Rear Liftgate Struts Blown

A couple days ago I was closing the liftgate on my wife's '12 LE and noticed that it felt like it had less resistance than usual. Opened it back up to take a look and, sure enough, the passenger side strut had blown out and there was oil running down the bumper cover. Considering the cost of those things from the dealer, the failure seems a bit premature to me but, then again, I guess I can't really complain after 5.5 years and 65K miles.

Ended up going with these on Amazon, and they should be in tomorrow:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B016N6YPXW/

They come from Lift Supports Depot just like the other popular ones in this thread, but StrongArm is made in USA as opposed to Turkey. I even called to verify the difference, and Lift Supports Depot really didn't say there was a big advantage of one over the other. I wanted to order via Amazon prime and the cost was pretty much a wash between their house brand and StrongArm, so I simply ordered the USA made ones.
 
For those tempted by the beefier struts, as I was (why not?), if you don't have a ladder, be aware these will open slower, close with a little noticeably more effort, and get even worse in the cold. I wouldn't buy them again - again no ladder.

$.02.
 
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philsey said:
For those tempted by the beefier struts, as I was (why not?), if you don't have a ladder, be aware these will open slower, close with a little more effort, and get even worse in the cold. I wouldn't buy them again - again no ladder.

$.02.
Click to expand...

Good info! :cheers:
 
philsey said:
For those tempted by the beefier struts, as I was (why not?), if you don't have a ladder, be aware these will open slower, close with a little more effort, and get even worse in the cold. I wouldn't buy them again - again no ladder.

$.02.
Click to expand...

This is exactly why I just ordered the stock strength struts for the wife's 4Runner. Trust me, if if it makes opening/closing the hatch more difficult, then I'll never hear the end of it. My 2018 is only a couple months old, so I'll chime back in with a comparison of how my struts compare to her new ones.
 
KP Texan said:
This is exactly why I just ordered the stock strength struts for the wife's 4Runner. Trust me, if if it makes opening/closing the hatch more difficult, then I'll never hear the end of it. My 2018 is only a couple months old, so I'll chime back in with a comparison of how my struts compare to her new ones.
Click to expand...

Exactly why I posted. My wife could hardly reach it anyway. Notice I edited my other post.
 
philsey said:
For those tempted by the beefier struts, as I was (why not?), if you don't have a ladder, be aware these will open slower, close with a little noticeably more effort, and get even worse in the cold. I wouldn't buy them again - again no ladder.

$.02.
Click to expand...

KP Texan said:
This is exactly why I just ordered the stock strength struts for the wife's 4Runner. Trust me, if if it makes opening/closing the hatch more difficult, then I'll never hear the end of it. My 2018 is only a couple months old, so I'll chime back in with a comparison of how my struts compare to her new ones.
Click to expand...

philsey said:
Exactly why I posted. My wife could hardly reach it anyway. Notice I edited my other post.
Click to expand...
you guys are awesome. i just replaced mine this summer with the "regular" struts and they're already failing to lift the hatch (no ladder, but door skin is lined with ample sound deadener). i was considering to try the "heavy duty" — despite my reservations about extra lift and close force — but your posts have convinced me to simply try another set of the standard version.

:cheers:
 
philsey said:
Exactly why I posted. My wife could hardly reach it anyway. Notice I edited my other post.
Click to expand...

Two choices:

RearHatchStrap_zps6b85e8a2.jpg~original


61I1-Q%2B6dkL._UY395_.jpg
 
phillyd2 said:
For those with Ladders or want beefier (TM) ones, per Lift Supports Depot:

"The PM1062N10 has now been replaced by the PM3489 which work great. In stock "

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B06XPPYGQ7/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Click to expand...

I bought these exact ones about 2 months ago. They work great, easy to install.

philsey said:
For those tempted by the beefier struts, as I was (why not?), if you don't have a ladder, be aware these will open slower, close with a little noticeably more effort, and get even worse in the cold. I wouldn't buy them again - again no ladder.

$.02.
Click to expand...

I have no ladder, I did not notice this issue.

The only thing I did notice was these actually raised the lift gate ALL the way up and I no longer hit my head on it when walking under it. I would totally buy them again.
 
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nglayton said:
I have no ladder, I did not notice this issue.

The only thing I did notice was these actually raised the lift gate ALL the way up and I no longer hit my head on it when walking under it. I would totally buy them again.
Click to expand...

Any time I can make myself appear more manly than [MENTION=51186]philsey[/MENTION] for under $100...I'm all about it.

buying now
 
I haven't had a problem with the struts on our 2013 SR5 yet; but I found out real quick that the liftgate hit the bottom of the garage door when opened with the garage door up. To help with this. I replaced the thin rubber seal at the bottom of the door with 1" thick strips from a stall mat I got from Tractor Supply. Works great! The thin rubber strip was damaged when it froze to the ground a few years back; so it needed replacing anyway.
 
flyrv9 said:
I haven't had a problem with the struts on our 2013 SR5 yet; but I found out real quick that the liftgate hit the bottom of the garage door when opened with the garage door up. To help with this. I replaced the thin rubber seal at the bottom of the door with 1" thick strips from a stall mat I got from Tractor Supply. Works great! The thin rubber strip was damaged when it froze to the ground a few years back; so it needed replacing anyway.
Click to expand...

We had the same dilemma, so I secured a piece of foam pipe insulation to the garage door where my wife's liftgate was making contact. Fortunately I back into the garage, so it's a non-issue for my 4Runner.
 
4Runner liftgate struts are notorious for early failure. Usually they just lose the gas charge. My 3rd Gens failed after about 10 years. I did not buy replacements but had them rebuilt at Strutwise. The owner's name is Frank Irvine. In Canada. I shipped mine to him, in 3 days he turned them around and shipped back. Very inexpensive compared to a new set. About $100 for two rebuilt struts. Call him or email and he'll explain how to do it and quote a price. You have to send to Canada via us mail and declare the value ($5). 604-589-1200.
[email protected]
Describe the part number, dimensions, truck model.
Website:
Strutwise Gas Strut Repair | Quality and Service for Lift Support Struts
 
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e60ral said:
really? fellow tall guy here, how much higher do they open?
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I can't be sure. I wasn't expecting it so I didn't think to measure it before hand.

I can tell you I'm 6'2" and usually wear work boots so say 6'3". I routinely banged my head on the lift gate about once a week. You would think I would learn.:frusty:

I would say after installing the new ones I have about 1-2" of room to spare and never bang my head any more.
I don't even think about it now, because it never happens.

I'm going to guess I gained about 5-6" max but I would attribute some (most?) of that to the 6 year old OEM struts getting weaker over time.
Again it's impossible to tell since I didn't measure first, but I'm sure at least 1" or so over the original struts.
 
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There may be interference of the top of the rear gate and the body inside the hinge area, so make sure you don’t go too long with the struts.
 
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