I didn't want to screw around and just replaced both of mine, the $40 wasn't worth the trouble of a stick, vise grips or not having it stay up when I wanted it to.
http://www.autopartsway.ca/partlist...._Lift_Support/

Should work for an 88.

 

Dude it's just twenty bucks. Why mess around with two by fours and vice grips when you can run to the auto parts store and fifteen minutes later the problem is solved. Just get one for now if you want to be economical.

 

its a jeep thing

 

autozone has them

 

Vice grips

 

Discovered mine sags when the weather's not right at last week's relay race. I'm at the back ducking in and out getting food and whatnot when I guy in an XJ backs in the spot next to mine. So he's around back opening the hatch and I see him wrap a cord tight around the piston, lift the gate, then slide the cord up to hold the gate up in place.

It's one of those tiny bungees that seem useless. I happened to have two of them with me replacing the broken zipper on my cot bag. Didn't use the cot on that trip, but that small bungee came in real handy.

 

dont get em from autozone. The lifetime ones I bought from there busted within a couple days nearly breaking my window. No problems with the oreily ones. Actually I wouldn't recommend buying any parts from az. Nothing but bad comes from a trip there.

 

I have 2 ways to fix it.

1-get some shocks off a Explorer in the JY, the shocks are shorter & will limit the opening for the hatch accordingly
2- get a piece of PVC pipe about the same length as the shock body, shorter than the shiny rod but big enough to slip over the shock body. When you open the hatch the pipe slides down & catches on the lip of the shock body, to close it, simply push the gate up with one hand & center the PVC pipe so that the body will slide into the pipe.

You only need to do one shock.

I'll try to get a pic tomorrow.

 

Strong arm or Monroe lift supports.

OP: The strong arms are $14.03 each at rockauto
The Monroe's are $12.78 each at rockauto.

I have the strong arms and have ZERO complaints.

Always replace both of them, if you just replace one it will begin to fail soon because it's holding double the weight it's supposed to.