Replacing rear liftgate shockstruts

[JudyR]

Does anyone have instructions on removing and replacing the rear liftgate shockstruts on a 1997 Aerostar. All of a sudden, the rear door won't stay up and keeps closing on it's own. In the manual it tells you to remove the clips, but it doesn't tell you what you'll see once you remove the clips, and doesn't show a picture. Thanks

 

[BrooklynBay]

The shocks get like this when they get cold. Most likely, you will not have this problem once it starts to warm up outside. They only tend to get weak at certain temperatures. You don't have to completely remove this clip. You take a small flat screwdriver, and lift the tab while pulling on the shock. Only remove one side at a time while using a Vice Grip on the opposite shock to prevent the hatch from crashing down on top of you. Take a look at the picture below:

The corner has a metal clip that releases the shock from the mounting stud. The new shock clips onto the stud without lifting the clip. Make sure that you get the correct shock since they make a weaker one for models without a rear wiper or window. Those shocks don't have the strength to support a hatch with a wiper motor, and glass. The weaker shocks are skinny, and the heavy duty shocks are much thicker.