The Hatch Struts are well known as failing in a couple years. They cost $300 per pair from the dealer. And I found this matched pair online and paid $82 out the door. ($52.00 Free Shipping as of 11/8/2011) The way these struts designed are very difficult to remove. The two bolts at the bottom of the trunk shock are no problem. It's the ballstud-bolt at the top that takes work getting out. The screw is thread-locked in using locktite or some other screw adhesive. This means it is impossible to remove (you will strip the bolt trying so don't bother) unless you first apply some type of heat to the bolt. I read a tutorial and tried replacing it. I found out it isn't hard to do at all. I have very basic garage tools and a lighter. If I do it again (w/the easy way in video), I can probably get both sides done in 10-15 mins... of course with a friend holding the spoiler in case of falling. Anyway, it works and my wife is very happy with the result. Thanks everyone for providing different resources, it saved me lots of money.
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I just installed my new set of lift supports, and wanted to add a few things:
-The lift supports themselves seem to be made of good, sturdy materials, and came with new mounting hardware. Once properly installed they work well enough. However, I did have a slight problem with the first set I was sent. The units were factory labeled left and right, but the right unit was actually another left side unit that had been mislabeled. You can tell if you place them side by side and look at the mounting plate with two holes. If they are mislabeled, the mounting plates will be the same: check for the letter stamped on the plate. Mine had an "A" stamped on both, and I knew I had two left side units. You have to have an "A" stamped on one, and a "B" stamped on the other. I notified the seller, and they practically fell over themselves to get me a brand new set ASAP, with no-charge return shipping for the first set. The second set was labeled correctly, there was a "B" stamped on the right unit this time, and I knew I was good to go.
-The new supports were a breeze to install, but getting the old ones off was WAY more trouble than it should have been. That was Toyota's responsibility, and they definitely did not do a good job of thinking ahead about replacement of worn out items. Hatch supports can't last forever, and you can't replace parts you can't get off!
-You MUST heat the swivel head bolts attached to the sides of the rear hatch, or the thread locking compound will not release. (I tried!) The lighter trick will work, but be advised you should probably plan on doing this whole process indoors. I was forced to work outside when it was windy, and the lighter flame kept blowing out! I could only put a few seconds of heat on it at a time, and quickly got frustrated. I had to cut through the bolt to separate the old lift support, because it was acting like a big heat sink. I couldn't get enough heat on the bolt itself, and I rounded one side quite a bit before it finally started to give. As a heat shield for the paint above the bolt, I just used folded aluminum foil. Protect the paint or you may end up scorching it badly while heating the stubborn bolt.
-Do NOT install these without some way of holding the hatch up while you are working! I noticed when I was tightening the lower mounting plate bolts that in order to see where they were going I had to place my head directly under the hatch, and the side of the body was directly below my throat. If the hatch had closed suddenly I could have been in a lot of trouble. You can prop the hatch open and work from outside, or I suppose if you removed the tilting package tray you could even work from the back seat. Make sure it's secure and think safety first!
-At the time I'm writing this, it's been pretty cold outside for quite a while. The rear hatch goes up, but the lift speed is definitely linked to the outside temperature. The colder it is, the slower it rises. I consider that normal, although it is annoying to wait on it at times. At least it always lifts UP now, all on its own, instead of doing nothing like the old units. They offer plenty of resistance when closing the hatch even with the cold, so I think warmer weather would show an improvement.
UPDATE January 2012: I have had these on for quite a while now, and have to say I'm more than a little disappointed with them. Warmer weather helped some, but it always seemed they had to struggle to raise the hatch, and now they are almost at the point of completely failing. They have no upward motion at all; I always have to lift it hard to get it to open. The only good thing is that it stays open once it is raised by force. I'm basically back where I started with the bad OEM struts. These new ones were cheaper, but they never performed like I hoped they would. **sigh**
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fantastic! I was quoted by Toyota for replacement and installation around $300.00 I paid about $95.00 which included S&H and got them in a week. What I can tell you is they took me ten minutes to install. You should have two people. My friend didn't show so I just cut a 2X4 and held it in place with duck tape. Make sure its secure and the hatch is held all the way up. You'll need 4 tools (2000-2005 Toy Celica)110 mm ratchet with about a 3" extension. 2,3 and 4 10, 12 and 13mm open end wrenches. Take the bottom 2 screws off, unscrew the top. Replace top screw, remove pin, pop in top, replace pin, re-screw bottom....do other side. Your done. PS note of caution. These babies work great and now my hatch shoots up like a missile, so raise the hatch carefully and watch your chin.
Honest reviews on Qty (2) L&R Toyota Celica ,GT, GTS 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005
List of tools to be used when removing & installing the lift supporters
1. A Lighter Use to melt the adhesive applied on installed screws.
It might be a good idea to use stove lighter (with long metal pipe) rather than ordinary lighter because you might have to use it for an extended time, and the ordinary lighter's plastic lever tends to melt due to constant heat for a long time.
2. 3 wrenches of the following sizes : 10", 11" and 12"
The 10" is used when removing and installing the base of the supports (Don't lose or mess up these screws, you're gonna need them!)
The 11" is used when installing the new balls on the sides of your car's door. (Be careful! I bought a set of 9 wrenches and it doesn't have the 11" one)
The 12" is used when removing the old balls of the original supports on the sides your car's door.
3. A flat-head screw driver (not necessary)
Helps you install the new supports into their sockets a bit smoother.
4. Something or someone to keep the door open while you operate.
Follow the instructions in the other posts for removing/installing method. If you're patient enough and heat the old screws properly then you won't need to cut or drill it off. If you're using open end wrenches, make sure that you keep the screws in its shape, good enough to work it all the way out. I just installed it 3 hours ago and my hands still hurt. (Ouch!)
!! Important thing to be aware of !!
If you find out that the metal plate on the base of your new support is on the wrong side, and you can't see how it will fit on your car, don't panic (I did panic) Simply screw the base metal plate in its place, and then grab the ball socket firmly with a piece of fabric or a bigger wrench, slowly spin it clockwise until the socket is facing the right directon.
BTW. Great product!
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Whatever you do, DO NOT try and remove the top swivel bolt without first cutting the arm away as shown in the video. Your only chance of getting the swivel bolt out in one piece is to use a 6-sided (NOT 12) 11mm box wrench. Using a lighter to heat up the bolt to melt the thread-locker is also a must.
If you do not do it this way -like me (opps!), you will have to drill out the bolt.
It's not the end of the world, but it makes what should be a 15-20 minute repair job take about 1 hour.
Procedure for Drilling out Swivel Bolt
[1] Center punch the flat section of bolt that remains after you cut off the strut
[2] Use small 5/64" drill bit to start the hole and assure dead center, only drill about 1/8" of an inch with this bit
[3] Next move up to 5/32" drill bit, and slowly drill all the way through the bolt (about 5/8")
[4] Now move up to the final 17/64" drill bit, slowly drilling out the entire bolt to the end
If done properly, the residual bolt material will basically fall out and leave you just the threads. However, you might need needle nose pliers to pull some remaining pieces out
Lastly, have a 8 X 1.25 metric tap on hand to chase or dress the threads should it be necessary
Install new struts as per video.
