Cadillac Owners Forum banner

Step by step to replacing rear shocks

39K views 21 replies 17 participants last post by  edwin2010 
#1 · (Edited)
Alright so I have seen a write up for shock replacement but I figured I could help out with some pics also. It is a fairly easy job to do for a basic DIYer. I replaced my shocks with Monroe 40034 replacements. The reason for the swap was because I found my compressor was running first thing in the morning everytime I left the vehicle over night, then when I hooked up my sled trailer it would run non-stop and with the extra weight I could hear the air leaking from the shock. So lets begin the swap....

1) Check for leaks using a soap and water sloution mixed in a spray bottle. Let the compressor pump the shock up until it stops then get under there and spray all over looking for bubbles forming. (Pic 1) This will help you determine the faulty shock...maybe sell the other one if its still ok. Think about it, how sweet of a find would it have been for you if you found one lonely used shock for $100? Instead of the $600+ you paided for your pair.

2) Get out the tools needed for the job. Which include jack stands, floor jack, 13/16" combination wrench, 13/16" socket with extension and ratchet, flat head screw driver, and torque wrench (optional). (pic 2)

3) Jack the rear of the vehicle up and support it with jack stands. (pic 3)

4) Remove clip holding air line to shock using your flathead/slotted screwdriver. (pic 4)

5) Disconnect sensor wire from top of shock. I used my finger, but you may need to use your screw driver to pry the tab upwards then pull it off...do not pull off by the tab or you will break that sucker off! (pic5)

6) Loosen and remove top nut on the shock using the combination wrench and ratchet. (pic 6)

7) Loosen and remove bottom nut on the shock using the combination wrench and ratchet. (pic 7)

8) If you try removing the bolts you will find they are quite tight. Now you have to jack up the body of the vehicle to take the weight off of the bolts. I jacked it on the reciever of the hitch (pic 8). If you go too high the suspension will weigh down on the bolt, if you don't go high enough the body will weigh it down. Jack the vehicle up a bit and pull on the bolt, keep repeating until you can get the bolts out. I would remove the bottom one first, this way you can protect the sensor plug while removing the top bolt. Becareful of that sensor plug I can see it getting wedge on something and tearing off.

9) Now we begin the reassembly. Start by installing the top bolt on the new shock. Again this will ensure you don't let the top of the shock fall and break off that sensor plug.

10) With the top bolt in place check that the holes line up in the bottom end of the shock. If they are not straight through, adjust your floor jack so that the hole is aligned. (pic 9) 2 things about this pic...one, it is the top hole not he bottom but he principal is there, two, the holes are not aligned which meant I needed to lower the body a little bit so they would align.

11) Now that the bolts are in put the nuts back on (the washer went on the bolt side btw). Torque the bolts to 70ft/lbs which if you don't have a torque wrench is a very firm tightness but it does not require you to put everything you got into tightening it. Inorder to fit my torque wrench in there I had to drop my spare tire. Which was a good lesson for me to learn any ways cause if I would have had to do that in the dark on the side of a busy highway while it was raining there would be a heck of alot of swearing. Now that I've tried it once in a place I could see what I was doing, it will be much easier on the road if I ever have to. I highly recommend you try it out sometime.

12)Alright now you reconnect your air line and clip to hold it in place, then reconnect your sensor making sure it clicks in place and repeat these steps for the other side. Good luck to you....oh and the 2nd one is usually alot easier and faster. Now take the money you saved doing it yourself and go and buy the tools you borrowed to do the job! Also I didnt see any ride improvment with my replacement but forsure she doesnt sag anymore when I load up a trailer on it.
 

Attachments

See less See more
9
#3 ·
x2

I was surprised how easy it was to do it myself. The local mechanic and the dealership quoted my parents $1500 for this on their truck (even convinced them to trade a vehicle in early because of this.) I bought the parts for my truck for a 1/4 of the price and did it in an afternoon.

You're crazy if you pay someone that much for a such a simple repair. It makes it even better with step by step instructions and pictures.
 
#14 ·
I know this is not the Deville forum, but I did that replacement. I used the Monroe shocks with springs that are designed for replacement of the air ride system (Passive) on my 03 DHS last summer. Pretty easy to do but the ride was bad unless you loaded down the trunk. Parked the car all winter because of the lightness in the back end. Car sat 6"-8" higher in the rear. Replaced the compressor and put in new Monroe air shocks on it last week. Seems 500% better with only a short ride. The compressors are cheap from Arnott Air Suspension Compressor Part No P-2310, around $200, Shocks Monroe Max-Air Air Shock Absorber Part No MA822 around $75. True it costs twice as much as the Passive system but worth every penny! Note, compressor was double that price last year, that's why I tried the Passive replacement.
 
#16 ·
Have a tear in my driver side rear air shock. Should i change both or just the bad one? Really makes my truck handle shitty at high speed. Also truck still sits level and i hear no leaks. Weird. Truck also rides alot better with weight in the back. Any advice input. Thanx
 
#17 ·
Je357 said:
Have a tear in my driver side rear air shock. Should i change both or just the bad one? Really makes my truck handle shitty at high speed. Also truck still sits level and i hear no leaks. Weird. Truck also rides alot better with weight in the back. Any advice input. Thanx
Replace both I had one blow only to have the other blow six month later(don't ask)
 
#18 ·
I have that same issue a tear on both rear shocks. The truck still sits high and I don't hear any leaks nor do I notice any less ride quality at high speed.maybe I have to pay closer attention.I thought those tears I saw were on some kind of protective cover but did not effect ride quality. I guess I need prepare to purchase a new pair of shocks and join the numerous other who had to deal with this issue
 
#19 ·
boge said:
I have that same issue a tear on both rear shocks. The truck still sits high and I don't hear any leaks nor do I notice any less ride quality at high speed.maybe I have to pay closer attention.I thought those tears I saw were on some kind of protective cover but did not effect ride quality. I guess I need prepare to purchase a new pair of shocks and join the numerous other who had to deal with this issue
Don't forget the compressor
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top