Welcome to the Crown Vics ETC blog!

On April 6, 2000, I purchased a 1998 Ford Crown Victoria LX HPP with 23,490 miles. I decided to start a little website for it featuring a running log of my experiences with the car. Vic 1.0 was retired in 2015 due to rust and electrical issues. Vic 2.0 was a 2006 P71 in Blue Pearl that belonged to my boyfriend. It was a Ford demo and never saw actual police use. It was damaged in September of 2018 with well over 186,000 miles. It was replaced by Vic 3.0 in October 2018, a 2008 P71 in Silver Birch with 120,971 miles. To read posts prior to 2010, click a link at right, or go to Crown Vics, ETC.

Tuesday, January 18, 2022

HOW TO Replace Crown Victoria Hood Struts

Last winter, I made a mental note that Vic 3.0 needed its hood struts replaced, as the hood wouldn't stay open, especially on really cold days.  Well, that mental note was forgotten until a year later when temps again started to go down.  I finally ordered new struts from Rock Auto and installed them in December, just before my entire family got COVID... (not a fun experience...)

If you have never replaced these struts on a Crown Vic, it is really pretty simple.  You will need something like a thin flat screwdriver (some sort of hook tool would be even better) and maybe a hammer.  

The struts attach to posts on the car via a type of spring-clip.  To remove the old struts, put the screwdriver (or hook tool) under the metal clip.  Pop it off the top and bottom posts.  To be safe, you may want to place something like a wood board against the hood to prop it open.  Do NOT use your head... 

You can now pry the old strut off the mounting posts.  Take the new strut and LOOSEN the spring clips.  DO NOT REMOVE THEM!  I accidentally popped one off and it took extra tools and anger to get the thing back on.  All you should do is LOOSEN them so that you can push the strut onto the proper post.

Make sure the strut is firmly pushed onto the posts, then push those clips down against the strut.  In other words, re-seat the clips.  The strut should now be firmly attached to the car, and your hood will no longer slam down onto your noggen.

I noticed that the original struts were made by the same people who made the replacements, Stabilus.  I like to use OEM parts when I can afford them, so I was happy about it.

The correct Stabilus part number is (T)SG404024.




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