Pneumatic hood will not stay open... DANGEROUS

[Zenmervolt]

Originally posted by: CZroe
Because of this, such failures should prompt a recall...

Oh no! You might get a minor bump on your head!

I've had hoods close on me (when working on cars in a windy area, be mindful of the fact that wind can slam a hood shut if it is held open by springs) and it's far from deadly. Annoying, sure, but if you honestly think this is a potentially deadly or even seriously injurious situation I have to wonder why you even bother to get out of bed in the morning. I mean, don't you know how dangerous the world is? A tree branch could fall without warning! You could stub your toe on a nightstand!

Sheesh. A recall for something that doesn't even remotely affect safety. How about you just tailor yourself a suit out of bubble-wrap and be done with it?

ZV

 

[CZroe]

Originally posted by: JulesMaximus
Just replace them both. They are likely both worn and they aren't that expensive.

But the vice grips are still cheaper If I can find 'em BOTH under $3, 0I might do that for her.

Originally posted by: Zenmervolt

Originally posted by: CZroe
Because of this, such failures should prompt a recall...

Oh no! You might get a minor bump on your head!

I've had hoods close on me (when working on cars in a windy area, be mindful of the fact that wind can slam a hood shut if it is held open by springs) and it's far from deadly. Annoying, sure, but if you honestly think this is a potentially deadly or even seriously injurious situation I have to wonder why you even bother to get out of bed in the morning. I mean, don't you know how dangerous the world is? A tree branch could fall without warning! You could stub your toe on a nightstand!

Sheesh. A recall for something that doesn't even remotely affect safety. How about you just tailor yourself a suit out of bubble-wrap and be done with it?

ZV

Look, I had it slam in my face. It's extremely heavy. Regardless of your experience with other cars, I don't see how anyone could have anything less than a serious injury under this thing, especially with a running or hot motor. Heck, it's even heavy enough to have difficulty getting out from underneath regardless of how hard you were hit. Find another '96 Taurus, completely remove the struts and drop it from full height if you don't believe me. "Minor bump," my ass.

You are in the wrong mindset to say that this doesn't remotely affect safety. You are thinking "vehicle safety features" and not personal, environmental, safety. Being out of the car is irrelevant. The manual clearly expects every user to check their fluids at every fill-up. When a hood is lifted, there is a reasonable expectation that a person will be beneath it. If you had worn-out shocks, yes, it's a threat to "safety," but it's not the same at all. You either bottom out a few times and get them fixed or you don't and suffer the consequences. OTOH, this has no warning nor preventative maintenance.

Are you REQUIRED to stand under that tree branch for longer than the expected lifetime of the branch? Thought not.

 

[LTC8K6]

Those struts have almost certainly been giving signs of failure for a while. Likely long before they became what you consider dangerous. They are wear items and they likely failed initially by slowly letting the hood fall down, or by giving problems in cold weather, etc., but no one replaced them at the time.

The fact that they are "dangerous" now is the fault of the owner/operator, not Ford or the strut mfg.

 

[CZroe]

Originally posted by: LTC8K6
Those struts have almost certainly been giving signs of failure for a while. Likely long before they became what you consider dangerous. They are wear items and they likely failed initially by slowly letting the hood fall down, or by giving problems in cold weather, etc., but no one replaced them at the time.

The fact that they are "dangerous" now is the fault of the owner/operator, not Ford or the strut mfg.

Good answer. Thanks. I just wish they wouldn't so convincingly hold it up "just fine" for a few minute and then suddenly drop with zero resistance. :| Twice now I've found it unable to stay up at all but the vast majority of the time it feels like it has plenty of resistance... until it just drops.

 

[LTC8K6]

Those struts are around $13 each at Rock Auto, btw.

$12.74 for Monroe #901176...

 

[CZroe]

Originally posted by: LTC8K6
Those struts are around $13 each at Rock Auto, btw.

$12.74 for Monroe #901176...

Perfect. I'll pass it on, even though it'll still hafta wait until we get the transmission sorted.

 

[funboy6942]

broom stick /thread

 

[IcePickFreak]

Quite honestly you shouldn't be working on a car if old hood shocks are a problem - they're moving parts and with any moving part there is wear, which eventually means replacement. It really sounds like you're reaching for a complaint. Replace the shocks and call it a day, or use a vice-grip as suggested. The old spring method wasn't any better as the springs got old they wouldn't keep a hood up too well either, and a hood from a 1970 anything weighs quite a bit more than a 96 Tarus hood.

Don't attempt replacing shocks/struts. You can unbolt everything and they'll be fine one second, and the next second shoot a 20lb spring at you at 100mph. That said, if your not drawing blood, your not really working on a car.

 

[Zenmervolt]

Originally posted by: IcePickFreak
Don't attempt replacing shocks/struts. You can unbolt everything and they'll be fine one second, and the next second shoot a 20lb spring at you at 100mph.

:laugh: From a safe distance, the way a coil spring can bounce around a shop and ricochet off of just about everything is one of the funniest real-world occurrences out there.

A wee bit dangerous though, I do admit.

Of course, the struts we were talking about replacing were the hood struts, not the suspension kind. Hood struts are easy and safe to replace.

ZV

 

[CZroe]

Originally posted by: IcePickFreak
Quite honestly you shouldn't be working on a car if old hood shocks are a problem - they're moving parts and with any moving part there is wear, which eventually means replacement.

I don't purport to be "working" on anything. It happened when she and I checked the oil like every user is expected to do. The oil was very low and we'd expect to be ridiculed for bringing it anywhere without so much as checking the oil... especially before there was a problem. Are you going to tell me we should not even check and add oil because we aren't qualified to work on the car like a mechanic?

Originally posted by: IcePickFreak
It really sounds like you're reaching for a complaint. Replace the shocks and call it a day, or use a vice-grip as suggested.

Which is exactly what I said I would do. Why are we still talking about this? I'm complaining because this would not have happened if they stuck with the tried-and-true prop rod. "The more there is to break..."

Originally posted by: IcePickFreak
The old spring method wasn't any better as the springs got old they wouldn't keep a hood up too well either, and a hood from a 1970 anything weighs quite a bit more than a 96 Tarus hood.

The springs wouldn't completely disappear and drop the hood without resistance like a gas strut with no gas. If anything, they rust and get more stiff or hard to move.

Originally posted by: IcePickFreak
Don't attempt replacing shocks/struts. You can unbolt everything and they'll be fine one second, and the next second shoot a 20lb spring at you at 100mph. That said, if you're not drawing blood, you're not really working on a car.

Noted. Luckily, I haven't noticed a suspension issue... it does seem to scrape when entering uneven parking lots a little more than I am used to, but that's probably due to the size/weight.

 

[daw123]

My brother replaced both boot shocks on my mum's car, a Ford Focus Estate. Very easy and cheap to do (cost about $35).