OEM Cadillac STS CV Boot

Cadillac STS CV Boot Parts Questions & Experts Answers

• Outer Boot
  88957228
  Q: How to replace the Rear Wheel Drive Shaft Outer CV Boot on Cadillac STS?

  A: You should remove the rear wheel drive shaft from the vehicle to replace the front rear wheel drive shaft outer joint boot. For the Axle Shaft, wrap the shop towel and clamp the wheel drive shaft vertically into the bench vise while ensuring that retaining clamps are released and replaced with new ones. Using the side cutter, pull out and remove the retaining clamps from the outer boot before the boot is detached from the CV Joint housing and grease is gotten rid of along the CV Joint inner race, cage, and balls. To do get rid of the outer CV Joint from the Axle Shaft, hold the outer joint housing horizontally, put a wood block between the seal and the joint and use a hammer to force the CV Joint off the wheel drive shaft. A brass drift and hammer should be used if it resists. Remove the Axle Shaft retaining ring and take the boot off the Axle Shaft. Then cover the joint outer race splined shaft with a shop towel and fix the outer race vertically in a bench vise. Tap the wheel drive shaft joints inner cage gently by using a brass drif and hammer until it reveals the first ball lying which can be extracted, perhaps by a small screwdriver. Repeat this process until all balls are gone and you make sure that you remove all old grease and contaminants from the inner race, outer race, cage, ball, and exposed end of the Axle Shaft, then you air dry each part. Be sure to replace the wheel drive shaft in the case of defective inner parts. For assembly, orient the cage with larger radius corners up and slide the inner race with its 90-degree angle aligned with the cage. Turn the inner race at an angle where its grooved face is pointing upwards and then making sure it is properly snapped into the cage. Match the inner race ball tracks to the cage windows and then wrap a shop towel around the joint outer race splined shaft and secure the outer race vertically to a bench vice. Place the cage and inner race at 90 degrees to the outer race ensuring that inner race ring groove is down and align the cage windows with the outer race ball tracks so that you can put the balls in. Press down the cage to expose the opposites cage window for ball installation tapping gently with a brass drift and hammer to ensure that there is no gap between is between ball and inner race ball track. Repeat this until all balls are located, and then place about 60 percent of grease from the service kit in the outer joint with its versing on the tracks of the ball, the balls themselves, the cage, the internal race, and the remainder in the bottom of the outer race. After removing the outer joint from vise, cover the Axle Shaft with a shop towel, and fix the wheel drive shaft in a horizontal bench vise. Put in a new small seal retaining clamp onto the Axle Shaft, then place the seal on it and install a new retaining ring. Set the outer joint horizontally, mesh the inner race splines onto the Axle Shaft splines, and use a flat-bladed tool to snap home the Axle Shaft retaining ring while pressing the outer joint onto the Axle Shaft until it is all the way home. Hammer the outer joint onto the shaft, fill in the remaining grease from the service kit into the seal and align the small seal retaining clamp into the boot groove. Make sure the boot is the proper shape and no damage is present and crimp the small seal retaining clamp with j 42572 until there is a 1 mm gap and seat the large seal retaining clamp onto the seal and joint outer race so that there is no deformation of the seal. Crimp the large seal retaining clamp with j 42572 to 1mm gap, hold for no less than 2 seconds. Lastly, rotate the wheel drive shaft several times before re-installing it to test the outside joint for smooth operation.