FIrst winter for my '05 Prius. Can anyone tell me if their rear hatch "hydraulic support" arms (I call them shocks) are supposed to get weak. When it gets to 35F and below, my shocks won't take the hatch all the way up, I have to push it, and there is not much support. Want to know before I ask my dealer to look at it.
Karl Every vehicle I've owned with those gas-assist struts have had problems once the temps are below freezing. At -25 C, the hatch will barely raise halfway. At -40, I have to "assist" the gas assist struts all the way up. Mine did it from new, the first winter. I had parked at a local mall, spent 3-4 hours in a mad rush getting Christmas presents, returned outside to -30 C temps, and had to put all the packages on the ground to wrench up the hatch. jay
Goodness me, it is interesting to see the variances in car and 'accessory' operation we are each faced with. Here in a warmer climate (presently 32 degrees F) I've not had to contend with hatch problems, or problems defrosting, or having to disable TRAC due to getting stuck. While my mileage suffers slightly in these temps, it's nothing drastic. I imagine our friends in Florida have an altogether other set of idiosyncracies.
Gas pressure is a function of temperature. As temps drop, all gas molecules (including air) will move closer together (become more dense). This is why airplanes ahve better performance in cold air over warm. The down side is that the pressure the gas is exerting within the struts is less. I assume the designers try to strike a happy medium between the temperateure to lift the hatch, and not much that it opens too abruptly. Don't know if it is adjustable or not, but if you car is under warrenty it would hurt to ask if they could adjust it. You'll the inverse problem when temperatures get warm.
Yep, sluggish whenever the temps drop on every car I've ever owned with gas lifters. If an adjustment is possible, I'd certainly be interested.
I suppose if the hatch opened nicely at -40, at +30 C the hatch would be blown right off. Right, it's a compromise to where they figure most Prius cars will be sold and used.
