Hood Lift Support Replacement on the Saab 9-5
Posted in how to on January 10th, 2012 by P. EconmancerThe lift support socks on my Saab went out awhile back and I had never got around to replacing them. I wish I had done it sooner because the removal and installation took less than five minutes.
The aftermarket part number from StrongArm for Saab 9-5 hood lift supports is 4800. It lists as being for a 280ZX, but it fits the Saab 9-5 hood. I got the set for my hood from Amazon. There is also a set of lift supports for the trunk. They are StrongArm 6143; don’t get the two numbers confused because they’re not interchangeable.
Start by opening the hood and propping it as wide as possible. An additional person can be of help here, but I used a screw-type hood stop on the opposite shock from where I was working instead.
Use a small flat-head screwdriver to slightly pry up the metal tabs at the ends of the support. Don’t remove completely. They only need to come out a little before the support will be free. Do this on the top and bottom and set the old support aside. The new lift support installs the say way. Again, don’t totally pull the metal tabs with the screwdriver. A little movement goes a long way. Start at the bottom and then clip on the top. You may need to lift the hood a little higher to get the end of the shock up to the little ball connector on the hood. Do the same thing for the other side. I kept the hood propped open until both sides were installed so one side was not holding all the weight of the hood at any time.
The replacement lifts come with new ball style connectors for the hood. You can use them or set them aside.
There you go. Reading this will take longer than the actual repair.
