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Rear air shock leaking, what is the cheapest fix?


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I came out to my garage this morning and found about a cup of oil on the ground under the left rear control arm. After taking the wheel off, it appears to be coming from the shock. I have noticed lots of bounce at the rear when going over bumps.

The caddy dealer wants $320 per shock.

Arnott is $279/pair (and continues to use the air leveling my vehicle is equipped with)

But rock auto has shocks for $21/each. I am sure that I cannot use the air leveling with these. I found the TSB on this site that will turn off the dashboard light, but what about the air equipment. Will the compressor be fine just by unplugging? My Chilton manual is not good for this repair.

The rockauto part doesn't even appear to fit, based on the picture, except that the picture also shows what might be an adaptor that will make it fit. Has anyone used the rockauto shocks for this repair? They are KYB #343130 ; GR-2 Rear

Another question is, is this a shock or a strut? Rock auto also lists a rear strut that is the AC Delco part. I concluded I have a shock based on the fact that the unit is separate from the spring coil.

I'm not planning on owning this caddy much longer (I have to get better mpg than this), and I need the cheapest reasonable solution. Please help.

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Go with Arnott. I replaced all four on 99 STS and they are great. The stealer wanted almost 3K. I did the job for a little over six hundred dollars. The job is very easy on the rear. A little more difficult on the front. Regards Dr Jay

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Go with Arnott. I replaced all four on 99 STS and they are great. The stealer wanted almost 3K. I did the job for a little over six hundred dollars. The job is very easy on the rear. A little more difficult on the front. Regards Dr Jay

Exactly what he said! Arnott! $308 dollars for both sides!

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I put Arnotts in the rear of my '97 Eldo six months ago. They're great value for the money and I am planning on replacing my worn out front struts with Arnotts soon.

I'm having a hard time justifying spending $300 per axle when rock auto sells the ones I mentioned for $21 a piece. Do you guys have reason to believe rock auto's are bad?

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I just looked at the Rockauto site for the $21 shock you are talking about, and they make this statement >>>>Exc. Adj. Susp.; RWD Exc. Limousine; GR-2 REAR and the photo shows the shock as a NON air shock. THAT MEANS EXCEPT ADJUSTABLE SUSPENSION, WHICH YOU HAVE.

YOUR REAR WILL SAG WITHOUT AIR SHOCKS IN THE REAR. THERE IS SOMETHING WRONG WITH THEIR SITE, LOOK AT THE FRONT SHOCKS, THEY WOULD NEVER FIT YOUR CAR, YOU HAVE STRUTS IN THE FRONT NOT SHOCKS. I have NO IDEA why ROCKAUTO is ADVERTISING THESE. I have called Rockauto on the phone a couple of times and written emails and I get lousy feedback from them, I am not sure what is going on there. Try calling gmotos.com and see if they have any aftermarket solutions for you.

You stated $320 per strut, you are talking about the rears? The OEM front struts are like $700 to $800 each, you are getting ALL FOUR for $515 from ARNOTT, I'd say that is a BIG savings, $2,240 ($320x2 plus $800x2) verses $515. If you wanted just the rear its $279 vs $640, not bad.

If that is not good for you, you asked for the CHEAPEST fix, go to the scrap yards and pick up a used shock, that would be about $50 or so

Pre-1995 - DTC codes OBD1  >>

1996 and newer - DTC codes OBD2 >> https://www.obd-codes.com/trouble_codes/gm/obd_codes.htm

How to check for codes Caddyinfo How To Technical Archive >> http://www.caddyinfo.com/wordpress/cadillac-how-to-faq/

Cadillac History & Specifications Year by Year  http://www.motorera.com/cadillac/index.htm

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You stated $320 per strut, you are talking about the rears? The OEM front struts are like $700 to $800 each, you are getting ALL FOUR for $515 from ARNOTT, I'd say that is a BIG savings, $2,240 ($320x2 plus $800x2) verses $515. If you wanted just the rear its $279 vs $640, not bad.

If that is not good for you, you asked for the CHEAPEST fix, go to the scrap yards and pick up a used shock, that would be about $50 or so

Yes, my local caddy dealer quoted $320 per rear shock.

I think the scrap yard idea sounds decent. I'm only doing what I absolutely have to here because I can find caddies like mine on ebay for around $1500-2000 all day long. My willingness to spend on repairs is directly proportional to the market value of the car when I'm done.

One more question, any idea why I lost about a cup of fluid out of one of the shocks with no noticeable difference in handling?

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I was very surprised to hear that a strut would leak like that. Be careful that you are not leaking from your braking system. The brake lines on these cars, especially in the rear, rust through. Check your master cylinder for correct fluid level, for the hell of it.

However, it is possible to see oil leaking from your strut, it holds a LOT of oil, I drained mine into a bucket, before I discarded them. There is solenoid unit on each strut that controls oil flow by opening an closing an orifice within the strut, IF you are leaking at where that solenoid screws into the strut or through the solenoid itself, YES, you can see a lot of oil, I have photos of my strut with the solenoid removed and I will post a link to it when I get a chance.

BUT, losing the oil, WOULD negatively affect the struts abiltity to properly dampen movement, the strut COULD have been BAD all along (before it leaked) and you are NOT seeing/feeling any FURTHER degradation.

You should NOT have difficulty finding a rear strut in the scrap yard. They should be able to tell you what years fits yours. Be PICKY... MANIPULATE it IN AND OUT, to make sure it dampens in both directions and make sure the wiring is intact. Look at the RUBBER bladder to make sure it looks intack and that its not dry rotted and cracked. I would be reluctant to buy a rear strut without feeling it myself, but you might find a yard NEAR you that has what you are looking for by searching on this service >> Car Parts dot.com

Solenoid in place

96_Deville_Strut_Electronics_001.jpg

Solenoid removed

96_Deville_Strut_Electronics_002.jpg

View of Solenoid o-ring

96_Deville_Strut_Electronics_003.jpg

View into strut, see orifice and oil

96_Deville_Strut_Electronics_004.jpg

Pre-1995 - DTC codes OBD1  >>

1996 and newer - DTC codes OBD2 >> https://www.obd-codes.com/trouble_codes/gm/obd_codes.htm

How to check for codes Caddyinfo How To Technical Archive >> http://www.caddyinfo.com/wordpress/cadillac-how-to-faq/

Cadillac History & Specifications Year by Year  http://www.motorera.com/cadillac/index.htm

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