Tailgate Gas Struts - Removal From Estate.

[fatgut]

Gas struts on 2003 estate model weakening, wife nearly knocked out by sagging tailgate last week, time to get it sorted out or it's going to end in tears. Asked at dealer and it's usual eye-watering price quote ie £78/strut inc VAT, parts only, and there are 2 obviously for tailgate. Further 2 for glass only, but no sag at all on that. Got quote from very helpful regassing company for a fraction of dealer new part cost, includes 2 year warranty, or if on inspection they are no good , can supply new again at very reasonable cost. So, need to get the 2 struts out. Very quick inspection leads me to think is a whole tailgate off job (arghhh). Can anybody who has ever done a gas strut replacement on an estate C5 let me know what's involved please. Thanks, Paul.

[techbod]

they should have a clip on the ends then they just pry off like a ball and socket fitment unless they bolt in but shouldn't need to take the door of just get at the bolts and prop the door up with a broom handle

[fatgut]

Thanks techbod, thats exactly what I did the last time I ever had to do this job on a more conventional car, and it's easy, unfortunately on the C5 estate which I presume you don't own, the gas struts are entirely within 'tunnels' within the roof effectively, so always completely within the bodywork, unexposed. They operate directly on the hinges of the tailgate, hence what I fear means removal of tailgate in order to access end of gas strut as is covered by hinge at the accessible end. Am guessing the inaccessible end either just sits in a recess or screws in. Could well be wrong on all this though as haven't had chance to really look at it as is either a)dark, b)blowing a gale, or c)raining this week ! Thanks anyway.

[Randombloke]

unfortunately on the C5 estate which I presume you don't own, the gas struts are entirely within 'tunnels' within the roof effectively, so always completely within the bodywork, unexposed. They operate directly on the hinges of the tailgate, hence what I fear means removal of tailgate in order to access end of gas strut as is covered by hinge at the accessible end.

 

RTA manual says that it's very easy to remove the tailgate, but you will need a second person at the last step.

 

Caution - I've never done this repair before, I'm just lifting it out of the manual. You may wish to file this under BS, no hard feelings......

 

Boot open:

Disconnect the electrical connection to the boot (LHS).

Carefully remove the big plastic cover between the two hinges.

Unclip the struts (My note - support needed here?)

Close the boot and open the glass on its own.

Undo the four screws holding the boot on, and remove the boot with the help of a second person.

 

Then it says in French, re-assembly is the reverse of the removal procedure. ;-)

 

Struts are in two tunnels. When I replaced the aerial on my C5 roof, it was possible to get the lining of the roof far enough away without damage to just get a hand in to unscrew things, don't know if you can do this with the struts.

 

Note - Hinges remain in place. Looks like there are multiple struts to them as glass and window operate separately, but when the glass is locked into the window I'm guessing that if any of the struts are weak, there will be a problem.

 

Worth seeing if when the glass is separate from the main boot, if it is the glass or the boot that is sagging.

 

HTH.......

[techbod]

your right of course I don't own one and ive tried to get information through googling but not much on there and other Citroen sites and through Citroen direct but still no information or images I could put up to help so it would be good if you took pictures of your work to help others and for me to understand how this new system works :rolleyes:

if I had a car for every time I fixed one or gave advice I would have many ( im not a citroen tech im a tech for all cars ) and help many sites on the net

[fatgut]

Apologies techbod thought it was owners only that would use this site, good of you to help out all and sundry! Absolutely no luck with trying to get a photo onto this site as it would only work if it had a URL (says my wife - who understands these things). Option is to send email of photo privately to you if you are that interested! PM me if so. Had a good look at hinge arrangement today, and I reckon there may be room to jiggle out the gas strut once unclipped without removal of hinge/tailgate, but I want confirmation before wrecking things, so will continue ferreting out info. Will post next installment for reference when I have actually got somewhere with the job! Pulled down rooflining and can feel ends of struts in locating holes that project out of front of 'tunnel' end, so hoping they just locate in.

[techbod]

I still have a Citroen as well as a few oldies im working on restoration projects :rolleyes: but you can send me the images to techbod@live.com and ill keep them for reference when someone needs to know :o

[old'uns]

photobucket, imageshack, flickr etc to host pics or e-mail pic to me & i'll put it up. PM me for e-add

if needed.

[kfk]

or post them here http://www.citroen-owners-club.co.uk/citro...?showtopic=7172

[myglaren]

How about just a link to an ImageShack/Photobucket/Whatever photo:

http://img407.imageshack.us/img407/885/pa152047aa8.jpg

 

?

 

Keeps us from having to use the eyebleach when the porn spammers descend upon us, at least on this site :unsure:

 

 

ED: karnt spel

[fatgut]

Time for a mini update on this. Yes the strut does have the conventional threequarters of a circle clip at the 'easily' accessible (rear) end which springs off with a screwdriver easily(finding where it landed takes an age though!). Yes the socket does prise off the ball with a large screwdriver in the usual manner. Then it would not release as hoped as the front end is secured by a C shaped circlip that required the headlining to be dopped down further in order to access it, so I gave up at that point as was absolutely freezing. The socket of the strut was knocked back onto the ball using a drift and a mallet, and then ever since the tailgate hasn't seemed to sag as much. So I've sprayed the exposed bit of both tailgate struts with WD40, and am seeing how it goes. Still unsure whether there would have been enough room to wiggle the gas strut out of the tunnel once disconnected, but at a guess would say more likely than not. Otherwise will be a tailgate off job, but doesn't sound too hard based on the above post. Word of warning - all this was a 2 person job, and the tailgate is clearly VERY heavy based on the extra effort required to hold it up once just 1 strut was disconnected. 2 props advisable. The other obvious thing to point out is that a temporary way round the low tailgate problem is to use that weird button just inside the boot to raise the rear of the car on the suspension. We had never once used it in 5 years, and had forgotten its existance until recently- DOH!