Has anyone found a cheap alternative to replace our hatch shocks?

I had blown shocks on my car when I bought it. Wouldn't "blow" the hatch glass open when you pulled the latch. They would hold the hatch open, but had to be manually opened first.

Now, after I replaced them two years ago, they aren't opening the hatch again after I pulled my FC out of storage. They won't hold the glass open either.

I priced them out at Mazdatrix and they are $100 for the driver side and $150 for the passenger side with the light.

I will gladly sacrifice or somehow mod a standard shock for the passenger side to put the light back. But, I can't justify $250 for two hatch shocks. That is outrageous to me.

 

I use a custom piece of aluminum tubing with crutch tips on both ends. Simple, light, cheap, pimp-o-licious!

 

mine were working fine but over the winter storage the gremlins came i think

 

No, I don't think there is a cheap alternative. They are expensive from Mazda, but without them, the hatch just kinda sux. I installed a remote release for the hatch so that I could walked up to the car and have the hatch pop open automatically, so that I wouldn't need to fumble with the key with hands full. For this to work, I needed the struts to function 100%.

 

coudn't you use some from cragen or the junkyard. I think it's rare for an fc to have blown shoks, for it's age anyway..


Gil

 

well, mine were blown when I bought the car (88 SE) and my parts car had blown shocks on it as well (88 SE also)

 

My parts car that is in worse condition than my car now the shocks won't life the glass but will hold it up and same for my current car.......i thought this was just how it is my seal just seems to stick thats all i'm just happy it seels and holds it open

 

Yeah, I didn't think it lifts open on its own, that's a heavy piece. I thought they were a dime a dozen used, I actually gave a set to some guy off of my parts car. If I needed more I'd just go to a junkyard.

 

When I bought my car, they would -SLOWLY- lift the glass... now they barely hold the glass up. I believe I read on here that they should lift the glass, but I don't want to get into the he said, she said type of thing.

 

I had no idea, that would be awesome if it lifted automatically.

 

I'm experiencing similar hatch problems and theres an old thread in here somewhere where I was told that there was a suitable replacement at Autozone. Now I'm the original owner of my '86GXL and let me tell you when they worked it was downright sexy! Pull the release and they would pop the hatch so hard that the rear end would bounce a little at full open. I would like to have that experience again-along with a keyless remote-simply bada$$. If nobody has any part numbers I will be experimenting soon and will report back, hopefully with good results.

 

http://www.napaonline.com/cgi-bin/nc..._kw.d2w/report


well i went on napa auto parts.com and i just looked for some universal lift supports. and that link is what i came up with i think that i am going to see if they have them in stock this weekend and swap mine out.

 

Since mine are blown too and I don't have a wiper to lift up by, (sport). I use a 6in diameter suction cup and a peice of wood. No way in hell am i spending that much on hatch shocks. Theres gotta be a better way.

 

i run a salvage 50$ for hatch shocks that work.

 

mine pops up just enough so that i can get my fingers under the corner of the hatch and lift it up. it holds it up then. new ones would be nice.

 

mine pops up just enough so that i can get my fingers under the corner of the hatch and lift it up. it holds it up then. new ones would be nice.

does anyone know if FB/FD and FC shocks are interchangeable?

 

$50 for both?

 

you mean the stick that i hold mine up with isnt stock when i got gxl they where blown and the drive side had all kinds of wires just hanging from it i just swapped them out with the ones from my parts car. i still dont know what those wires were

 

i just pop the hatch then slam my door and then it pops up.

 

Lol :-d

 

You have to remember to keep your windows closed also

You guys with the blown shocks should leave a small suction cup with handle on your hatch.

When I removed my hatch shocks to take off the interior trim and reinstalled the shocks they seemed to work much better. Maybe some of you guys should try that.

 

haha That's exactly what I do!