auto hatch pulldown

[j13smiley]

ok - so the struts are wore out on the tta hatch. i also have no owners manual yet.... so please bear with my newbie questions...

1 - for replacement struts i've found replacements and "aftermarket replacements that are stronger". is there really a difference as to which struts i should use?

2 - how does the auto hatch pulldown work? the motor works but since the hatch doesn't pop up on it's own, i think the motor thinks it's supposed to pull it back down or something. i'm assuming the correct working order would be - i unlock the hatch, the motor rises and releases, the struts pop the hatch open. when i want to close it - i shouldn't have to slam it closed, just push it down on the contacts and then the motor will pull the hatch down?

car is still at the shop till next week so i can't "play" yet.

thanks!

 

[Jan Larsson]

1. There is different struts depending on what spoiler you had on your car, our TTA's have the heavies spoiler. Also some earlier 3rd gen's had a rear wiper so that hatch was pretty heavy compared to the regular Firebird with only the smaller spoiler. So yes get strongest ones.

2. Yes described the correct operation for opening / closing the hatch. There is plastic gears that typicly break due to people slamming the hatch closed. Take a look at www.Top-DownSolutions.com as they carry all the parts you need to service the hatch motor assembly and also offer refurbished units.

 

[j13smiley]

excellent! thanks as always for your help!