front Pin x2 999-166-043-02
Rear Pin x2 999-166-010-02
Clip x4. N-012-645-2
Would be a good idea to order a couple of clips, just in case.
Tools.
A piece of wood 30-31" (77-78cm) long.
Needle nose pliers
old white sheet, t-shirt etc to catch falling parts.
Magnetic grabber to fetch dropped parts
(note how 50% of the the tools are to find missing parts :-)
Prop the engine lid open with the wood.
Right side first:
Remove the air box cover to give you some room to work. Two clips on the back of the airbox, two on the front. Leave the air filter in place to protect against flying clips from the strut.
Lay out the white cloth beneath the airbox to catch any clips or pins.
The key to this job is learning how to work with the little N-012-645-2 clips.
To remove them, simply grab them with a needle nose at the red X and pull away to clear the pin and slide off in the direction opposite from where you grabbed it.
Once the clips are off, carefully remove the pins, and swap out the old strut for a new one.
Carefully note that the pins are different lengths and each end of the struts are different (forward and rear) so don't mix them up.
Practice sliding the forward pin in and clipping the tip with one hand, as it's much harder on the other (left) side if you choose not to remove the blower fan.
When I had just one replacement strut in, the deck lid popped open all the way. I could have stopped here, but figured it probably wasn't good to have most of the force on just one side as it might eventually twist/warp the deck lid.
After clipping the airbox cover back on, I moved to the other side,.
I was able to get my hand on both ends of the strut, with the blower motor still in.
This side would have been much easier with it removed, but if I wanted easy, I would have gotten a 911SC.
Again lay out a white cloth and carefully remove the clips with a tug and push. Replacing the forward pin and clip is a PITA with the blower in, but when I finally got it after about 5 minutes of fiddling and tuning my fine motor skills, it was nice to be done and not have to deal with the blower re-assembly. The trick for me with the left front clip was to do it all by feel. I was actually kneeling next to the car's left rear tire , and not behind the bumper, with my right arm in and past the top of the blower motor. When you look at what you're doing you lose much of your arm's length, which is much better utilized with an all-feel approach.
That's it. Now when I put a quart of oil on the spoiler and pop the deck lid release it can launch the quart 12 feet into the air :thumb up:
Last edited by Laker; 12-21-2011 at 12:49 PM.
