Cadillac CTS-V - Front Diff bolt wont line up with cs dif block?

Has anyone experienced issues when trying to line up the bolt in the new diff bushing after they have installed the diff block from CS? It almost seems as if the top left corner of the diff (where the bushing is inserter into) slightly hits the diff block when it is placed in there just enough where I cant push the diff up anymore to get the bolt to slide in. Just seeing if anyone has experienced this.

It's a tight squeeze... intended to reduce movement

throw a jack under it and try to lift it a little

throw a jack under it and try to lift it a little

I'm in the exact same place today. Been trying the trick with the jack since yesterday. It won't compress into alignment.

I had this same issue the first time I had the diff out to replace the bushing. Ended up not using it cause I thought it was the reason nothing was lining up. I can tell you that is not your problem. You more than likely do not have the diff itself level & straight. I finally had to remove the jack & just man-handle the diff up in there while a buddy put the bolt in. It still took a little persuasion. Tip: Make absolute sure that block is in there as tight as possible. I put a piece of wood against it and hit it with a hammer a few times.

Tip: Make absolute sure that block is in there as tight as possible. I put a piece of wood against it and hit it with a hammer a few times.

Hard to do that without disconnecting the differential.

Yes the block seems like it is really in there I have been using the jack but it hasn't helped maybe I will lift it be hand and see if someone else can slam that bolt in there. I have pushed on the block real hard i'm taking a break and gonna attack it again later ton

Update: got it. My solution was to jam a pair of hockey pucks between the bottom of the car and the top of the subframe near the differential (you'll have to lower the subframe to wedge them in there).

This improvised solution solved the problem of having not enough room to thread the bolt back into the differential bushing. Last night, with the differential jammed up against the bottom of the car (pressure applied by a hydraulic jack to the very front of the housing), the angle on the hole was such that the washer on that long bolt interfered with the heatshield above the driveshaft. With the hockey pucks in place, the angle was improved and I could thread the bolt successfully.

By the way, the amount of pressure required to compress the differential block was immense. Almost lifted the back end of the car off the jacks!

Hard to do that without disconnecting the differential.

Not really. I did it by supporting the diff with a jack and taking all three bolts out of it. Didn't disconnect anything else. I believe I may have used a long 1/2" extension instead of a block of wood.

Not really. I did it by supporting the diff with a jack and taking all three bolts out of it. Didn't disconnect anything else. I believe I may have used a long 1/2" extension instead of a block of wood.

That makes more sense. I would've been worried about the 1/2" extension either punching a hole in the rubber block, flying out of there, given the amount of pressure it requires.

Believe me, no extension is going to punch any holes in that block. It's not rubber. Urathane.

I tried this again tonight it isnt a problem of me not getting the bolt not threading i just cant get the dif bushing lined up with the subframe to get the bolt in. The block is in and it is pushed as hard up as I can get it.even wit the jack pushing up on dif and pushing the dif block still isnt moving and I know the diff is pushing on the block hard. No matter how hard i push the diff up with my hands muscle it up or with my tranny jack the thing just wont center properly. I do not see how there is any way to get this thing back in. Any other suggestions guys?

Do the two rear bolts first. Then use the jack to absolutely crush the differential upwards.

Man I'm telling you it's not lined up straight. I fought mine for almost 12 hrs. Then all of a sudden it just fell into place. Make sure it is not only level going in but also straight front to back (if that makes any sense lol).

haha ok I will try that in the AM ssmokd i may also try that fuzzy at this point after 5 hours of just trying to get it back in im completely frustrated and tired and willing to try anything!

Man I'm telling you it's not lined up straight. I fought mine for almost 12 hrs. Then all of a sudden it just fell into place. Make sure it is not only level going in but also straight front to back (if that makes any sense lol).

Same here. The first time I tried the hockey puck trick and jacked up the differential, I lined up the holes and tried to insert the bolt. Nothing. Took a break, came back, and it popped right in.

Impressions are: no more clunk. That's the only change. Glad not to have to worry about embarrassing myself with passengers in the car. I was hoping for a little less latency in terms of throttle response, but in the 5 miles I drove tonight, couldn't identify anything. Maybe I would've if this car were making more power, or if the existing bushing was a little older.

damn guys its a pain but come on... honestly its a two person job. me and my buddy had to work together on it. we pulled the diff on mine to do the bushing etc. after replacing the bushing we began to rebolt up the diff. the rear two bolts need to be a few threads tightened so it can hold the weight of the diff. we put dielectric grease on the diff block and cleaned the area where the block goes up so it could be slid in with ease. i will say since the block is a solid piece that they arent all exactly the same when molded. we pushed the diff block in, and yes its very tight as it takes up that voided area to help reduce diff movement. its a very long bolt that bolts in. have one person shove up on the diff. have the other person tap at the bolt with a hammer. after getting the bolt through the diff, we took the 21mm socket wrench and gently turned to the bolt till the threads caught the other side. it took about 6 or 7 minutes. the whole procedure we took pics etc and will post a right up on this. whole process took about 1 and 45 mins from start to finish, with hand tools in a garage. have not restabed the tranny at this point as im installing the a ram heavy duty slave in to a V. and working on a different bracket for the shifter. installed bmr bushings, kars anti wheel hop kit, diff bushing and block. cant wait to see how it does. the new bushings for the diff... and that diff DOES NOT MOVE. old bushing fell out upon turning the diff on its end, removed the sleeve and knocked in the new bushing using map gas on the housing and tapped in the new one with a socket and hammer. good luck guys

4door you must be the man lol I seriously dont understand how it was so easy for some of you it does not seem to matter how I do it the hold will not line up exactly and I have no way to get a hammer or anything else up there to knock this bolt in. The bolt is literally an inch and a half longer than it needs to be. Next I am going to use some lithium grease in the hole and on the bolt see if I can slip it in there it seriously should not be this hard. I have tried putting the jack straight in the middle a little to the left to the right front back nothing seems to work the whole is off by less than a couple centimiters. The left edge of the bushing just sticks out into the hole slightly.

This is how close I am to getting the front bolt in

http://img6.imageshack.us/img6/4231/20120527161550417.jpg

dang dude, you should be able to put that bolt in there and just pry on it a little and get that to go. I know its a PIA but you are super close.

4door you must be the man lol I seriously dont understand how it was so easy for some of you it does not seem to matter how I do it the hold will not line up exactly and I have no way to get a hammer or anything else up there to knock this bolt in. The bolt is literally an inch and a half longer than it needs to be. Next I am going to use some lithium grease in the hole and on the bolt see if I can slip it in there it seriously should not be this hard. I have tried putting the jack straight in the middle a little to the left to the right front back nothing seems to work the whole is off by less than a couple centimiters. The left edge of the bushing just sticks out into the hole slightly.

definately not... had a good friend helping... i couldnt do it alone to be honest i had to shove the shit out of it to make it. again i stand by not all those blocks will be exactly the same... mine may have been a hair smaller not sure. but it took both of us to do it. is the block in correctly? it seems like a dumb question but either way... i we tried the jack too and it wasnt as helpful as me pushing up on it. jack made it too akward to hit it with a hammer. but once its its in... there is no movement in the diff... still waiting on Veee8 to send me a shifter... getting very impatient

yea im thinking im gonna put a smaller bolt in the back hole to try and line it up so I can slide the bolt in the front. The block is in there seriously snug im giving it another go tomorrow hopefully and will keep you guys posted.

definately not... had a good friend helping... i couldnt do it alone to be honest i had to shove the shit out of it to make it. again i stand by not all those blocks will be exactly the same... mine may have been a hair smaller not sure. but it took both of us to do it. is the block in correctly? it seems like a dumb question but either way... i we tried the jack too and it wasnt as helpful as me pushing up on it. jack made it too akward to hit it with a hammer. but once its its in... there is no movement in the diff... still waiting on Veee8 to send me a shifter... getting very impatient

Hahaha good luck. If the USPS is involved you're probably fucked.

You should buy a modified stock shifter from 07cts-v, or get ab&m if you can find one.

yea im thinking im gonna put a smaller bolt in the back hole to try and line it up so I can slide the bolt in the front. The block is in there seriously snug im giving it another go tomorrow hopefully and will keep you guys posted.

Again, I don't know if this helps, but you need to support the differential in the center with the jack, then tighten down the rear bolts. That'll help you with alignment--more than you realize, because when you apply the beforementioned ridiculous amount of pressure with the jack (nearly lifting the back end of the car off the ground in the process), the front bushing will align with the hole almost perfectly.

I just did this last weekend by myself (it is a one man job after all) and can't understand what the problem is. Scale of 1-10 this is a 2. I will say that if you can't figure the diff block out don't install it. It's a waste of money anyway. Once you install the CS bushing (which is a quality piece and a great product) how can the diff move anyway? It can't and won't. The bushing is so dense it's almost solid and the diff block won't add anything IMO. If you are still having problems getting the bolt in withiout the block in place, have the car towed to a shop (any shop) and let someone else finish it for you.
And stick to oil changes.

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I am assuming you have the block installed in the right place. It goes in the hole directly above the bushing. This is a no-brainer but in this case you never know.
One more thing for those who have not done this yet, i was in a rush and could not wait for the install tool (upcoming cadillac challenge event) and had no problem at all installing the bushing without the tool. Left it in the freezer for a few days and it slipped in the hole with just a few light taps with a dead blow. Very easy.

This was not a lack of skill or experience issue it was a lack of it just not lining up as it should. It is in and I agree it should be a quick 2 hour max one man job to get it in and sitting properly after speaking with Maxx on the phone he has yet to encounter an issue such as mine after we talked about it I tried some different stuff and got it in. I do not need to go into detail as to my frustration with the situation but Maxx and everyone on here was very helpful.

Thanks guys

This was not a lack of skill or experience issue it was a lack of it just not lining up as it should. It is in and I agree it should be a quick 2 hour max one man job to get it in and sitting properly after speaking with Maxx on the phone he has yet to encounter an issue such as mine after we talked about it I tried some different stuff and got it in. I do not need to go into detail as to my frustration with the situation but Maxx and everyone on here was very helpful.

Thanks guys

could use a screw driver to help align the bolt... as far as one man two man jobs, and the hours it takes, who cares if as long as you are successful and it does everything you want it to... if it takes longer it takes longer. once you get it in you ill be very satisfied...

could use a screw driver to help align the bolt... as far as one man two man jobs, and the hours it takes, who cares if as long as you are successful and it does everything you want it to... if it takes longer it takes longer. once you get it in you ill be very satisfied...

I think he already said he got it lol. Glad you got everything back together, man!

Thanks guys yea I got it in have yet to drive it as I am waiting on my rear wheel spacers to come in

Again, I don't know if this helps, but you need to support the differential in the center with the jack, then tighten down the rear bolts. That'll help you with alignment--more than you realize, because when you apply the beforementioned ridiculous amount of pressure with the jack (nearly lifting the back end of the car off the ground in the process), the front bushing will align with the hole almost perfectly.

I know I'm bumping an old thread, but I did exactly this and I was able to get the bolt in.

I shaved mine down a little. Works great. I put the bushing in first, and clearly the block is doing the work since it was much better with the block.