98 Deville rear knuckle bushings

I own a 98 Deville with 125k miles and bad upper rear knuckle bushings, seems common. At highway speeds, the rear of the car floats noticeably and on a rainy road, it is down right dangerous to drive. I have yet to find someone who has fixed this problem without buying the over priced knuckle from Gm ranging from about $350-$700.00. My logic is that it is a BUSHING! They make all different sizes and surely there is bushing that is the size I need and a way to press out the old and press in the new. I have the right rear off the car now and will pay a visit to my local mom and pop automotive machine shop to see what can be done. Even if they need to bore out the inside diameter of the knuckle to accept an over sized bushing, there has got to be a way. Wish me luck, I will keep you posted.

Good luck with that! I have heard of a few people complaining that the repair was very expensive.

Here's a thread in another forum about replacing the bushings in the Sevilles. It might help with your Deville project.

http://www.cadillacforums.com/forums/cadillac-seville-cadillac-eldorado-forum/96864-94-97-seville-rear-knuckle-bushings.html

I took the rear suspension knuckles out and examined the bushings. I was able to press them out and realized they are not your standard bushings. These joints pivot in the center and have a ball in the center of them. I looked high and low and even went to my local machine shop to look for an answer but came up empty handed. I ended up ordering the new knuckles from GM and they list for about $570.00 per side. I shopped the internet until I found my best price then went into my local GM dealer and told the parts manager I would rather keep my money local and asked him to match my quoted price of $795.00 out the door, tax included, doesn't sound so bad considering. When it comes to picking your battles, this is one you don't want, buy them from GM.

Guys!
At first my '96 Deville had some strange swaying and going on at highways speeds and I thought too it was coming from the front. Then eventually it became worse to where it was clunking (fast vibrations) on certain roads so I needed to do something. :banghead:

I finally jacked the rear up and was smacking the various piviot joints to hear the noise and it was evident at the connection between the lower control arm and the knuckle. The lower cross axis ball joint was worn but the upper was totally shot; there was about 3/16" play! :shakehead

I went to a local junkyard and picked up a pair of rear knuckles complete for $100. :grinyes: :2cents:

I removed the disc, caliper and left the wheel spindle (bearing) and splash shield on. The job was so easy..... for once. Each wheel took only an hour at a leisurely pace with not even a hint of trouble. Before you remove the knuckle to control arm bolts, put a hydraulic jack under the lower control arm to remove the tension of the coil spring. You dont even have to disconnect the brake lines, leave them attached.
That's it! When I drove it.... it was back to normal again and what a relief!
:rofl:

Cad Man, you make it sound so easy, wonder how long they will last. I know I will get another 120k now and not have to do it again. I like used parts also but it depends on what I am replacing. Congratulations.

You are right, there are two ways to go; new parts or used. With new parts it will last another duration but cost 10 times as much. With used parts it is cheaper but the life left is related to the amount of wear on the parts.

I inspected the parts before I took them and appeared to be tight. The way I look at it is like this: The job will be the same amount of work and time but just comes down to cost. Even if I had to do this again it would be no big deal, in fact I could do it about 10 times and equal the price of new parts.

Last thing to think about..... how long would someone keep their car once they had to replace something like this? Mine too broke 100k early this year but the joints were already loose at about ~90k.

I searched for replacement cross axis ball joints and none are produced for this application. It is actually less work to get them from the junk yard too.... you wont have to separate the spindle or splash shield. Just find a lower mileage model or smack the tire tread (when jacked off the ground) with a mallet to listen for any noises to determine condition of the joints, if they're worn out you'll hear it.

Again I say good for you. I searched around and most yards know what they cost to replace and it is rare to find a yard willing to sell for such a cheap price. I think most others will find that they will have to pay more. You must have a yard that gives good deals. As far as replacing them 10 times, how much is your time worth? I simply created this post to share my experience and not to brag.

I own a 98 Deville with 125k miles and bad upper rear knuckle bushings, seems common. At highway speeds, the rear of the car floats noticeably and on a rainy road, it is down right dangerous to drive. I have yet to find someone who has fixed this problem without buying the over priced knuckle from Gm ranging from about $350-$700.00. My logic is that it is a BUSHING! They make all different sizes and surely there is bushing that is the size I need and a way to press out the old and press in the new. I have the right rear off the car now and will pay a visit to my local mom and pop automotive machine shop to see what can be done. Even if they need to bore out the inside diameter of the knuckle to accept an over sized bushing, there has got to be a way. Wish me luck, I will keep you posted.

Last Shot Auto Parts LLC

12048 Parklane St Mt Morris, MI 48458


1 (810) 441-7215 - main
1 (866) 365-4813 - fax

lastshotautoparts@gmail.com (lastshotautoparts@gmail.com)


Description
Last Shot Auto Parts, LLC has for sale 2 PAT.PENDING Automotive OE Grade Cadillac Rear Knuckle Bushings. What you and other Cadillac owners are feeling isn't bad shocks,alignment,or tires. It's the rear knuckle Bushings.
GET THEM ON EBAY MOTORS:

http://motors.shop.ebay.com/merchant/lsapllc (http://motors.shop.ebay.com/merchant/lsapllc)

Here are Customer responses:

"I can't tell you how thrilled I am to have these bushings available. I had them installed and what a difference in the handling and ride on my Deville. Your excellent customer service, and going the extra mile is refreshing in todays business world. Thank you, thank you, thank you."
DAVE , Desmoines, IA 50311

Hello, "Thanks for manufacturing these parts, you save us all hundreds of dollars. I got your info on the caddy forum."
Thanks for your consideration,
Mike , Des Plaines, IL 60018

Last Shot Auto Parts LLC

12048 Parklane St Mt Morris, MI 48458


1 (810) 441-7215 - main
1 (866) 365-4813 - fax

lastshotautoparts@gmail.com (lastshotautoparts@gmail.com)


Description
Last Shot Auto Parts, LLC has for sale 2 PAT.PENDING Automotive OE Grade Cadillac Rear Knuckle Bushings. What you and other Cadillac owners are feeling isn't bad shocks,alignment,or tires. It's the rear knuckle Bushings.
GET THEM ON EBAY MOTORS:

http://motors.shop.ebay.com/merchant/lsapllc (http://motors.shop.ebay.com/merchant/lsapllc)

Here are Customer responses:

"I can't tell you how thrilled I am to have these bushings available. I had them installed and what a difference in the handling and ride on my Deville. Your excellent customer service, and going the extra mile is refreshing in todays business world. Thank you, thank you, thank you."
DAVE , Desmoines, IA 50311

Hello, "Thanks for manufacturing these parts, you save us all hundreds of dollars. I got your info on the caddy forum."
Thanks for your consideration,
Mike , Des Plaines, IL 60018
















Guys!
At first my '96 Deville had some strange swaying and going on at highways speeds and I thought too it was coming from the front. Then eventually it became worse to where it was clunking (fast vibrations) on certain roads so I needed to do something. :banghead:

I finally jacked the rear up and was smacking the various piviot joints to hear the noise and it was evident at the connection between the lower control arm and the knuckle. The lower cross axis ball joint was worn but the upper was totally shot; there was about 3/16" play! :shakehead

I went to a local junkyard and picked up a pair of rear knuckles complete for $100. :grinyes: :2cents:

I removed the disc, caliper and left the wheel spindle (bearing) and splash shield on. The job was so easy..... for once. Each wheel took only an hour at a leisurely pace with not even a hint of trouble. Before you remove the knuckle to control arm bolts, put a hydraulic jack under the lower control arm to remove the tension of the coil spring. You dont even have to disconnect the brake lines, leave them attached.
That's it! When I drove it.... it was back to normal again and what a relief!
:rofl:

you can get these made in poly to replace the bushings i have had them on my caddy for two years and a lot cheaper than any other just check out cadillacbushings.com they will help you also

Looking for your knuckle bushing to be replaced? I can do it in the Indianaplois area $500 both sides parts & labor included. Call or TEXT 317-414-8021

Figured this video may help some people still struggling with the rear Knuckle bushings on 1994 to 1999 Cadillac Devilles

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9J1a_YPV-n0