Ask the Car People.SM


Caravan/Voyager Brake Issues

110 messages,  Last post on Dec 24, 2011 at 8:33 PM

You are in the Chrysler/Plymouth Voyager, Dodge Caravan Forum.

What is this discussion about? Dodge Grand Caravan, Chrysler Voyager, Plymouth Voyager, Brakes, Van

Messages Page 7 of 11

#61 of 110 abs problems? by 727

Aug 20, 2008 (12:12 pm)

Hi, I own a -93 chrysler Grand Voyager, 3,3 with 300.000 km on the clock.
 Some time ago it began with a clicking sound from somewere out front
 whenever I touch the brakepedal. Even if it is done ever so gently!!
 The braking doesn't seem to be affected.But it is quite annoying.
 And something isn't right.
 Any suggestions?
 
 Best regards, 727

#62 of 110 Re: 97 grand caravan ABS problem [sparkyrx] by diydodge

Sep 03, 2008 (9:33 am)

Replying to: sparkyrx (Jun 23, 2008 10:21 am)
Hi sparkyrx
 
Sorry it took me so long to reply to you question.. NO I have not found a fix for my brake problem. The transmission broke big time in may and the car is now parked in the driveway. I think the junk yard is next stop.
 
I replaced the 97 caravan with a 2008 Toyota Sienna.. Hope the brakes work better on this van....
 
diydodge

#63 of 110 Re: 2006 front disc brakes [casey60] by ronbo2

Oct 30, 2008 (6:34 am)

Replying to: casey60 (Feb 24, 2007 10:24 am)
back untill 2000 or before chrysler in my opinion as i work at wap building vans has used minimum standard parts there front brakes wear out within one year the shaking is because thre rotors are now warped happens all the time from excessive heat i am doing one today that is why i am here as they changed the bolting system and the calipers my personal advise to anyone with a minivan put good new pads and rotors and save the factory ones to use while you get the old ones turned when needed i have a 2000&2006 and it happened to me within one year on both and i bought them both brand new.to anyone buying a new van nevermind the bling bling tell the sales person to throw in a set of pads and rotors your going to need them....

#64 of 110 Re: 97 grand caravan ABS problem [diydodge] by ronbo2

Oct 30, 2008 (6:37 am)

Replying to: diydodge (Sep 03, 2008 9:33 am)
your 97 just needs a sensor when it cools off it should work they are known for that as for your toyota when it breaks i hope you have a credit card

#65 of 110 Re: 2006 front disc brakes [ronbo2] by shipo

Oct 31, 2008 (12:28 pm)

Replying to: ronbo2 (Oct 30, 2008 6:34 am)
Sort of to underscore what you wrote, our 1998 DGC Sport went through five sets of pads and rotors in its first 115,000 miles. During that time I used "top-of-the-line" NAPA and MOPAR rotors and pads, and the longest any one set lasted was 30,000 miles, while the "youngest" set that failed only had 8,000 miles on it, and as you stated, the failure mode was warped rotors.
 
At the 115,000 mile mark I took the advice from a guy on another board that had switched to cross-drilled rotors and gotten good life out of them. Good thing I did. Why? Well, now with 168,000 miles on the van, the pads have about 3/8" of lining still intact and the rotors are just now starting to warp a bit causing a very minor pulsation in the brake pedal. I'll probably milk another 10,000 miles out of the and replace them with the exact same components.
 
Best regards,
Shipo

#66 of 110 Re: 2006 front disc brakes [shipo] by xwesx

Nov 04, 2008 (1:17 pm)

Replying to: shipo (Oct 31, 2008 12:28 pm)
Hmm. I guess that surprises me because we have now put a little over 20,000 miles on our 1998 DGC (191,000 on the ticker), and when checking the brake pads while changing out tires this fall, they were at ~1/2" apiece, which was not appreciably different from last fall - maybe 1/16". I would expect them to last upwards of 100,000 miles at this rate, but I do not know how new they were when I purchased the van. The rotors, while I am not sure if they are original, are smooth and true. If any vehicle I have ever owned was going to have warped rotors, I would expect this van to be it. It does not slow down by engine resistance nearly at all, which leads to additional braking, plus it is rather heavy, which leads to stronger application of the brakes. Granted, I am fairly easy on the brakes, but my wife is not.
 
Maybe it has more to do with the frequency of repeated braking, rather than individual applications.

#67 of 110 Re: 2008 front disc brakes [xwesx] by driver59

Nov 16, 2008 (7:43 pm)

Replying to: xwesx (Nov 04, 2008 1:17 pm)
I had my tires rotated recently ~12000 miles. I now notice a sever wearing of the discs. When I questioned the service tech they told me the usual wear on brakes in the western PA area is any where fro 11000-17000. This does not sound right to me as I am not hard on brakes and previously gotten over 30000. Is it possible that the lug nuts are over-tightened? One other car I had required a 105 torque. Anything above that caused excessive wear on the brakes. Does this apply to the Caravan os well?

#68 of 110 Re: 2008 front disc brakes [driver59] by xwesx

Nov 17, 2008 (5:12 pm)

Replying to: driver59 (Nov 16, 2008 7:43 pm)
A severe wearing of the discs themselves, rather than pads? Yeah, it is certainly possible that the nuts are overtightened. That is an often-sited contributor to warped rotors. As a general rule, I recommend that you always check the torque on the nuts either at the shop or as soon as you get home. I check them at the shop most of the time, unless I am in a hurry and just do not think about it. I find that the shops typically overtighten them, which makes it nearly impossible to bust the darn things loose with the lug wrench. Once, though, a shop forgot to tighten them (hand tight only), and I nearly lost one wheel 12 miles from the shop. I applied the brakes and felt a very disconcerting wobble, so I stopped and two of five nuts had almost completely backed off two tires, with the other three following behind. That was scary - I called the shop on that one and politely asked them to make SURE they double check the nuts.... It really would have paid for me to remember to check them at the shop that time!
 
I always tighten mine with the lug wrench, by hand, by feel. I'm fairly consistent, and would estimate them to be at 90-95 ft lbs. A torque wrench would remove the estimation factor, if you choose to invest in one. I have never had a problem with discs on any vehicle I have owned, and never have I replaced a set of discs on any vehicle. My Subaru Outback went 220,000 on the original discs and I replaced the front pads at 144,000 miles, rears at 192,000. So, I dunno about 11-17,000, but that seems nuts to me for pads, let alone discs! I would think discs should last at least 50,000 miles, absent any extenuating circumstances. Again, it is likely to be highly dependent upon conditions, though.
 
You know your service history - if something suddenly seems awry to you, it probably is.

#69 of 110 Re: 91 Grand Voyager [leemc1] by dno36

Nov 30, 2008 (2:43 am)

Replying to: leemc1 (Apr 13, 2008 4:39 pm)
You should have bled the line at the cylinder of the line (just hold your finger over the end of the line whilst a buddy pedals it) when you replaced the rear cylinder, .
This would eliminate the possibility of a blockage inside the cylinder.
If there is junk in the line(unlikely), it will probably pass through this way.
 
I would try this to see if the pedal responds better.
If it does, try a new cylinder.
 
This would eliminate the problem at the cylinder if nothing changes.
You would them move up the line towards the master cylinder looking for possible kinks or smash points.
 
Cheers
 
Dean

#70 of 110 Replacing front Pads 96 Caravan by rbleizeffer

Dec 05, 2008 (6:13 pm)

My 96 Caravan goes through front pads on the left front wheel every 10,000 miles or so. Two mechanics haven't found the problem. So, I need to replace the pads and want to save some money and do it myself. Last time I did it I had a problem getting the caliper pried apart to put the new pads in. Any tips? Do I have to remove the brake line? Then I have to bleed the brakes.

Messages Page 7 of 11

To POST a message, please Sign In.

Advertisement

Browse by Category

Browse by Vehicle
   View All Vehicles

Browse by Board
Browse by Topic
View All Topics

Edmunds Community

Advertisement