rear wing removal and install when it will NOT raise up...HOW TO
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Registered User
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 771
From: NC
Rep Power: 122
rear wing removal and install when it will NOT raise up...HOW TO
So I bought a Misha wing to put on my car when my spoiler quit working. 2 large for a new spoiler "kit" or 800 for the wing...Problem is that to replace the wing you must first extend it to remove the old one.
On cars where the spoiler will not raise up, when you lift it manually and unscrew the old one, the cylinder fires back down into the hole as it is still under pressure. Now you have the old one off and no way to put the new one on as you cannot put it up via the switch, and without it in the up position you cannot install the new one.
Called the dealer. No help. Called Misha. No help. Called Vivid. No help. Everyone knows the problem is there but nobody could tell me how to relieve the presssure to get the cylinders up.
Through trial and error [I'll get to that part in a minute], I figured out the simple way to get the new wing installed. You can take the old one off this way as well.
1. Open the rear lid and unscrew the hydraulic lines going to the cylinders and drain the Pentosin. Be careful, there are two washers on each one.
2. Remove the silver snap rings.
3. Once you remove the snap rings, you have freed up the entire cylinder. You can now lift the entire old wing straight up off the lid. Follow the manual to remove and install actual wing.
4. When reinstalling, the cylinders must be pulled back through the hole to reinstall the snap rings. Take a 10mm or so closed end wrench and put the bronze bolt through it and thread bolt into cylinder. Pull cylinder down with wrench and fasten snap ring back in place.
5. Done.
Trying to figure out how the darn thing worked, I removed the big snap ring on the top of the cylinder. I them made the mistake of removing the bottom snap ring and POW!, the spring and plunger flew 40 feet across the shop and hit the wall 10 feet in the air. Would have killed me if I had been standing in front of it. You don't want to know how long it took to get that damn spring back in there. Bottom line, DO NOT REMOVE THE TOP SNAP RING FOR ANY REASON!!!
Once I figured it out it was easy. With this info, you should be able to replace one in under 30 minutes.
On cars where the spoiler will not raise up, when you lift it manually and unscrew the old one, the cylinder fires back down into the hole as it is still under pressure. Now you have the old one off and no way to put the new one on as you cannot put it up via the switch, and without it in the up position you cannot install the new one.
Called the dealer. No help. Called Misha. No help. Called Vivid. No help. Everyone knows the problem is there but nobody could tell me how to relieve the presssure to get the cylinders up.
Through trial and error [I'll get to that part in a minute], I figured out the simple way to get the new wing installed. You can take the old one off this way as well.
1. Open the rear lid and unscrew the hydraulic lines going to the cylinders and drain the Pentosin. Be careful, there are two washers on each one.
2. Remove the silver snap rings.
3. Once you remove the snap rings, you have freed up the entire cylinder. You can now lift the entire old wing straight up off the lid. Follow the manual to remove and install actual wing.
4. When reinstalling, the cylinders must be pulled back through the hole to reinstall the snap rings. Take a 10mm or so closed end wrench and put the bronze bolt through it and thread bolt into cylinder. Pull cylinder down with wrench and fasten snap ring back in place.
5. Done.
Trying to figure out how the darn thing worked, I removed the big snap ring on the top of the cylinder. I them made the mistake of removing the bottom snap ring and POW!, the spring and plunger flew 40 feet across the shop and hit the wall 10 feet in the air. Would have killed me if I had been standing in front of it. You don't want to know how long it took to get that damn spring back in there. Bottom line, DO NOT REMOVE THE TOP SNAP RING FOR ANY REASON!!!
Once I figured it out it was easy. With this info, you should be able to replace one in under 30 minutes.
Registered User
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 347
From: colts neck, new jersey
Rep Power: 32
holy s#@!, that plunger must be under some great pressure. >>>>>
So I bought a Misha wing to put on my car when my spoiler quit working. 2 large for a new spoiler "kit" or 800 for the wing...Problem is that to replace the wing you must first extend it to remove the old one.
On cars where the spoiler will not raise up, when you lift it manually and unscrew the old one, the cylinder fires back down into the hole as it is still under pressure. Now you have the old one off and no way to put the new one on as you cannot put it up via the switch, and without it in the up position you cannot install the new one.
Called the dealer. No help. Called Misha. No help. Called Vivid. No help. Everyone knows the problem is there but nobody could tell me how to relieve the presssure to get the cylinders up.
Through trial and error [I'll get to that part in a minute], I figured out the simple way to get the new wing installed. You can take the old one off this way as well.
1. Open the rear lid and unscrew the hydraulic lines going to the cylinders and drain the Pentosin. Be careful, there are two washers on each one.
2. Remove the silver snap rings.
3. Once you remove the snap rings, you have freed up the entire cylinder. You can now lift the entire old wing straight up off the lid. Follow the manual to remove and install actual wing.
4. When reinstalling, the cylinders must be pulled back through the hole to reinstall the snap rings. Take a 10mm or so closed end wrench and put the bronze bolt through it and thread bolt into cylinder. Pull cylinder down with wrench and fasten snap ring back in place.
5. Done.
Trying to figure out how the darn thing worked, I removed the big snap ring on the top of the cylinder. I them made the mistake of removing the bottom snap ring and POW!, the spring and plunger flew 40 feet across the shop and hit the wall 10 feet in the air. Would have killed me if I had been standing in front of it. You don't want to know how long it took to get that damn spring back in there. Bottom line, DO NOT REMOVE THE TOP SNAP RING FOR ANY REASON!!!
Once I figured it out it was easy. With this info, you should be able to replace one in under 30 minutes.
On cars where the spoiler will not raise up, when you lift it manually and unscrew the old one, the cylinder fires back down into the hole as it is still under pressure. Now you have the old one off and no way to put the new one on as you cannot put it up via the switch, and without it in the up position you cannot install the new one.
Called the dealer. No help. Called Misha. No help. Called Vivid. No help. Everyone knows the problem is there but nobody could tell me how to relieve the presssure to get the cylinders up.
Through trial and error [I'll get to that part in a minute], I figured out the simple way to get the new wing installed. You can take the old one off this way as well.
1. Open the rear lid and unscrew the hydraulic lines going to the cylinders and drain the Pentosin. Be careful, there are two washers on each one.
2. Remove the silver snap rings.
3. Once you remove the snap rings, you have freed up the entire cylinder. You can now lift the entire old wing straight up off the lid. Follow the manual to remove and install actual wing.
4. When reinstalling, the cylinders must be pulled back through the hole to reinstall the snap rings. Take a 10mm or so closed end wrench and put the bronze bolt through it and thread bolt into cylinder. Pull cylinder down with wrench and fasten snap ring back in place.
5. Done.
Trying to figure out how the darn thing worked, I removed the big snap ring on the top of the cylinder. I them made the mistake of removing the bottom snap ring and POW!, the spring and plunger flew 40 feet across the shop and hit the wall 10 feet in the air. Would have killed me if I had been standing in front of it. You don't want to know how long it took to get that damn spring back in there. Bottom line, DO NOT REMOVE THE TOP SNAP RING FOR ANY REASON!!!
Once I figured it out it was easy. With this info, you should be able to replace one in under 30 minutes.
Registered User
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 273
From: St. Louis Park, MN
Rep Power: 39
Wow! That sounds dangerous. I'm about to do this project. Can you snap a picture of the ring I'm supposed to remove and then also the ring I'm not supposed to remove? I guess I want to make sure which is top and bottom.
Thanks,
Paul
Thanks,
Paul
Registered User
Joined: Apr 2005
Posts: 2,436
From: North Bend, WA
Rep Power: 164
I know this thread is nearly 3 years old, but wanted to confirm that the snap ring that you want to remove to dis-connect a fully lowered rear wing is on the very bottom of the hydraulic assembly (bottom meaning when the decklid is in it's normal closed orientation). Basically it's the first snap ring you get to see at the very bottom when you start removing caps and then the screws holding on the hydraulic lines. I just removed the wing today and it's quite easy and not dramatic at all.
Banned
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 1,704
Rep Power: 94
I found this out for myself today, I wish I had read this 3 weeks ago (pls also see my post under rear wing failure). I removed the top circlip and was lucky it seems it is only when you remove them BOTH TOGETHER, top and bottom circlips) that there is a serious injury risk
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