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Just replaced rear door gas struts. To powerful! Slams door open. Is that normal?

4K views 40 replies 13 participants last post by  441119 
#1 ·
99 XJ

I bought replacement struts from Oreily Auto Parts for $20 each. Seemed like a great price since half what OEM or Crown cost off Internet.

However, these Oreilly struts slam the door open so hard it bounces up and down 3 times. They are to powerful and NOT progrssive rate.

Are OEM or Crown springs progressive rate? i.e. - do they slow down near end of travel? Is there a brand that makes progressive rate struts for rear door?

Do OEM or Crown struts slam door open?

I can still return the Oreilly struts.

What struts should I buy?
 
#3 ·
I just bought some new ones from advanced yesterday and i was surprised at how stiff they were, and was wondering if they were too stiff. It says right on the package they are not designed to be compressed by hand.

So i guess its normal, its just a matter of whether you want your lift gate to hit you in the top of the head from falling or smack you in the face when opening.
 
#14 ·
Had the same problem when I bought new ones from O'reily's, it was way too strong. So I changed 1 of them back to the old, weaker ones. So i have 1 old and 1 new one. Has been on for a few years, and works great still.
 
#15 ·
IMHO I would far rather have strong lift struts and it pop open than a weak system that will cause problems with the latch not disengaging and not letting it open. Many people also end up breaking the license plate light cover by shoving on it in an attempt to get the hatch open. But I will also say that most of the time when the rear latch does not disengage it is due to the latch arm needing adjustment.
 
#17 ·
I bought a pair of new struts online, and put the first one on, and just for giggles, tried the hatch. It was perfect - if I would have put both new ones on, it would have been WAY too much (picture my wife hanging from the hatch trying to close it). So now, all I have to do is wait for the new one to wear out, or at least get to the point where it's not quite keeping the hatch up in cold weather, and I already have its replacement in the garage gathering dust. If a pair of new ones is too much, try putting one of the old ones back on, and keep the other new one as a spare.
 
#18 ·
habbyguy said:
I bought a pair of new struts online, and put the first one on, and just for giggles, tried the hatch. It was perfect - if I would have put both new ones on, it would have been WAY too much (picture my wife hanging from the hatch trying to close it). So now, all I have to do is wait for the new one to wear out, or at least get to the point where it's not quite keeping the hatch up in cold weather, and I already have its replacement in the garage gathering dust. If a pair of new ones is too much, try putting one of the old ones back on, and keep the other new one as a spare.
That's going to put a lot of unnecessary stress on the hinges. I would put the other one on.

Sent from my pocket brick
 
#23 ·
That's going to put a lot of unnecessary stress on the hinges. I would put the other one on.
How so? When I installed 2 new ones, it was so strong the hatch almost hit my chin on a very fast upswing. I wouldn't want my kids to get a broken jaw or nose. That's how strong it was. That's a lot of unnecessary stress on the hinges when it bounced after the hitch opened all the way up. And unnecessary stress on my wallet and home if the kids got hurt.
 
#24 ·
when I bought my xj the struts were bad. 2 years later I finally replaced them. it was kinda stiff when I shut it, turned around to open it and BAM, hit me right in the face. since my struts were bad when I bought it, I didn't know what to expect when I first opened it. took about a week of opening it (carefully) everyday to break them in. had then on for 2 years now.
 
#27 ·
Since I already bought the Oreilly struts, I'll just wait a month or two and see how they break in. If they are still launching the door in to orbit after two months, I'll get some of those Rock Auto Strongarm struts, or OEM struts, or Napa struts.
 
#29 ·
Areostar shocks here... Explorers are actually shorter than xj ones, so they don't lift the hatch all the way. The areostar vans have a huge rear hatch so these puppies are strong! Ill actually be installing a few pouches on the inside of my hatch, for non since things & a first aid kit and such so it'll add a bit of weight. I love mine, been a year without an issue.
 
#30 ·
It's been a few months since I installed the overly powerful Oreilly struts. Still slamming rear hatch open hard enough to make it bounce 3 times, if I don't hold on to it and gently open it.

I went back to Oreilly's and complained and they were helpful. They looked at it, and tested the functionality of the rear door/struts. They agree it is opening to fast and hard, and since the struts have not calmed down in a few months of having them, they suggested I buy OEM struts from Jeep and then return the Oreilly's for a full refund.

I don't have my Oreilly's receipt or packaging anymore, but they said no problem.

So I just ordered OEM struts from Quadratec for $32. Free shipping for Jeep Forum members.

As soon as the OEM arrive and get installed, the Oreilly struts will be returned for a refund.
 
#39 ·
The OEM rear hatch gas struts I ordered from Quadratec turned out to be Crown OER gas struts. OER is Original Equipment Replacement, which is not quite the same as OEM.

However, I can't complain because the Crown OER struts were $30 with free shipping. Real OEM struts would have cost me $60 or more with shipping.

The Crown struts work beautifully. They are two stage struts (like OEM). So the door opens fast for most of the way, and then opens slowly and gently the last 3 inches.

These Crown struts are perfect and the price was great. Neither Crown or Quadratec brags about them being dual rate. They don't even mention it. It was a nice surprise to see them work and learn they are dual rate. These Crown struts are fantastic!

I will be returning the Oreilly struts because they were excessively strong, single rate, too long, and slammed the door open so hard it bounced up & down a few times. The Oreilly struts did NOT improve after a few months use.

The Crown struts work perfectly immediately after installing. No break in needed. The Crown struts were easier to install than the Oreilly struts were (because the Oreilly struts are to long).

The Crown struts are cheaper than OEM, but Crown function exactly the same as OEM. Fantastico!
 
#40 ·
FWIW, as I said in my earlier post, I'd ordered a couple new struts from an Ebay vendor ($25 for two delivered). After installing the first one, I realized that it was SO strong that I didn't need to install the second (which would have made it impossible for my smaller wife to close the hatch). Just the other day, I realized that the strut is finally "breaking in" to the point where the single new strut is just lifting the hatch, barely getting the last few inches of movement. I went back through my email just now and realize that I bought these things in late 2006, and we use our hatch pretty often... so I guess it's safe to say that they don't "break in" too quickly.

Of course, all I do now is wait until the hatch doesn't quite open right, and I'll put on the other new strut and should be good for another six or seven years... so the net cost for a fully functional hatch is about $2 a year.
 
#41 ·
That sounds miserable. Buy something and it takes 7 years to begin functioning adequately. When you add the second strut your hatch will go in to orbit again.

You need OEM Chrylser or Crown struts, or a taller wife.:rolleyes: Maybe get her some higher heals? :D

Just kidding. Short girls are cute. Keep the wife and get better struts.
 
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