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Post by foxman48 on Jul 1, 2007 0:11:10 GMT -6
;D Clunk, clunk, clunk . does that steering wheel clunk bother you as much as it did me ? Time to get it fixed. makes this really nice car feel like a piece of crap. My HONDA is soo smooth... Lets see about two to three hours labor plus the lube kit at a dealer, probably about $250 to $300 bucks. I think I'll give it a shot. How hard could it be right ? I would rate my mechanical ability at 6 out of 10. Get the lube kit at the dealer GM# 26098419 or just get the little syringe full of grease if it's available separately GM# 26098420 as you won't need the little plug that comes with the kit. it must be for another GM vehicle with the same problem. The wheels must be straight ahead and the steering column locked so the steering wheel will not turn, when the shaft is disconnected. Find a screwdriver that fits in the hole on the bottom of the steering column nice and tight, then tape it in place so it won't fall out. you don't need to buy that special tool GM recommends. Do not skip this step or you will be sorry later. remove the end panel from the dash on the drivers side. remove the coin holder. remove the lower part of the dash above the drivers legs. remove the black kick panel held in by two screws. then you will remove the temperature sensor and floor lighting connector from this kick panel. store all these parts in the back seat. At this point I decided I need some liquid refreshment !! Do I really want to go any farther ? Yikes, looks complicated. more liquid refreshment. Raise the front of your baby off the garage floor and use jack stands so you will live to tell the tale. removing the drivers front wheel will make moving around under the car much easier later. Two more liquid refreshments.....burp ! scuse me. how rude. Now the hard part. those@#&* rubber boots are stiff and hard to reposition so you can get at the bolts. I used a sharp utility knife on the BLACK boot under the dash. slit the boot carefully and cleanly and you will see the bolt and nut that must be removed. Voila. you will reposition the boot later and tape it up with electrical tape. no damage done. crawl under the car and push the clear boot up from the steering box using both hands until you can see the lower universal joint and the bolt that must come off. using an 18" to 20" extension and your trusty 3/8" ratchet from the drivers wheel well ,remove this bolt. Push the bottom of the Intermediate steering shaft up so it disengages from the steering box. Go back inside the car and pull the shaft out from under the dash. That was easy was it not ? More Beer wench!!more Beer. Squirt the lube from the top into the shaft and close and extend the shaft until it is well greased. IF I ever do this job again I will use a red tacky grease instead of the quite thin lube in the syringe. A thick tacky lube may last much longer. reassembly is the reverse of above ,only you may have to cut back on the beer consumption, so as not to @#$% up. One more tip. do not try and save yourself some time by putting the lower pinch bolt in before you install the ISS on the steering box. IT WILL NOT GO ON. install the ISS on the steering box THEN install the bolt. don't ask how long it took me to figure this out !! Too much Beer maybe??. In Summary Save your self several Hundred Dollars and do this job yourself. read the other threads on this task and you will get information I have not provided here. The difference in steering feel is truly wonderful. It feels so much tighter and NO clunking. ;D
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Post by centennialman on Jul 1, 2007 10:11:58 GMT -6
Hey foxman48. Good job!! I once started to do this, had the car up, and then thought better of it. Maybe I didn't drink enough beer to start. Had the dealer do it. I'm going to get a new ISS from gmpartsdirect, which should provide a more permanent cure. Maybe I'll try the DIY route this time.
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Post by apostolakisl on Sept 21, 2007 21:16:51 GMT -6
The intermediate shaft has just had another redesign according to crown cadillac. I had the original lubed several times by the dealer (at no cost) over the last few years but got tired of doing that and decided it is time to replace. I paid just over $100 for the part and have hopefully installed a redesign of a redesign that actually doesn't need constant maintenance. The instructions above are consistent with my experience. I pulled the shaft out from underneath rather than from the inside so I guess it can come out either way. Also, don't lock the steering wheel up until after you remove the nuts and bolts because you need to turn the wheel to get easy access to them. Make sure to secure the steering wheel before sliding the ends of the intermediate shaft off of the mounts on either end. If you fail to do this and accidentally turn the wheel two things will happen. The first is that you will have to figure out where the wheel should be to point the right way, and second, you could rip the wires that go to the airbag and really screw things up. Another tip, jack both sides of the front of the car up so that you can easily turn the wheel without risking the car falling off the jack stands.
Finally, does the dealer really try to charge for 3 hours on this job? I did it in just over an hour having never done it before and having read instructions on how it is done on a bonneville. Maybe the are including the shower time afterwards to get the crap off of your arms.
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Post by aurorabrain on Sept 22, 2007 10:32:28 GMT -6
The redesign hasn't changed since 2006 according to GM's dealer website. I wouldn't let them charge 3 hours, you can do it in about 15 mins on a lift if you've done them before. Mechanics have to make a living too, i would think the labor rate would be around an hour.
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Post by aarcuda on Apr 13, 2008 11:13:25 GMT -6
I just changed out my ISS to the new redesigned one yesterday.
It was a pita. The boots are so stiff they are hard to move enough to get to the bolts. I ended up slicing the inner black boot to make it easier. I used duck tape to put it back together.
A couple of notes:
The socket for the bolt on the steering rack is an 11mm. The bolt on the steering column IS CAPTIVE. It does NOT unscrew. You need to turn the shaft to get to the NUT on the other side. It is a 13mm. I though t I was screwed when I tried to get that bolt off and found it was COMPLETELY rounded off by a previous repair. There was NO way to turn it. Luckily, I found the nut on the other side. after I took the bolt out, I found the bolt has a tang on it that prevents it from spinning and thats why it was rounded-cause someone before me tried to unscrew it.
Also, the room ubder the dask and under the car are extremely tight.
I removed my shaft from under the car but I reinstalled it from under the dash because the boots - especially the clear plastic boot going thru the firewall- doesnt cooperate when you try to slide the shaft thru it.
all in all, it was about 3 hours for me by I was huffing and puffing and cursing for a good long time.
Oh ya, and the instruction of putting a screwdriver into a hole at the bootom of the steering column messed with me. I found a hole in the plastic cover under the steering wheel BUT it didnt stop the wheel from spinning. I even took that cover off to try and figure out why but no matter what I did, the wheel would turn. There might be something wrong with my steering column lock. I just stuck a screwdriver in that hole and duct taped the wheel to it to prevent it from spinning. It did seem like a big deal if the wheel did spin anyways cause the column is key to fit a single spline on the shaft. so worst thing that could happen is that you are 180 degrees off.
Best news is that the car drives and steers like new. It is BEAUTIFUL. I cant believe how much better it feels- no more clunk. it used to feel like a cheapy litttle junkbox when you drove it and it now feels and drives like a smooth luxury car
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Post by Aurora40 on Apr 13, 2008 14:03:37 GMT -6
Oh ya, and the instruction of putting a screwdriver into a hole at the bootom of the steering column messed with me. I found a hole in the plastic cover under the steering wheel BUT it didnt stop the wheel from spinning. It didn't stop it for me either. I just used tape to wrap around the wheel and around the turn signal lever, almost like a rope. That gave me some play but prevented the wheel from rotating a full rotation.
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Post by Wacko on Apr 14, 2008 11:15:17 GMT -6
Oh ya, and the instruction of putting a screwdriver into a hole at the bootom of the steering column messed with me. I found a hole in the plastic cover under the steering wheel BUT it didnt stop the wheel from spinning. It didn't stop it for me either. I just used tape to wrap around the wheel and around the turn signal lever, almost like a rope. That gave me some play but prevented the wheel from rotating a full rotation. Was the steering wheel dead-center when you did this? Mine locked the steering wheel but good when I did it on my '01.
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Post by aarcuda on Apr 14, 2008 13:20:48 GMT -6
It didn't stop it for me either. I just used tape to wrap around the wheel and around the turn signal lever, almost like a rope. That gave me some play but prevented the wheel from rotating a full rotation. Was the steering wheel dead-center when you did this? Mine locked the steering wheel but good when I did it on my '01. I thought so. and in fact, I even wiggled the wheel back and forth and tried several different screwdrivers. I even took off the plastic cover and looked into the hole using a flashlight and saw nothing that would lock that wheel from turning- so I duct taped it!!
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Post by juliankowa on Jun 17, 2008 16:08:40 GMT -6
I have a 2003 Aurora 4.0 with the steering klunk rubbing noise. Decided to replace the iss. Problem is that I can't get the ISS out. at the footwell, not only is there a black rubber boot on top but there is also a thinner clear white rubber boot that goes thru the firewall. On top of that it there is another inner white clear boot ( very narrow at this point). Problem is no matter how hard I pull, I can't seem to pull the ISS out. I even cut the clear boot almost down to the floor but can't pull the ISS out. I'll work on it some more, but it looks kind of hopeless at this point. The workshop does not mention any inner boots and the writeup above does not either, but maybe the inner boots had already been removed and I can see that without the inner boots, taking the ISS out could be possible. Any suggestions.
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Post by juliankowa on Jun 17, 2008 16:43:40 GMT -6
I got it out after some heavy duty yanking and pulling. I guess cutting the clear rubber boots helped. I need a rest. I'm gonna have some barbie chicken and some rum to celebrate!! Tomorrow I attempt to put the new ISS in. I hope I bought the right one!
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Post by Aurora40 on Jun 17, 2008 16:53:23 GMT -6
FWIW, I pulled mine out through the wheelwell, not through the interior of the car. I installed it that way too.
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Post by aurora2001tan on Jun 18, 2008 21:30:56 GMT -6
Do what works, the dealer will tell you the WHOLE STEERING COLUME NEEDS TO COME OUT. So this is a make sure you understand the trick deal. NBS.
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Post by aarcuda on Jun 19, 2008 10:59:28 GMT -6
I removed my shaft from under the car but I reinstalled it from under the dash because the boots - especially the clear plastic boot going thru the firewall- doesnt cooperate when you try to slide the shaft thru it. This is why I pulled the shaft out from under the car in the engine compartment and installed it from inside. the inner clear boor is like a one-way valve and kind of prvents the shaft from moving up.
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Post by cadboy1 on Oct 13, 2008 20:46:06 GMT -6
Mine started doing this this week. Add another problem to the pile. I have lubed the shaft twice in my Avalanche twice in 107K so have some experience but the Aurora seems like a little more work. I still have the Syringe and might just fill it with Mobil 1 grease. Maybe I am better off replacing it? I doubt that is a permanent fix as the printout the dealer gave me shows the shaft was replaced 2 times by the original owner The plug is not needed on the Aurora shaft
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Post by Aurora40 on Oct 14, 2008 6:33:03 GMT -6
Don't lube it. Replace it with the redesigned shaft, it doesn't suffer the same problem. Replacing it with the original design won't fix anything though.
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Post by cadboy1 on Oct 14, 2008 19:12:16 GMT -6
Don't lube it. Replace it with the redesigned shaft, it doesn't suffer the same problem. Replacing it with the original design won't fix anything though. It was replaced twice by the original owner. The last time was in 06 and I think the revised shaft was out at that time. But I did order the new shaft today. I should have it tomorrow. I am not sure its a permanent fix though as they also have a revised shaft for the trucks and many on the forum claim to still have trouble down the line. But I figure since the Aurora is a little more work to remove and replace I might as well do a new one
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Post by Aurora40 on Oct 15, 2008 8:12:17 GMT -6
Just because it was replaced doesn't mean it was replaced with the right shaft. I ordered one in the '06-07 timeframe and was shipped the old shaft (which I promptly shipped back). If you have the invoice for the work, you could check what part # was used, the new shaft has a new #.
Or you can just see when you pull it out. There are pictures of the old vs new on the board here.
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Post by cadboy1 on Oct 15, 2008 17:30:15 GMT -6
Just because it was replaced doesn't mean it was replaced with the right shaft. I ordered one in the '06-07 timeframe and was shipped the old shaft (which I promptly shipped back). If you have the invoice for the work, you could check what part # was used, the new shaft has a new #. Or you can just see when you pull it out. There are pictures of the old vs new on the board here. I dont have any invoices..Just the sheet the parts guy printed out for me that shows the GM history since day one of what they did to the car. It shows ISS was changed twice. Once at 15540 miles and again at 27924. I have around 56K now. It says E7700 next to the description for both times. The first was 5/21/02 and second was 1/26/04. Does that refer to the procedure? I guess at 04 it was the old design anyway. I pick up the new shaft tomorrow
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Post by cadboy1 on Oct 16, 2008 17:00:48 GMT -6
Installed the new shaft today. Removed and replace from the interior. The only thing I would do different would be to pry the shaft loose from the rack before pulling it up and out because it was stuck and the shaft seperated and only halp came out. I was able to pry it loose with only a screw driver and pull the rest out. The new shaft also has a rag joint in it. Maybe that will also help in some of the vibration on the highway Here is a pic of both shafts.
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Post by Aurora40 on Oct 17, 2008 6:59:52 GMT -6
That should be the end of your ISS issues.
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Post by aurora2001tan on Oct 17, 2008 21:36:52 GMT -6
let us know if vibration improves or whatever please!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Post by cadboy1 on Oct 18, 2008 7:23:46 GMT -6
let us know if vibration improves or whatever please!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The dealer that I get my GM parts from is a Hummer dealer. Thats all they sell. They were dead so I asked if I could get my tires rebalanced. They did not have a Hunter road force machine but I still wanted to get rid of the stick on weights Goodyear used so I said what the heck. The vibration is now what I first remember it to be. Only slight when you move the wheel left or right for small corrections at the 65-75 range. So its not gone but much better. Looking at the old ISS shaft the top end seems to have some type of rubber isolation built in to the drum looking part so I doubt the new shaft would help that. But the poping and clunking is gone and the car feels like new again
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Post by robaurora01 on Oct 18, 2008 10:58:49 GMT -6
does anyone have a picture write up on how to do this? it seems like a somewhat easy job but id like to see the way people did it so I don't feel like im lost while trying to do it.
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Post by cadboy1 on Oct 18, 2008 16:01:50 GMT -6
does anyone have a picture write up on how to do this? it seems like a somewhat easy job but id like to see the way people did it so I don't feel like im lost while trying to do it. Its not really needed. As you start the job and see it for yourself, you will realize how easy it is. Its simply un-bolting the 2 ends and removing the shaft. Shove in the new shaft and bolt it up. The only problem I could see is if your are real hefty you may have trouble with the bending and getting on your back to reach the shaft through the wheel well and such. Other than that I give it a 2 on a 1 to 10 scale.
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Post by luvmybravada on Jul 6, 2009 0:16:21 GMT -6
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Post by Aurora40 on Jul 6, 2009 6:27:24 GMT -6
FYI, that is lubing the old-style shaft. It is a better fix to replace it with the re-designed ISS instead. I would assume that article was written prior to the shaft being redesigned (at which point replacing it was pointless as you got the same poorly designed shaft).
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Post by luvmybravada on Jul 6, 2009 12:17:49 GMT -6
Thanks for the clarification A40. I thought posting the link would help some feel better about diving into the fix. Not hard, just work.
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Post by justmatt on Oct 9, 2009 6:40:03 GMT -6
I went to order a new ISS for my '03 and have discovered that it has been re-designed...again. Part number 26068295 has been replaced by 25810450. The double D shaft design has been replaced with a splined shaft design. Hope to install it this weekend.
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Post by cadboy1 on Oct 9, 2009 20:01:47 GMT -6
Is that also for 01 and 02 ?
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Post by oldwino on Oct 9, 2009 21:47:11 GMT -6
Is that also for 01 and 02 ? It's def for an '02 and I would suspect also an '01. I contacted gmpartsdirect today to verify if it was for mine as I need to replace it. Price was about $98 plus $20 for shipping. My local stealership wants $181 for it. Told them nah!
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