I think my hood support is getting weak. I've done a search and found that I can just buy a replacement at an auto parts store (Strongarm?). My question is: do I need to replace both, or can I get by with replacing just one? If so, which would be better to replace, the left or the right one? The current one can still support the hood open with no problem, but the hood would occasonally fall shut for seemingly no reason, and without warning. Might be kinda dangerous if my hands were on the fender or something, ya know? It already flattened my multimeter!

 

I tried to replace my hood supports throught A/Z but they dont have the bracket to bolt to the hood. And you cant put new struts on the o/e bracket. If you have found something different than what I know help a brotha out because I've got the old stick prop going on right now.
Kev

 

If i can get mine off of my car then they would be available if anyone is interested. --probably trying to get some parts off this weekend.

 

If i can get mine off of my car then they would be available if anyone is interested. --probably trying to get some parts off this weekend.

 

pep boys carries them...i have one in my car...i'll post the part no. later

 

getting one is like a bandaid on a severed hand.
yeah it'll kinda work..but soon it won't and it'll fall down again..then you'll blame defective hood strut...sue nissan for poor design..u get a huge settlement and the nissan will stop making the maxima because of u.

my point?? stop being cheap! get both and be done with it. if you're under the hood often it's cheap insurance that it won't fall on your head/arm/fingers and taking you to the ER...like u said "might be kinda dangerous if my hands were on the fender".

(sorry rough morning..had to take it out on someone)

 

what dan said

yea they're made by a company called Sach's. Part no. is SG325007 and can be found at pep boys or wherever.

 

or if you don't want to bother a lot of people just buy a support that mechanics (single adjustible pole) use or vice grips. I do that insetad of spending $80 on another set of lifts that may give out on me at anytime. I can also move it from car to car, so it's added protection when I'm working on another ride.

 

I use my 1" breaker bar to prop it up..keep it between to the passenger seat and console. Double as protection. "But Officer, I use it to prop the hood and aid in lugnut removal!"

 

hey guys i have a pair of hood struts for 89-94 maxima , complete units for sale 70.00 shipped this is an original nissan part

 

I'm assuming your DVOM "probably" cost more than both struts combined. 25-30 a piece from parts store, save on shiping and SBC

 

Hehe, my multimeter is OK, thankfully. The cable's flattened, but I was able to bend it straght back. My Chilton manual saved it by blocking the the hood from closing completely. It's a cheap analog walmart unit anyway!

So the strut's about $25-$30 apiece?

 

I just about 1/2 hour ago got done replacing mine, i got them at Autozone for $24 each with a lifetime warrenty, real easy to do, just need a ratchet wrench and some metric sockets. Very nice to not have your hood slam you in the head!

Real easy unless you are mechanically uninclined.

Replace both, they are only $24 each, $95 at the dealer!

Karl

 

So, do they come with the bracket that bolts (with 2 bolts) to your hood, or does it attach to that bracket. If so, how? Looks like the bottom part of the strut attach with a bolt, but the top part attach with some kind of rivet or something. Not bolt

 

I am sorry I got mine at Advance Auto parts and everything you need came with the strut. It took them a while to locate the part in their computer and they special ordered it for me took 2 days to come in. Real easy.

karl

 

How many miles do you all have on your cars and how often do you have the hoods open? It seems like you are all having problems with these supports but mine seem to work just fine at 153K. I'm not saying yours aren't bad but it surprises me that they are going bad on so many Maxs!?!

 

Bought mine with 101,000 on it , it's a 1991. My Z also had bad hood struts of course it is a 1987. I thought it was normal for them to go bad. I dont think the mileage has anything to do with the struts, just how old they are. Maybe climate has something to do with it, I live in PA.



Karl

 

Mine's about 151K miles. But I bought it used not that long ago, and it's had an engine transplant. So I suspect during the time it has bad engine (or no engine!) it spent a lot of time with the hood up. Plus I certainly think the weather had something to do with it, the hood started to go weak only since the weather turned cold here in MN.

 

I have a story for you...
I had a problem with my hood struts staying up so I took the struts off of my wifes 90 because I have never had a problem with the hood falling on that car. I just swapped them from mine to hers and from hers to mine.

my hood still falls and hers still stays up

I have a scar on my head to prove it too. I was taking my fender off and thought the hood would stay up since I put the other struts on but I got the fender almost off and bent down to undo the nuts for the bumper cover and the hood came down on my head and I got cut from the sheet metal under the fender (if you took your fender off you would see the sheet metal comes up and meets there and is very sharp).

and yes I am sure I swaped them because I marked them to make sure they didnt get mixed up.

I can only imagine that the hood on my 93 is aligned wrong or something but everything lines up perfectly.

 

Ouch! That's precisely what I'm trying to avoid...

Maybe the hood for the 93 is heavier than the hood for the 90?

Anyway, the thought that your hood could unceremoniously slam on you while you're working under it sure is disconcerting...

 

I suppose that is possible but I live in MI so we get plenty of the foul weather here too! It could be a factor of how often the hood is up. That is not too often for my Max. Oil changes, PR CAI, strut tower brace, strut replacement, 1 timing belt change, a couple of tune ups, master cylinder replaced and clutch master cylinder replaced. Thats about it for work done under the hood. I guess that is not a whole lot compared to some others.

I just hope the hood never falls on my head!

 

I thought of something like that too but I got a hood off of my parts car (89SE) and it still falls so I just dont know.

 

funny story actually...
the other day i was outside looking under the hood at the relays (thinking of putting in foglights) and i saw two cute girls walking down the street
so i thought hey let me look cool and pretend liek i'm doin something important under here, so i started up the car and was revving it up by using the throttle thing on the engine (excuse my lack of mechanical terms....)
and of course just when they were walking by the hood decided to lower it self on my head....
it didn't hurt or anything just my ego was a bit bruised. i thought it was just the wind that pushed it down, or maybe i didn't put the hood all they way up....
mmmm it was too spanish girls whose culo made your eyes go
i think they go to my college anywho, so i'll talk to them there....my this got off topic huh....sorry!

 

i had the same prob on my 96 and i just searched on ebay and found a set of hood shocks for 35 plus i think 5-8 for shipping. They work perfectly and install was easy. The sipping was pretty fast too. I don't know if you got anything for your hood yet but I really think that these are good.

One thing though, make sure you don't strip the screw because that really sux! trust me, i know.

 

My parking space has a slope. The hood stays when I'm parking upwards, and slowly falls when facing down. When it's level it's kind of ok.

 

You probably need new ones.