Hatch will not open

[aricanderson]

Ever since i got this 89 240 as a project the hatch will not open by itself.  When i go to pull the lever the latch will unlock although the hatch does not pop up.  So do i need new struts to pop open the hatch?

[240 2NR]

Are you implying you think the hatch opens by itself when you pop the latch?  Have you felt how heavy that hatch is and looked at the geometry of the struts?  They point down when it's closed.  Even if they were strong enough they couldn't push the truck open as they are configured.

The struts are there to keep the trunk open once up.  If you raise the hatch and they don't support it, then yes, it's time for some new ones.