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GAS SPRINGS


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I replaced the gas spring in my glove box yesterday and it works like new now. I know the gas leaks slowly out of the gas springs over time. We have a few gas springs in our boats in the motor box and the trunk. My question is does anyone know how long gas springs last or how often they should be replaced? :cheers:

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Not to be a smart guy, but it depends on the manufacturer, usage, climate, etc., etc.

Here comes the smart guy part:

As with any part, they last as long as they last, individually. Replace them when you are no longer happy with their performance. It is what it is.

Just make sure when you replace them that the canister end is up and the rod end is down. They last much longer that way.

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Not to be a smart guy, but it depends on the manufacturer, usage, climate, etc., etc.

Here comes the smart guy part:

As with any part, they last as long as they last, individually. Replace them when you are no longer happy with their performance. It is what it is.

Just make sure when you replace them that the canister end is up and the rod end is down. They last much longer that way.

then why are all of mine installed with the canister down and the rod up?

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then why are all of mine installed with the canister down and the rod up?

Just looking around here at some we have on various non-boat items. When closed, or the position they spend most of their time, canister should be up. I assume this to be because the gas inside is lighter than the surrounding air, and it leaks out slowly through the seal around the rod. Keeping the canister end up as often as possible prevents this from happening. ICBW.

Sometimes when the door/compartment is opened, the rod end may be higher than the canister end.

Every truck topper we sell has them canister up in the door closed position, as well as the liftgate on my SUVs, station wagon, and all the ones on my boat.

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I rotate my gas springs (canister up, canister down) every season when I rotate my trailer tires.

My boat is 10 yrs. old and I've yet to replace a gas spring.

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I rotate my gas springs (canister up, canister down) every season when I rotate my trailer tires.

My boat is 10 yrs. old and I've yet to replace a gas spring.

I was just helping with the law of averages on this product. In the past 16 years of doing what I do, we had a manufacturer use a pinswitch on one side of a door. This required them to mount the gas prop on that side with the rod end up. The other side was still always mounted canister side up, per the gas prop manufacturer's recommendations. We saw a 75% failure rate on the pinswitch side over the course of two years, not counting customers who may not have complained to us directly. We actually stopped selling the pinswitch option because of this issue. Maybe Malibu uses a higher end gas prop, maybe your climate has an affect, maybe something else is going on. Look at SUV doors and anything else that uses these props, you'll see that most are mounted canister up.

I am happy that yours work for you, Just relaying what I've learned about these. YMMV.

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My question is does anyone know how long gas springs last or how often they should be replaced? :cheers:

eyepeeler... they should last a life time unless the seal goes bad and the gas leaks out. :cry:

jk13... you're absolutely right, they should be mounted with the rod position down so the main seal and rod are lubricated as they travel up and down... otherwise the oil stays in the bottom of the canister and would never hit the main seal and rod. :)

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eyepeeler... they should last a life time unless the seal goes bad and the gas leaks out. :cry:

jk13... you're absolutely right, they should be mounted with the rod position down so the main seal and rod are lubricated as they travel up and down... otherwise the oil stays in the bottom of the canister and would never hit the main seal and rod. :)

My boat is nine years old and every gas spring is shot.

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My boat is nine years old and every gas spring is shot.

I owned a '97 RLX for eight years and never replaced one. :)

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