Ever feel like the biggest idiot in the world?

My 2005 MPV's rear hatch, after 12 years of use, no longer goes all the way up by itself, and stays at head-banging height unless you push it up. I ordered new gas-charged struts. They came today. Easy 10-minute job, right?

I can't get the damn things off. The replacement parts have a handy clip on the ball end that I can operate just fine with a small screwdriver. The OEM parts have no such release. It's a ball joint, and I can't pry it off. There is no visible release. I figured I'd wrench the ball joint out of the hatch and cut the socket off the ball, but an open wrench (only tool I can get on it) is just rounding it off. Gah!

Yes.

Wish I had as much of an answer for the rest of your post. Sorry.

I just did those on a 2007 Mazda. I noticed the clip you could pry out on the replacement (the instructions were a bit vague). It wasn't quite as obvious on the OEM ones, but there was a clip to pry out.

I used a small screwdriver, maybe 1/8" wide head.

A hell of a lot more often then I want to admit to.

Some times they have a small pin that goes through the back side of the casing of the joint, get a light on it and inspect close, others have a metal force retaining spring inside and you just have to yak it hard, good luck!!

I'm having the same problem with a bolt on a caliper. Can't get the caliper off the rotor, which means I can't get the rotor off the hub, which means I can't replace the hub.

I'm about to give in and throw the wheel back on and sell the car as needing a new wheel bearing.

Almost daily. Seems like a small price to pay to marry a brilliant woman however.

There's a clip, but its very tough to see. Post a photo and I'll try to spot it

All my life

Only when I am conscious.

On occasion

Careful when you get them on. I replaced the trunk gas struts on my CTS-V and the first time I opened the trunk, it tried like hell to knock me out it came up so fast.

Every. Damn. Day.

I can go take a pic of the 2015 mazda 5 struts if it would help.

I've had a similar problem -- bought new gas struts for the hatch on my FD last, spent 45 minutes trying to figure out how to get them on before giving up and working on something else. One of these days I should get back to that, I'm tired of trying to pry the hatch up off the deck with my fingers. :)

codrus wrote: I've had a similar problem -- bought new gas struts for the hatch on my FD last, spent 45 minutes trying to figure out how to get them on before giving up and working on something else. One of these days I should get back to that, I'm tired of trying to pry the hatch up off the deck with my fingers. :)

Oh, you had to mention that did you? The ones on my FC never have worked. I don't drive the car that often, and only rarely use the hatch. If I succeed with the MPV, maybe I'll attempt the FC!

Here's two pics. I see no release. There's a crimp on the top side of the shaft where the joint is attached to the shaft. Nothing else that I can see. I think it must be some kind of wire retainer inside the socket, but I can't see it, let alone remove it.

Huh, totally forgot that I had a block of wood in the Focus' trunk for a few years as a hatch prop. I remember the struts being an absolute pain to change, and that I was dumb enough to think "I can do this in 30 minutes!" and making plans with family based upon that timetable. It became a "So what happened was..."' moment.

Looks like time for a Dremel tool with a cutoff wheel.

You need a better wrench, or cut the socket off the ball and use a socket, or maybe a small pipe wrench.

If at first it doesn't break,

Force it!

I thought I could look like a hero here by digging out the MPV FSM I downloaded years ago when we had one, but, um, apparently it's pretty useless for this. They just seem to show the ball end fitting into a slot, like any moron could figure it out. Sorry!

prybar with a block of wood to protect the paint. All I can offer

Biggest idiot? By my age, I'm so delusional I don't even notice.

Are you sure that the socket is supposed to come off of the ball?

mad_machine wrote: prybar with a block of wood to protect the paint. All I can offer

I've already applied enough force using this method to deform the sheet metal (slightly) in the area. It won't budge. I'm convinced the brute force method isn't the answer unless I'm willing to replace the hatch.

EDIT: Apparently Honda uses a similar part, and the consensus seems to be that it doesn't come apart and you need a new ball to install a new strut.

https://www.civicwagon.com/showthread.php?9207-Hatch-Strut-Ball-Joint-won-t-come-off(solved)