If you have problems with sealing or tire movement on your Cadillac DeVille, DeVille Concours, or Fleetwood, replace the lower ball joint immediately. To check, lift, and prop up the vehicle, while leaving the front suspension to dangle. The assistant needs to hold the tire from both ends. Moving the top part in and out will show if the knuckle turns up and down compared to the
Control Arm; this means the ball joint needs to be swapped. When you wobble the tire wheel, look for movements at the knuckle boss to check the ball stud tightness, and double-check that the castellated nut is properly torqued, as a loose nut may actually mean the ball stud is bent or the hole has grown too big. Replace the ball joint when you find the ball stud disconnected and the joint demonstrates looseness or when you can twist it in its socket. You have to first lift the vehicle, then place jack stands to support it. Next you remove the wheel and tire assembly from underneath. Use a ball joint separator tool to take out the cotter pin and nut from the ball joint stud before disconnecting it from the
Steering Knuckle. DeVille and Fleetwood require us to first loosen the nut on the stabilizer bar links, drill out the rivets holding the ball joint to the lower control arm, and take the ball joint off. Follow these steps to install: Put the new ball joint onto the lower control arm's three mounting bolts and nuts, tapping the bolts from above. Fasten all nuts to the manufacturer-recommended torque. Obliterate the stabilizer bar link bolt, plug in the ball joint to the steering knuckle, plug in the castellated nut, and bolt it with particular force, remembering to re-enforce the damage with additional tightening whenever needed to affix the cotter pin. Before driving, take off any protective cover for the CV-joint boot, put the tire and wheel back on, and lower the vehicle.