nettie901

The hood on my Lexus won't stay up. Do I need to replace the hydraulic cylinder? Also, my trunk latch won't release from inside the car. I have to use the key and it isn't always convenient. I love my lexus and want to keep it as long as possible.

Thanks
nettie901

eyezack87

iTrader: (4)

Most likely you'll have to change the hood shocks that hold the thing up. As for the trunk, there should be a little button in your glovebox that controls the trunks opening/closing button. It might be turned off so I would give it a stab then try the trunk again

(this is for a 2ES anyway lol)

nettie901

thanks, i'll give it a shot!!

LW ES300

Check out eBay. I researched this topic on Club Lexus and saw that people said the stealership charged as much as $120 each - which is ridiculous! I just ordered these Friday $27.50/pair + 6.95 freight = works for me. Follow what eyezack said about trunk release button in glovebox. I had the same issue a few weeks ago and after pushing that button, problem solved.


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Ended: Nov-28-08 15:57:27 PST
price: US $27.50 Shipping: US $6.90
Standard Flat Rate Shipping Service -Service to United States
Ships to: Worldwide
Item location: CA, United States
Buyer: lanehw( 16)
Purchased From: mrlousstuff
Transaction ID: 0KA95096E63014413

LEXUS ES300 1992 to 1996 HOOD Lift Supports


BRAND NEW GAS CHARGED LIFT SUPPORTS FOR YOUR HOOD

FITS THE FOLLOWING VEHICLES: LEXUS ES300

FITS THE FOLLOWING YEARS: 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996

Special Notes:
Extended length 14.34 Compressed length 9.59 (Please note that all supports are measured from center to center of each mounting point).

These lifts or props supports feature Premium OEM materials and technology. All are new in the factory Package. This Auction is for a pair (2) units Not universals but made to fit the specific models listed above.

Easy to install, instructions are enclosed in each package. Most installations simply require a small flat head screw driver and 10 minutes of your time.

MyfirstES

I have a less costly suggestion, for as long as you are not **** about the car. Go to Sears or Walmart and pick up a pair of vice grips. Put the vice grips in place where the hydraulic lift would go down and the hood will stay up.

It's what my mechanic did when the hydraulic lifts gave out on my 89' Acura Legend.

GEORGE_JET

I bought a set off ebay a couple months ago, they fit fine and work well. I forget exactly how much they cost, but I think that it was around $20 plus shipping.

Lexucan

I bought ebay hood struts too, more than 2 years ago. Still working good. And they were a fraction of the price they were at the dealership. I think they were like $35 for two (shipped) instead of the $120 the dealership wanted for ONE!

MyfirstES: Who on this board isn't **** about their ES??? I think most CL members would probably rather pay a few dollars for a new set of hood struts than have a pair of old vice-grips hanging off their ride.

Walnut

I just did mine a while ago...they are a b*tch to change since you to basically have to destroy the ball sockets with a drill since the ***** aren't removable. I used a high-quality step drill since regular bits will break if they slip. Make sure to center-punch, use drill fluid, and have lots of bits on hand if you don't have a step-drill.

MyfirstES

Lexucan: I guess it depends on who it is and what we're writing about.

It's all subjective from one owner to the next. Personally, since I may or may not be under the hood that often unlike other CL members, the vice grips would do me fine. But that's just me.

CUMan

This is not necessary if you order from the source mentioned in LW ES300's post. The new struts come with new ball joints. You just unscrew the old struts and screw the new ones in.

I changed mine several months ago, ordering from the same source. The new ones work fine.

GEORGE_JET

Yes, there are the "correct" struts available on ebay, took me about 5 mins a side to replace with no hassle at all.

Walnut

That's strange, I could not unscrew my *****. They would seem to loosen for half a turn or so, then just tighten up again. So then I did some reading on this forum and found that drilling off the sockets was the only option...

Affine

No, the ***** just screw right out. I did mine about a month ago. I was using a stick (even cheaper than the vice grips trick) for about a year before I got tired of screwing around. Replacing them with eBay parts was way cheaper and makes working on the car a lot easier now.

Thanks,
Affine

eyezack87

iTrader: (4)

Lol, I'm glad I wasn't the only one to use a stick to prop of the hood

I changed it after it slipped and the hood fell on my head though -.-"

CUMan

As I recall, the ball joints were quite difficult to remove the first time I changed my struts. It appeared to me that they had thread lock on them.

Just keep turning. They'll come out.