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Accord Tourer 2004 Tailgate Struts Replacement Guide

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I can't take the credit for this one. It was very kindly forwarded to me by member Terry Vincent. Originally posted by a member called speaky05..



Welcome to my guide on how to replace the gas struts on a Honda Accord Tourer 2004. This may also apply to other model years 2003 to 2008. This is a guide on how I replaced the struts on my own car due to the tailgate not holding open on its own. I thought this was dangerous as it would just fall on someone’s head without warning! Some people had reported being quoted over £400 for supply and fitting of new struts. I did buy genuine replacements from Honda (fantastic service – ordered 17:00 on Friday, picked them up at 08:30 on Saturday!), at a cost of £70 each, but I saved on labour and was finished in about an hour!

You undertake this replacement at your own risk and I will not be held responsible for any damage or injury that may occur when following this guide.

Important safety tips

• You will be working very close to the rear airbags so there is a chance you may disturb them, so be very careful!
• There is a risk of the tailgate falling and injuring body parts (Head and Fingers), so support the tailgate well and keep all mad animals away!
• Do not try to operate the power tailgate while following this guide, as severe injury may result!
• There is a considerable risk of minor injury to fingers in the form of minor abrasions and cuts!

Tools Used

1.jpg


The Tools I Used

Definitely needed…
• Large Flat Screwdriver
• Small Flat Screwdriver
• 12mm Spanner (fairly thin)
• Girlfriend (not entirely essential as anyone over 5 foot tall will do)

Not necessarily needed…
• 12mm Spanner (slightly more substantial)
• 17mm Spanner

The dealer (Johnsons Honda of Milton Keynes) was very helpful and printed me a diagram of the right rear strut ***embly from the workshop manual. This helped to put my mind at ease as it was clear where the strut attached. The underlined part, “Remove the headliner,” was a bit scary though!

1. Supporting the tailgate

I used a handy piece of wood for this job. I was going to attempt the right hand side first as this was pictured in the diagram from the dealer and the motor is located on the left hand side, so I thought that may prove to be more difficult. I would have a go at the easier side first!


2.jpg


2. Removing the plastic headliner edge trims

As there were no visible screws or clips, I started by removing the rubber seal around the top and sides of the boot opening.

I could then see the clips holding the central plastic trim and was able to gently release them with the large flat ended screwdriver. The central trim came off quite easily but you do need to be gentle so as not to break any clips. Once the clips were released, a small twist of the front edge of the trim down and towards the rear was enough to unclip it from the side trims and remove it completely.

The clips for the side trims were now visible, and here they are… (left hand side)


3.jpg



They can be released more easily if you gently pull the trim diagonally away from both the window and the roof, whilst using a large flat screwdriver close to the clips to help lever them out.

I also released the clips on the plastic trim below the rear windows, near the rear lights, but I do not think this was necessary.

The final clip on the left side by the top of the rear door pillar…


4.jpg


The right hand side is exactly the same, except you probably do not need to release the final clip, as the right strut is easier to reach.

3. Release the headliner clip

This was easy, but be careful not to break the head of the clip or tear the headliner.


5.jpg


4. Removing and Refitting the Right Hand Strut

After removing the headliner plastic trims and rear headliner clip, I was able to see the tailgate struts more clearly and came to the conclusion that I could flex the headliner enough to reach in with a small spanner and give it a go!

The right strut attached to the tailgate arm…


6.jpg


Remove the end attached to the tailgate arm first! (Fairly thin 12mm spanner needed)

Make sure the tailgate is still well supported, as it is more likely to fall on your head, or crush your fingers at this point!

I am glad I removed this end first, as it released the pressure on the fixing at the other end of the strut, making the harder to reach part, easier to undo.

The other end of the right hand strut, just about reachable…



7.jpg


After removing the strut from the tailgate arm, I could get the thin 12mm spanner on the bolt at the other end…


8.jpg



I was able to undo the bolt slightly with the spanner and could then use my fingers to undo it completely.

Take care when working close to the airbag!

Old and new… (Old strut at the top)


9.jpg


I couldn’t spot any difference? Just thought I would include the picture to show that I used genuine Honda parts.

Note the strut is labelled with an “R” for the right hand side. I couldn’t spot any difference between the left and the right strut, but I fitted them accordingly.

As mentioned in a well known DIY manual, “Fitting the new strut is a reversal of removal.”
Do not clip the strut to the mounting bolts before fitting, as I did! This makes it more difficult to tighten the bolts.

Start with the front mounting bolt (the last one you removed) tightening it fully with the 12mm spanner. The new strut can then be clipped onto the ball head quite easily. I found this more difficult because I had already clipped the strut to the bolt and it took longer to reach round the end of the strut to get the bolt in place.

The tailgate arm end is even easier as it can be reached and seen with ease.

One down, one to go!
 
5. Removing and Refitting the Left Hand Strut

Looking into the right hand side… Oh dear… where is the strut?



10.jpg


Another view…



11.jpg


After reaching around a bit I could locate the front mounting point for the strut, so I used the knowledge I had gained from the right hand strut and started by removing the tailgate arm end first.

I couldn’t get the spanner on the bolt so I had to remove the plastic trim covering the tailgate hinge. This was easily done by using a small flat ended screwdriver…


12.jpg



After this side was unclipped, I could move the trim out of the way, allowing more access to the bolt…


13.jpg


Cover moved aside to give good access to bolt head…

14.jpg


Once this end was released, I was hoping that the other end would be as easy as the other side. This was not quite the case.

My thin 12mm spanner could just get on the front mounting bolt, but it was very tight! I turned the spanner and slip… the spanner rounded the bolt head! “Oh dear!” I said.

This is where I used the 17mm spanner! I could just get the 17mm spanner in between the mounting bracket and the strut end, so I tried to release the strut from the ball head bolt by levering it with the spanner. I tried hard, but all I was doing was slightly flexing the mounting bracket. “Oh dear!” again.

A few moments later and I had found a slightly better fitting, and more substantial, 12mm spanner. I reached into the headliner and located the spanner on the bolt and decided to become religious for a few moments!

I turner the spanner and was in luck. The bolt released and turned! Must have been all the bending with the 17mm spanner, loosening the bolt?

After fully undoing the bolt, I removed the strut and cheered!

Not making the same mistake as I did on the other side, I fitted the new bolt into the front mounting position and tightened it, before clipping the strut onto the ball head. I could then fit the new bolt on the tailgate arm and was ready to clip the new strut in place…


15.jpg


I needed to enlist the help of a girlfriend to lift the tailgate slightly to enable me to clip the strut to the bolt head.

6. Refit Headliner, Plastic Trim and Rubber Seal

I took this opportunity to clean the plastic trim and headliner around the edges where dirt had built up over the years.

I also cleaned around the rubber seal before refitting.

Job complete and I now had a fully functional tailgate again, that would not only work in hot weather, but also during the winter!

Hope this helps someone and let me know if there is anything you want me to add. Lots of money saved, self satisfaction and a quick job. Time left to clean the car.

Good Luck...
 
Awesome guide. Don't need it yet but I'm sure I will some day.

Could have done the job myself without a guide but I know that alot of the clips would have ended up broken.
 
I'm having this problem on my 2004 i-CTDi Tourer - looks like this is a common problem!

£180 for OEM replacement struts is expensive compared to the £70 price at www.sgs-engineering.com

Honda Part Numbers:
Strut Right Petrol 04741-SED-900 Diesel 04741-SEG-900
Strut Left Petrol 04746-SED-900 Diesel 04746-SEG-900

SGS Engineering only supplies a match for the 'SED' petrol struts - not the 'SEG' for diesels.

I'm guessing that I wouldn't get away with using petrol struts on my diesel (please correct me if anyone knows otherwise).
Can anybody tell me what the technical specifications are (dimensions & gas pressure) for the diesel strust? I understand that SGS will manufacture to order.

Thanks one and all.
 
Hoes anyone have this guide with photos attached?
Thanks
Ed

Do you mean a printable pictures-and-all version?
You can sometimes (it seems to depend on the version of Word) copy and paste the entire thread into a document, the images are resolved and hey presto you can print the lot.
If you're still stuck by this evening, PM me and I'll do it for you.
If that not what you're after please clarify :huh:
 
Thanks - just tried what you suggested and no joy. It would be great if you could email the document with pics. Will send you my email via text - my no is 07921 941151. Thanks in advance.
 
I have it on Word already mate. Drop me an email directly on info@premiertuning.com
 
I belive the spec on the struts to be Length 342 Stroke 104 and power F9N) 1200
I have the same problem and like you think that £180 for a pair of struts very expensive...

I'm having this problem on my 2004 i-CTDi Tourer - looks like this is a common problem!

£180 for OEM replacement struts is expensive compared to the £70 price at www.sgs-engineering.com

Honda Part Numbers:
Strut Right Petrol 04741-SED-900 Diesel 04741-SEG-900
Strut Left Petrol 04746-SED-900 Diesel 04746-SEG-900

SGS Engineering only supplies a match for the 'SED' petrol struts - not the 'SEG' for diesels.

I'm guessing that I wouldn't get away with using petrol struts on my diesel (please correct me if anyone knows otherwise).
Can anybody tell me what the technical specifications are (dimensions & gas pressure) for the diesel strust? I understand that SGS will manufacture to order.

Thanks one and all.
 
Gents
As some of you may remember my Tourer Tailgate was failing to hold open during the cold weather last winter, so I set about replacing the Tailgate Gas Struts this afternoon.

The Gas Struts mentioned previously from SGS are no longer available, apparently these struts often failed during the SGS warranty, hence they have removed them from their product list.
Parts therefore supplied very quickly by my local Honda Dealer in South Ruislip, albeit for £70 + VAT per Gas Strut.

Gas Strut Part No's are
04741 - SEG - 900
04746- SEG - 900

Gas Strut Swivels thats screw into car brackets are
201 - RUI480
You will need two packets of these (2 in each packet)
You CANNOT remove the old one's and re-use, once you push the ball joint into the end of the gas strut, thats where its going to stay (I did try in a vice with the old ones and failed).

Honda quote 1.4 hours Labour PER GAS STRUT TO FIT + VAT = CIRCA £300.
The DIY contained within this thread is entirely accurate and the photo's could not be improved hence I did not add any.

Both struts replaced without any prior knowledge within 1 hour, how can Honda justify over 3 hours amazes me.

Plastic clips for trim are available from Halfords a lot cheaper than Honda, who want £10 for 10.

The ball pivots that attach the Gas struts are narrow headed and require a tight 12mm open ended spanner.
One of my bolts was very tight and the 12mm spanner was slipping so I filed open the jaws of a 7/16 spanner for a tighter fit (all within the hour).
Held tailgate open whilst I changed part with a piece of wood (like the photo's) 2" by 2" and 70" long was the perfect size.

If you do get a tight pivot bolt try the other end of the strut as once the pressure is relieved, its likely that you will find the tight bolt has loosened.

Tailgate feels very good, press open latch and the tailgate rises to fully open unassisted and STAYS open in a higher position.

Struts are manufactured by a company called SHOWA, though I doubt that they are available without going through Honda, but you could try.

Hope this helps some others
 
Does anyone have the dimensions of a standard Tailgate Strut for an 04 Diesel Tourer.

I need the measurement from ball joint centre to ball joint centre. (Just found this on an earlier thread - 342mm - I should have read this thread with more detail.)

I sent my struts to a well known company that advertises on this site that offers a rebuild service.

They called to say that they couldn't be rebuilt but that new parts were available on a 'Custom' basis.

I paid the bill and waited for the struts.

I came to fit them this morning and the replacement units are about 10mm too long. (I measured them at 350mm which makes them 8mm too long so not a bad guess)

They are marked as being 1250N and so (Newtons are like apples - 4 to a pound) need about 300lbs of force to compress and we just tore a hole in rachet strap trying.

The company that supplied the struts have scrapped the originals and now all I have is an argument - £70.00 down the pan and still no Tailgate struts.


I am unimpressed.
 
Finally sorted out this problem.

I sent both the tailgate struts to either re-condittion or replace.

The pair that were returned were both 350mm long and we tried to fit the Strut on the Right Hand Side of the tailgate as this is a little easier.

The strut was about 8mm too long which agrees with the 342mm quoted length in one of the earlier posts.

The supplier was confused as he had measured 350mm and was adamant he was correct.

The struts were returned and shortened to 342mm and sent back to me.

The right hand one fitted perfectly and then.....The Left Hand Strut was too short,,,,,, by 8mm.

The supplier had returned one of the original struts - the Left Hand Side to prove to me he wasn't making a mistake.

This was still in good order so we re-fitted it and all is well.

Like us the supplier ***umed that both struts were the same length and had only measured one unit.

I now I now have a spare pair of new struts 1 x 350mm long and 1 x 342mm long and can confirm that they fit correctly. :)

If any one needs new struts send me a PM and I will sell them at cost.
 
I have now carried out this repair, I used a pair of genuine Honda struts, all went exactly as detailed in this guide.

The big problem is the 12mm spanner to loosen and remove the studs, I had 2 12mm spanners and both of them were too loose to turn the studs.

I was in danger of rounding the studs, so I resorted to a filed up 7/16 spanner like an earlier contributor.

The new honda struts come with new studs, so the best idea is to file up the spanner and check for a tight fit on the new studs before attempting to turn the ones on the car.

It was around 2 hours work in total.

Thanks to all contributors.
 
Welcome to the forum Alan and thanks for the tips on the spanner fitting. Useful stuff :) .
 
Hi from a newbie, please can anyone help me? i've bought a pair of struts from SGS their part number SKU GSC 1429, will they fit my 7th generation accord tourer which is the diesel model? The sales guy at SGS seems to say they will fit but after reading this thread I'm not so sure, also, how do I get the pics to work on the guide? Thank you in advance.
 
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