Best I can come up with is that the two tabs the black and white arrows are pointing to needs to be bent back to be able to remove the 'fastener'. And then you unscrew the entire screw? Not very elegant, but am I missing something?

I just noticed there is a RESET button behind the upper tube housing. Is it a safety device you press when the hood is up, then press again when lowering?

My XF just arrived yesterday with a dead hood strut, I ordered a new one, and it just came. therefore my lack of knowledge - along with the manual's lack of information on the subject.

Biba

 

The 'reset' button is really an 'extender' button.
With a good shock, when you open the hood, it raises to the normal position, but if you then press the button, you can then raise the hood to almost 90 degrees before the button clicks into the extended slot.

I have not tried to remove mine, so don't know the procedure for that.
IGNORE above statement.

I went and had a look-see.
You just use a flat screwdriver inserted into one side of the clip and pry it up a smidge, then the clip slides right off.
As to the bottom clip, it's just like any other shock/strut on any other car, just pop it off the ball stud.
( It will probably be good to have a friend help with holding the hood up !!!! )

 

I ended up Dremeling off the two tabs and sliding the fastener off. The top of the strut then slides off. The bottom has to be pried off with a longish pry bar. The fastener still works fine.

Nice to not have to prop up the hood with a stick.

 

The outer side of this clip is pried away from the inner side. Then the whole clip is slid at 90 degrees to the pin.
Or explained a little differently the clip is sprung open so that the hole in the outer side of the clip will clear the pin when the clip is slid sideways.
This is a very efficient way of retaining a pin that sees little end to end force.
If I was you I would tie a string or wire through the clip at the rounded hinge point before removing it as it may otherwise take flight and disappear into the engine bay.
These clips can be found on the tranny if you ever add the paddle shift mod.

The Reset button is used to lift the hood even further toward the sky, almost 90 degrees. When the hood is in the normal position push in the button at the top and lift the hood higher up, lift until the button snaps into the hole at the other end of the plastic body, do not drop the hood until the button has engaged the lower hole. To lower the hood to the normal position you support the hood with one hand and with the other push the button, now in the lower hole, and lower the hood until the button appears again in the upper hole. Again do not drop the hood until the button has engaged again, if you do you may be buying a new hood strut ....again.

If this clip can be slid sideways without bending it then you have removed the safety portion of the clip. I would advise you to get another clip and install it, if that clip came loose and fell out the strut may also come off the pin and the hood may fall on someones head. OUCH! Where's my lawyer.

 

one hundred80, I really appreciate your reply. I should have checked out the removal of this clip right after I ordered a new strut then post my question as to how to remove it, rather than waiting until it was delivered.

I've made a mental note to keep an eye on the clip. Perhaps not a fair comparison, but the trunk strut on my vintage Alfa is held on by a very loose - I'm blanking on the name, but looks like a C. It has never been a problem.

When I pushed the fastener back on, it seemed to click into place just fine. I did not cut anything off, just separated the two thin metal clips on the edge - which were the removal hold-up. I'd tried a lot of bending in case that was the solution, but those two clips were always in the way. Cutting was not my first thought.

 

did you not see my post ?

 

https://www.crossfireforum.org/forum...trut-tool.html

Try this...