Where can I buy new hatch struts with the wiper electrical on them?
Thanks,

 

I don't think you can find them new, if you are lucky you might find a used one with some life left in it but like Jeff says, you only need a good one on the driver's side to hold up the hatch.

If your contacts or wires aren't connecting anymore, you may be able to clean them up and get it to work - I have to do this once a year or so. If they are shot you might want to take Jeff up on his offer, even the used ones in good shape are hard to find.

And if you do find a new one let us know where!

 

You can buy them new. They are called 'strong arm'???

Go to Napa or a similar place. I got mine in Canada at Canadian Tire.

 

They don't come with the wiring. You have to transfer everything over from the old one to the new ones.

 

^^^ bingo doc. i havent seen one for sale in years. as Jeff stated, one good strut is enough to hold up the glass. i have to same issues in my 85 S. i added a hatch with rear wiper and teh wiper strut is dead. one good strut onthe left side holds the hatch just fine!!

 

Come on guys, the proper replacement strut for the wiper wiring is the Strongarm 4709.

It's been resolved here:

https://www.rx7club.com/showthread.p...ght=strong+arm

 

It's not the strut replacement that he is worried about but the wiring that attaches to the strut I believe. You have to cut the old strut if I remember correctly and transfer the wiring over to the new one.

I am well aware that the aftermarket ones state, Without rear wiper". We all know that the strut will support the hatch. I remember the last time I did one that I had to cut the wiring off of the old strut and attach it to the replacement one.

 

When I was replacing my old hatch window (I spent more money trying to stick new tabs for the defroster than it cost me to just get a new hatch without a window wiper -.-) I started removing the old wiring for the window motor. Mine didn't have a connector, it was two full lengths of wire running from my ignition to the right strut, and it was just coiled around my strut and connected to the motor.

But, my old hatch looked like whoever wired up the rear window wiper did a shitty job...

Anyways, just remove the strut, rewrap the wires neatly around the new strut with tape or what ever, and that should be it.

 

I see the problem, communication.

To clarify, the new strut end unscrews to accept the electrics which need to be cut from the old strut.

So the wiper works with the new strut.


Just like I did this summer.

 

Here are some pics of the new shock I just took:

 

Exactly right. In addition, the original struts had some plastic coating to hold the wires against the strut. When I did mine, I used a length of black heat shrink tubing on the strut to hold the wires. It looks as good, if not better, than the original.

 

Question for you guys: When you remove the ball joint end of the strut, what kind of tool do you use? I've heard some just pry it off (screwdriver, pliers, whatever). I was thinking of a small ball joint separator tool (like you might use for suspension work, but smaller). Mine still hold the glass up, but just barely. Sometyimes I need to lift the hatch a few times to get it to stay.

 

You remove the ball joint with a 12 mm wrench, you need that 12 mm fitting on your replacement shock if you want it to fit. The other end can be made to fit with some adapters.

You may need to replace both your driver's side and passenger's side shocks if you live up in Canada where it's cold or Seattle where it's wet, but for most other places you only need a good lifting shock on the driver's side. It will hold the rear hatch glass up fine and after market shocks for the driver's side are available and inexpensive. If the wiring is good on your passenger side shock but it doesn't lift, you really don't need to replace it.

Jeff is offering the correct solution, fix your wiper wiring with his used original part and add a new after market replacement shock on the driver's side. $20 for the used passenger side shock is a bargain and I'd ****** it up if I didn't already have a spare.

Ray

 

The hatch arms are supposed to slightly lift the hatch up and keep it up right? I can get some from Black Dragon I believe, my old ones are ok, but the hatch doesn't stay open, and it's pretty limp.

 

So you're saying it's pretty limp and you can't keep it up anymore

 

He'll need the blue shocks then.

 

har har, I set myself up for that one....

 

I don't understand why you would order something as simple as that when you can go down to Napa or any other auto parts place and get them same day. Especially since the mail order places don't even carry the right part...!!!

 

Kragens stopped carrying the right ones a couple years ago. Couldn't even find old stock calling around.

 

I just googled Strong Arm 4709 and got a hit with Amazon.com

A little more work with a phone book and I'm sure that I could find local parts places that have it in stock, or can get it next day.