Just changed out the gas struts for the rear tailgate on my 1988 W124 estate.
The dealers thought it would be about a two-three hour job costing £££!!
It took about 1.5 hours and its a very straightforward job, but I know it's generally percieved as a potential nightmare job. And its not covered by the Haynes manual
Here's the SP
1) get help- it is a 2 person JOB!!
2) if you get stuck, stop have a brew and think about your next step ,It seems this generation of Mercs were meant to be dissasembled, fettled & worked on, so there is probably a right way to proceed !
3) In case I get confused, front means towards the front of the car, and rear means towards the tailgate end!
First step is to remove the interior trim pieces from the inside of the tailgate side pillars, start at with the bottom ones which unscrew and pull outwards and off. the long moulded upper ones however slide down and out after removing the retaining screws and levering out the plastic light fitting.
Now remove the big moulded "arch" from the ceiling of the car by removing the retaining screws from the forward corners and the ones at the rear of the car (these may be partially covered by the top rubber seal strip,) carefully slide this moulding toward the rear of the car and it will come free.
Ok, now have a brew because the next stage is the most awkward one !
Now release the headlining & padding by unhooking it, you should now be able to see the metal work inside of which the struts are located.
You will see a large oval window in the metalwork with a rubber gaiter inside of it: pull the gaiter towards the front of the car this releases it from its seating and will allow a little better view of the strut's rear fastening arrangement later on.
The next trick is to remove strut's front large locating pin, looks a bit like the head of a large bolt but with no flats on it, to do this lever its curved metal retaining "prong" away using a flat blade screwdriver followed a pair of long nosed pliers. Now pull out the locating pin with a pair of grips, if it doesn't move easily, try altering the position of the tailgate very slightly around its maximum opening position. when you get it just right the strut is in a neutral "no load" position and the pin can slide out easily.
OK, now get your helper to lower the tailgate to the nearly closed position and having pulled the gaiter out of view previously you will see the front end of the strut "articulating" into view, again it's held in by a machine pin secured this time by a circlip. Using long nosed pliers wiggle the circlip around into the right position and pull it free, then you can wiggle the retaining pin out of the yokes of the strut.
Now you have the strut loose ,remove it by pushing it out towards the front of the car . This stage is a little tight space wise and you may have to create more room by freeing up some the wiring and smoothing the head lining up against the roof of the car. TIP - BEFORE you slide it out completely give it a wipe to remove any oil or grease because I didn't and as it slid out against the head lining it left a grease streak on it!
Fitting is a reverse of the above, fit the rearward strut connection first. pushing the pin's retaining circlip back on is a little fiddly so having your helper position the tailgate at the nearly closed position is vital to replace this pin and its retaining circlip easily.
Then get your helper to open the tailgate to maximum and by ever so slightly altering its position you will be able to line up the front end of the strut with the holes for the retaining pin, a few slight taps with a hammer will drift it back home: - If you need any more force than this then get your helper to move the tailgate to line things up exactly.
To complete, re bend the retaining metal prong over the front pin to prevent it backing out & poke the gaiter back into position with a long screwdriver.
Finally replace the headlining and trim pieces and congratulate your self on saving at leat 175 quid at the dealers.
good luck
The dealers thought it would be about a two-three hour job costing £££!!
It took about 1.5 hours and its a very straightforward job, but I know it's generally percieved as a potential nightmare job. And its not covered by the Haynes manual
Here's the SP
1) get help- it is a 2 person JOB!!
2) if you get stuck, stop have a brew and think about your next step ,It seems this generation of Mercs were meant to be dissasembled, fettled & worked on, so there is probably a right way to proceed !
3) In case I get confused, front means towards the front of the car, and rear means towards the tailgate end!
First step is to remove the interior trim pieces from the inside of the tailgate side pillars, start at with the bottom ones which unscrew and pull outwards and off. the long moulded upper ones however slide down and out after removing the retaining screws and levering out the plastic light fitting.
Now remove the big moulded "arch" from the ceiling of the car by removing the retaining screws from the forward corners and the ones at the rear of the car (these may be partially covered by the top rubber seal strip,) carefully slide this moulding toward the rear of the car and it will come free.
Ok, now have a brew because the next stage is the most awkward one !
Now release the headlining & padding by unhooking it, you should now be able to see the metal work inside of which the struts are located.
You will see a large oval window in the metalwork with a rubber gaiter inside of it: pull the gaiter towards the front of the car this releases it from its seating and will allow a little better view of the strut's rear fastening arrangement later on.
The next trick is to remove strut's front large locating pin, looks a bit like the head of a large bolt but with no flats on it, to do this lever its curved metal retaining "prong" away using a flat blade screwdriver followed a pair of long nosed pliers. Now pull out the locating pin with a pair of grips, if it doesn't move easily, try altering the position of the tailgate very slightly around its maximum opening position. when you get it just right the strut is in a neutral "no load" position and the pin can slide out easily.
OK, now get your helper to lower the tailgate to the nearly closed position and having pulled the gaiter out of view previously you will see the front end of the strut "articulating" into view, again it's held in by a machine pin secured this time by a circlip. Using long nosed pliers wiggle the circlip around into the right position and pull it free, then you can wiggle the retaining pin out of the yokes of the strut.
Now you have the strut loose ,remove it by pushing it out towards the front of the car . This stage is a little tight space wise and you may have to create more room by freeing up some the wiring and smoothing the head lining up against the roof of the car. TIP - BEFORE you slide it out completely give it a wipe to remove any oil or grease because I didn't and as it slid out against the head lining it left a grease streak on it!
Fitting is a reverse of the above, fit the rearward strut connection first. pushing the pin's retaining circlip back on is a little fiddly so having your helper position the tailgate at the nearly closed position is vital to replace this pin and its retaining circlip easily.
Then get your helper to open the tailgate to maximum and by ever so slightly altering its position you will be able to line up the front end of the strut with the holes for the retaining pin, a few slight taps with a hammer will drift it back home: - If you need any more force than this then get your helper to move the tailgate to line things up exactly.
To complete, re bend the retaining metal prong over the front pin to prevent it backing out & poke the gaiter back into position with a long screwdriver.
Finally replace the headlining and trim pieces and congratulate your self on saving at leat 175 quid at the dealers.
good luck
