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E320 Wagon trunk door won't stay open

17K views 9 replies 7 participants last post by  tjts1 
#1 ·
Hi,

My trunk door on my wagon decided to nearly decaputate me today. Pretty much without warning. Over the weekend the trunk had to be pushed up all the way to stay open, now finally gave up.

It is the non motorized version. Anyone has any info on replacing the gas struts? (p/n 2119802264 and 2119802164)

Thanks!
 
#4 ·
It is an '04 320.
I wonder if there's a way to check if I need to replace both, or just one of the struts. (my guess I need to do both). The bolt on the outside looks like a piece of cake to access, but frankly I'm worried about the accessability of the rear bolt.

BTW I'm grateful for all the knowledge I gathered from this forum. Thanks to everyone!
 
#6 · (Edited)
2004 wagon without power gate here.

You’re in luck! I’ve been there and done that. Had a similar problem. After research I figured out the right side (passenger) support does most of the work. (It has the metal coil spring.) The left side (drivers) does the two step thing to allow a half open for lower garage ceilings.

I replaced the right side only (passenger) support. Everything works great and the half up feature is better now too.

Without the power open/close feature you can replace the supports without removing the headliner. You go through the rear roller blind upper net trim/hook receptacle in the ceiling. Remove that and you can gain access to the front of the support. From the rear all of the upper gutter trim on the right side of the hatch opening will need to be removed. You will need new plastic rivets to reinstall.

All of this was a pain. Using a step ladder and blocks to hold the hatch open allowed me to do it alone. I would advise to get someone to help! You will still need the step ladder.
 
#7 ·
I followed the replies above to order right strut and it was spot on.
I do have more flex in my fingers, than average mechanic, so I was able to replace the strut without taking too much apart.
The plastic cover around the hatch hinges does have 2 reusable pegs. Push the center pin inside, to recover it later and with some gentle lifting the pegs come out.
The cover moves up and I did not need to fully remove it, what would require some extra work.
Now having pro-painters extendable pole made supporting the hatch very easy.
After removing the cargo hook in the ceiling, I was able to find plastic cover inside. Pulling the cover out open the access to the front bracket .
You have to look at sharp angle into the hole to see it, so get some good pillows for the cargo floor and good flashlight.
With combination of several flat screwdrivers and very long needle-nose pliers I was able to pop the strut sockets out of the balls. First the rear, then the front.
Reinstalling new one was a bit more challenging. Rear socket snapped on with 1/4" socked extension used as leveling shim and couple of screwdrivers to guide it and push the socket on the ball.
Than come the hard part. I could not get a good grip on front socket to guide it on the ball, till I figured out, that sitting on cargo floor I could lift the rear of the strut with my right hand and guide the front socket with left hand, or rather 2 fingers. Once the socket was laying down on the ball, a push with big screwdriver snapped it on.
2nd time I will need 15 minutes for the job ;)
 
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