300TD hatch strut replacement
 

There's already a number of threads on this topic so I'll just add a few more hints. Did mine today. Took about an hour once I had the tool. Bought the 8mm triple square bit in a set at PepBoys. $15 for a 6, 8, 12mm set. Plastic speaker panel slides into some clips, Needs to be slid backwards to remove. Struts come out towards the back on the inside of the hinge. It helps to have someone, my daughter in my case, push the hatch up to its fullest extension to get the struts out and in and the pins seated. To get them out, twist pin ends down and towards the inside with a pair of needle nose pliers to rotate them off the hinge. Do the reverse for installing them. Needle nose pliers are needed to get the clips off and on the pins. I used a needle nosed vice grips to get the pins in the holes. I loosened the pins by hitting the end of a long screwdriver which was resting on the pin.
Watch your chin once the new struts are in.

x2 :D

thanks for the tips.


as soon as I get the rest of the list done...........

Where did you get your struts Kerry?
Both my wagons need them badly. Smash has already drawn blood..... :eek:

I just did this on my wagon too. The earlier ones must have used different bolts because mine had a standard allen head bolt, not the triple square most people say is in there. Mine is an '81. It is a true pleasure to pop the lock and have the tailgate swing up on its own :D

I got my struts from **********. They had the best price I could find at about $27 each and free shipping over $50.

Fastlane. Wonder why MB changed to a triple square from an allen? I can't see any good reason to use such an oddball bolt.

Its far superior to an allen.

Why?

I changed just one and the hatch on the wife's car sits where ever you leave it- no split chin here, lol.

More surface area.

Hatch Strut Pictures
 

Does anyone have pictures of the struts installed? Thank you.

not sure how to take a pic of the struts installed... they sit deep in the hole.

SOOOO much better a design than the typical strut lesser cars use to hold up things!

Is triple square the same as Trox?

I need to do this job on my TD before the hatch comes down on somebodies head.

no.
torx is a 6point gear like tool similar to allen.

tripple square, is just that. three squares stacked together. or the points from three squares on the wrench. it's a 12 point wrench.
orilies and autozone sell a pack of them with 4 sizes.

Thanks, thats a new one on me. Have you run into many places on MBs that use tripple square fasteners? Sounds like I may need another tool.