OEM Cadillac STS CV Joint

Cadillac STS CV Joint Parts and Q&A

• Outer CV Joint
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  Q: How to replace the rear CV joint and seal on Cadillac STS?

  A:

  Start the replacement of rear wheel drive shaft inner joint and seal by removing the tire drive shaft from the car. A shop towel should be used to secure the wheel drive shaft half shaft bar before placing it horizontally inside a bench vise. Cut the inner joint's seal retaining clamps such as the large and small ones using a side cutter tool before discarding everything. The seal must be slid away from the joint face so you can wipe grease from the joint inner race, cage, and balls. With a j8059 snap ring plier the inner race retaining ring ears should be spread open while using the inner joint horizontally struck by a hammer to remove the inner joint assembly from the wheel drive shaft. The maintenance person discards both wheel drive shaft retaining rings before removing the seal from the wheel drive shaft. Wipe down all parts of inner race, outer race cage balls along with Axle Shaft exposed end with solvent to eliminate old grease that also removes contaminants before letting them dry naturally for damage or wear inspection. Apply 60% of service kit grease to the inner joint by distributing it along the ball tracks, balls as well as cage and inner race before placing the rest in the outer race bottom. The inner joint needs removal from the bench vise as you need to wrap a shop towel around the wheel drive shaft before placing it horizontally in the vise. The process begins by fitting the new small seal retaining clamp onto wheel drive shaft until it reaches the proper position. Then slide the seal onto shaft before adding the new large retaining clamp onto the big seal end. The wheel drive shaft large retaining ring installation requires placement into the large ring groove before adding the small retaining ring that fits into its corresponding groove. Move the inner joint assembly towards the wheel drive shaft until the small retaining ring fits properly into the retaining groove. Set the small seal retaining clamp to the seal neck and use the j42572 (Drive Shaft Seal Clamp Pliers) to crimp it with a 1 mm (0.039 inch) gap while maintaining clamp time for no less than 2 seconds. Support and position the large seal retaining clamp onto the seal while checking for both inner boot quality and seal edge measurement which must stay at 88.6 mm (3.50 inch). Check the seal shape along with any signs of damage before discarding or replacing it. Finish crimping the large seal retaining clamp using the tool j42572 while maintaining a 1 mm (0.039 inch) gap and perform a smoothness check of the inner joint through wheel drive shaft rotation 4 or 5 times before reinstallation.
• Inner CV Joint
  88957234
  Q: How to replace the front CV Boot and CV Joint on the inner drive shaft on Cadillac STS?

  A:

  You need these necessary tools to replace the front wheel drive shaft inner joint and boot: snap ring pliers (J 8059) and drive axle seal clamp pliers (J 35566) and drive shaft seal clamp pliers (J 42572). Mechanics require snap ring pliers (J 8059) and drive axle seal clamp pliers (J 35566) in combination with drive shaft seal clamp pliers (J 42572). You should place a shop towel around the wheel drive shaft bar before securing it horizontally in a bench vise. Use side cutters to remove the small seal clamp before discarding the piece. The drive axle seal clamp pliers (J 35566) is used to unlatch the large seal retaining clamp before removing it from the tripot joint. Draw the inboard seal away from the joint by separating it from the trilobal tripot bushing. Obtain the housing and wheel drive shaft bar from the tripot joint spider before you discard the old retaining ring by using snap ring pliers (J 8059). Before disassembly record the tripot spider's position on the wheel drive shaft bar. Afterward tap the tripot spider face gently with a hammer and brass drift to separate the parts. Check for damage in the wheel drive shaft inboard seal combined with an assessment of the tripot joint spider assembly and housing and trilobal tripot bushing. During assembly position a new small seal clamp at the inner joint seal's small end while you insert it into the boot groove before placing it into the inner joint seal groove. Use the drive shaft seal clamp pliers (J 42572) to crimp the small seal retaining clamp until it maintains a 1 mm gap. When using the original tripot spider for rebuilding install it so the reference mark points to the wheel drive shaft bar with the beveled edge oriented toward the bar. Position the tripot spider with a new retaining ring onto its seat while using snap ring pliers (J 8059) to check proper engagement. First apply grease to the inboard seal before reconditioning the housing and positioning the trilobal tripot bushing while mounting the larger new seal retaining clamp to the inboard seal. Guide the trunnion housing over the tripot joint spider assembly until the seal shows a precise shape. Using a measuring tool, verify that the distance between both seal edges equals 104.7 mm (4.12 in) before removing air from the inner joint seal. Drive the wheel drive shaft inboard seal, tripot housing, and large seal retaining clamp into their correct alignment using drive axle seal clamp pliers (J 35566) to fully extend the plier tangs. Several rotations of the inner tripot housing will spread the grease properly through all the bearings.