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The previous owner of my car converted the tailgate to manual by installing the gas strut and connecting the hydraulic lines together at the tailgate with some clear tubing. What I don't know is whether the pump was disabled in any way. I'd like to be sure its disabled entirely to prevent leaks. It looks like there's quite a bit in the way in order to access the pump to just unplug it. I'm open to any suggestions or advice. Thanks!
The lines can’t be removed from the hydraulic arm, so if you say that it was converted to conventional struts I imply that means the hydraulic arm is gone and so if you have any lines there, they were cut. I wouldn’t worry about doing anything. The previous owner of mine did a conversion as well and just cut the lines and tucked them back into the headliner. They also removed the pump. I hate having non-functional buttons so bought a used pump and hydraulic arm and it works great.
There is also a control module (HKL I think?) under the spare tire you could unplug. But if everything is working fine for you now with manual struts I see no reason to put any time into it.
Not sure how he got the hydraulic lines "tied" together, but if you are worried about the hydraulic pump, it is located on the driver's side, rear cargo compartment. You remove left compartment cover, remove the radio/amplifier and bracket, then pull back the liner, The hydraulic pump has two 10mm nuts on the bottom and (I believe) a single 8mm bolt securing the top. The electrical connections are reportedly a bit tricky to disconnect. Not sure if the hydraulic lines were disconnected or just cut in your case. Bypassing of the hydraulic pump is usually because it is not working, so that is a consideration. I am messing around with mine to see if I can correct a leak or just fill it enough to get a bit more time for it. I'll pass on any tidbits of info I come up with.
Here's a picture of the current setup. What I'd really like to do is shove the lines into the C pillar and get the plastic trim panel without the hole to cover it up to make things look tidy. Any thoughts?
That's weird. I guess the hydraulic arm must be leaking or something. The previous owner of my car did what you're suggesting. Shoved the hydraulic lines (after cutting them from the hydraulic arm) and the angle of rotation sensor into the top of the headliner and got the trim piece without the hole (I had to cut a hole into it for my retrofit). Does your pump still run when you open it?
There is no more hydraulic arm -- what you're looking at is a new gas strut with the hydraulic lines connected to each other. I haven't noticed any evidence of the pump running. I've listened for it when I press the button on the tailgate and didn't hear anything or seen the fluid move in the bypass (pictured).
Last edited by esixtyone; Mar 25, 2019 at 12:06 PM.
Easiest way to disable hydraulic tailgate pump?
