Rear Hatch Struts

[PolarDog]

I've got the "weak hatch strut" issue that I have seen in a couple of posts on this board. I am at the point now where the hatch doesn't stay up once I open it all the way.

I understand that the "lifting" performance degrades when the weather gets cold. It is 15 degrees F here now, but I really need the lift to function at this temperature. The rest of the car works at this temperature...

The dealer has already replaced them once less than a year ago, but clearly the same struts with the same issue are being used, so the problem is never really solved.

I consider this a safety issue, so I am interested in resolving this a bit more permanently.

Whining aside, I have two questions:
1) Those of you in Canada, does your hatch open easily and stay open at -10 degrees C? If so, can you grab some part numbers off of your hatch struts and relay them here?

2) Has anyone investigated aftermarket struts? Or any other solutions? Does anyone have an idea how much the hatch weighs so that a strut with better performance can be spec'd out?

I know that this has been an issue for some, so I am hoping that there are some ideas out there.

Thanks, P-Dog

[SteveTheTech]

Interesting stuff

What is your part numbers?

[PolarDog]

Part numbers on the Right one (has a big "R" on it):
3066YD 0520N 027/10 BK35
90450 1BA0A

Part numbers on the Left one (has a big "L" on it):
5813YD 0520N 015/09 K00
90451 1BA0A

My guess: the 90450 and 451 are the part numbers; the 015/09 is probably some sort of date stamp. The 0520N is probably some reference to size and type (N for "nitrogen"?)

When I open the gate, there is much resistance. I have to apply pressure to get it to fully extend. When I do this, I hear hissing coming from the strut and I am unclear whether this is air entering the cylinder or some balancing of the nitrogen within the cylinder (I am doubting that it is nitrogen escaping the cylinder since the strut is extending out).

I was told not to lubricate because the seal material would become compromised.

In any case, the gate is a fallin' and reshaping my head.


pDog

[sashki2]

I've got a couple of bruises because the damn door was lower then I expected and the weather wasn't all that cold - may be 40F.
I don't see why the struts should perform worse in cold weather since they seemed to perfrom the the same all year on my other cars. Should I complain & get them replaced under warranty or will the dealer give me hard time???

[PolarDog]

Okay, here's my plan:
Step 1: Get the struts replaced by the dealer under warranty.
Step 2: Ask dealer if I can keep the old parts (I know the answer is "no", but I will ask anyway).
Step 3: Wait for newly installed struts to fail.
Step 4: I have seen that through a bit of work, a replacement strut can be retrofitted to the OEM mounting hardware. I have identified replacement struts from Autozone. The "Mightylift" brand carries replacement struts that should fit the OEM ones, except that they do not have the mounting hardware (thus the reasoning behind Step 2). The replacement struts come in five different pressure ratings (D95774 is 40 pounds, D95779 is 55, D95294 is 70, D95780 is 100 and D95781 is 125). They cost about $19 each. Funny that the D95781 costs $18...

My only problem is that I am unclear on which pressure rating to get. Does anyone know the weight of the hatch or the rating of the existing struts? I am thinking that I need to start with 40, and 40 times two is 80, and work from there.

For anyone who is interested, the OEM strut is ~17.25" long when extended and ~11.75" long when closed.

Another observation: It appears that there is some form of lubricant on the shaft of the strut. This may indicate one of two things: 1) That the dealer applied a solvent to un-seize the strut. Trouble here is that the solvent will disintegrate the o-ring seal and compromise the performance of the strut. Or 2) The strut just flat-out failed, and the lubricant is actually the dampening oil inside the strut.

Let me know if you have any thoughts.

Thanks, P-Dog

[EibachMBZ]

I've got a couple of bruises because the damn door was lower then I expected and the weather wasn't all that cold - may be 40F.
I don't see why the struts should perform worse in cold weather since they seemed to perfrom the the same all year on my other cars. Should I complain & get them replaced under warranty or will the dealer give me hard time???

I took my car back to dealer just few days ago after banging my head on my rear hatch couple times.
Its really noticeable during cold weather like...NOW
Dealership are going to replace them for free but the part will take 3 weeks to arrive??!! (I can order them from some online Infiniti store and got them shipped overnight)

[PolarDog]

Okay, the car is at the dealer for the hatch struts. They confirmed that one of the struts had flat-out failed. They confirmed also that I cannot have the old ones (they need them in order to return for warranty credits). They didn't know what force the struts were rated for. They confirmed again that the mounting hardware comes with the strut and is not sold separately.

Price for a pair of new struts (not including installation): $387.


$387... There must be some gold in there somewhere...

[PolarDog]

Couple of days ago, I sent a note up to Consumer Affairs on this issue. Just got a note back that said that someone will be contacting me. I hope it is a nice conversation.

Merry Christmas everyone!