OEM 2001 Cadillac Catera CV Joint

2001 Cadillac Catera CV Joint Parts and Q&A

• Q: How to replace the front wheel drive shaft inner CV joint and seal on 2001 Cadillac Catera?

  A: Start by mounting the wheel drive shaft assembly into a vise equipped with non-marring inserts for the inner joint and seal replacement process. First use a side cutter to take out and dispose of the large seal retaining clamp which protects the inboard cross groove joint before removing the small seal retaining clamp from the wheel drive shaft bar. The joint inner race's cross-groove face should receive cleaning from any lubricant before sliding away the seal. Hit the cross-groove joint's inner race using a brass drift and hammer tool with caution to avoid damage. First remove the wheel drive shaft bar's retaining ring followed by the removal of its seal from the wheel drive shaft bar. Push approximately half of the service kit grease into the inboard cross groove joint before installing both a new small seal retaining clamp to the seal neck and a new large seal retaining clamp to the joint seal. First clean the wheel drive shaft bar with a wire brush to eliminate corrosion in seal mounting grooves before installing the new seal and retaining ring onto the wheel drive shaft bar. The outboard cross groove assembly needs support and the wheel drive shaft assembly must be positioned on the arbor press at the inboard cross groove assembly's bottom which has a block of wood placed above it prior to lowering the press head. Push the inboard cross groove assembly onto the wheel drive shaft bar until complete contact is achieved before you move the assembly to the vise. Set the joint seal inside its proper slot on top of the wheel drive shaft bar. Use J 35910 Seal Clamp Pliers (J 35910) together with a breaker bar and torque wrench to fasten the small seal retaining clamp at 136 Nm (100 ft. lbs.) while verifying gap measurements until reaching 2.15 mm (0.085 inch) base gap. Introduce remaining filler grease into the joint seal while making sure the seal maintains its regular shape without stretching or dimpling. Apply hand pressure to equalize the seal's tension while shaping it properly before continuing. Use J 35910 Seal Clamp Pliers (J 35910) with a breaker bar and torque wrench to tighten the large seal clamp onto the joint seal reaching 176 Nm (130 ft. lbs.) torque while checking gap dimensions to achieve 2.60 mm (0.102 inch) spacing at the omega base.