- First Name
- Stuart
- Joined
- Mar 22, 2022
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- 29
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- 1,730
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- 1,701
- Location
- Dallas South
- Vehicle(s)
- 2004 Avalon
- Engine
- 2.5L Hybrid
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- #47
Did your bolt come with dried on locktite glue on the threads? I'll bet it did.
The reason it is so hard to get the bolt to grab is that "glue". Scrape the $h!t off with a wire brush to make clean threads. Use fresh WET locktite if you must, and job will be easy as pie.
I went with no locktite and have been fine for close to 3 years.
It did, which I removed beforehand and put some blue threadlocker on. The anchor nut has indents that are supposed to grab the inside rim of the tailgate to prevent free spinning as the bolt turns, but mine really didn't want to and kept spinning out.
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I feel like that spinning is well documented in many install videos. A minor gripe but I recall that one step being frustrating as hell.
Matter of fact when mine failed and I had to replace it... I only removed the broken parts and left any originals that were intact. Wasn't about to do that again. Dried locktite makes sense.
Matter of fact when mine failed and I had to replace it... I only removed the broken parts and left any originals that were intact. Wasn't about to do that again. Dried locktite makes sense.
I always browsed these threads thinking "Pffft... Just lower it with your hand it's not difficult!"
So anyway, I needed another ~$15 for free shipping from Amazon (Bezos got enough of my money for years worth of Prime when I wasn't buying much). I was a little uneasy buying the cheaper off-brands since a lot of reviews weren't great. The Dee Zee kit was "on sale" for $32 and people seem to prefer it.
I didn't like the shiny metal plates so painted mine black. Single coat of gloss, didn't need to be perfect. Didn't tape off the pins but seems to be okay. Big thanks to the tips in this topic/forum for the lower bolt. Removed the Loctite and ran the nut as close as possible before inserting. I put some extra grease on the pins as well. I might remove or paint over the logos on the piston since they are a little obnoxious. Maybe I'll throw some black paint over the lower bolt as well.
So anyway, I needed another ~$15 for free shipping from Amazon (Bezos got enough of my money for years worth of Prime when I wasn't buying much). I was a little uneasy buying the cheaper off-brands since a lot of reviews weren't great. The Dee Zee kit was "on sale" for $32 and people seem to prefer it.
I didn't like the shiny metal plates so painted mine black. Single coat of gloss, didn't need to be perfect. Didn't tape off the pins but seems to be okay. Big thanks to the tips in this topic/forum for the lower bolt. Removed the Loctite and ran the nut as close as possible before inserting. I put some extra grease on the pins as well. I might remove or paint over the logos on the piston since they are a little obnoxious. Maybe I'll throw some black paint over the lower bolt as well.
I had the Orion heavy-duty assist through Amazon. I figured the heavy-duty model would be more robust than the half-dozen other suppliers on Amazon. It was at a reasonable price, came in a nice box and included all the tools needed to install it. It didn't slow down until about 40 degrees of opening, which I thought was ok, but after 2 years of use the upper ball ripped out of the plate due to a really insufficient weld breaking. Heavy duty my ass! Somebody does not know how to weld properly. Highly not recommended.
This time I bought the DeeZee assist through the Ford dealer for about 50% more money. It came with no tools, but had bigger mounting balls and much heavier welds. The shock also functions right from the start of opening, softening the shock-loading. Buying it through the dealer parts dept also costs a bit more, but gives you a local 2-year warranty. For a few bucks less I could have had it through Amazon, but not had any warranty. After the Orion incompetence, I wanted a warranty.
One gripe about the DeeZee unit is the threadlocker on the lower installation bolt. Its hard, making it impossible to install while holding the assembly out to get the nut to install while tightening. The fix is to thread the nut on all the way first, and then unthread it for installation, removing most of the threadlocker crap.
We'll see how the DeeZee unit works out after a few years...
This time I bought the DeeZee assist through the Ford dealer for about 50% more money. It came with no tools, but had bigger mounting balls and much heavier welds. The shock also functions right from the start of opening, softening the shock-loading. Buying it through the dealer parts dept also costs a bit more, but gives you a local 2-year warranty. For a few bucks less I could have had it through Amazon, but not had any warranty. After the Orion incompetence, I wanted a warranty.
One gripe about the DeeZee unit is the threadlocker on the lower installation bolt. Its hard, making it impossible to install while holding the assembly out to get the nut to install while tightening. The fix is to thread the nut on all the way first, and then unthread it for installation, removing most of the threadlocker crap.
We'll see how the DeeZee unit works out after a few years...
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