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From various WEB searchs on 1998 Voyagers (wasn't that a model year change, or at least in 97?), there were way more complaints of brake problems on the SWB model without ABS and 14 inch tires than there were reports of no problems, and way less problems noted on the LWB models with tires bigger than 14 inches, with ABS.
Interested in hearing from other owners of 1998 Generation SWB Caravans/Voyagers with 14 inch tires and no ABS, of your experience with replacing front brake parts.
Seems earlier models (aka different generations) and those with ABS, don't seem to have short pad/rotor and/or caliper life...I wouldn't be surprised if Chrysler, in looking to cut costs, started using cheaper, thinner parts, or changed
vendors due to said vendor giving them a better price (due to cheaper parts), started noting the reported problems, and corrected it in the next generation of vans
So, lets compare apples to apples or SWB 1998 era generation vans with 14 inch tires and no ABS...do you owners have short pad/rotor and/or caliper life, needed part replacements every 15-20k miles?
Thanks...
I do not know if any running changes were made to brakes during the 1996-2000 generation.
My 96 Caravan is a short wheel base version, but with ABS and also had larger (16") wheels-it is the SE Sport version.
Any experts out there know if pads and rotors were different between ABS and non ABS brakes and were brakes for versions with larger wheels also larger or of different design?
If so, some of these factors could account for wide variations in brake life.
Well ok then... that's a little more specific than "Chrysler brakes."
"Major components" means engine, transaxle, electrical, brakes, steering, suspension, exhaust, A/C, cooling system. Many mechanics will examine all major components of a used car for a propsective buyer for a reasonable fee--call around in your neighborhood.
As for mileage (assuming you mean mpg here), I get around 15-18 in short-distance city driving and 24-25 on freeway cruising. EPA rating is 17/24, so that's in the ballpark. My mpg goes down a bit, maybe 10%, on all my cars in the winter (Twin Cities--at least as cold as NY) due to longer warmup times and the winter formula gas they sell here, which does not have the same energy content as normal unleaded. Interestingly, my '99 GCS with the 3.8 V6 gets as good a mpg than the 4-banger in my '91 Caravan did.
Front pads on average last about 32-37K miles. We pull pop up camper 2-3 times a year. Rotors were never turned, I just replaced them at 103K. For rotors and pads, I only use Bendix. The pads are $35, and the rotors are $110 a pair @ Western Auto. Changing the brake pads and front rotors in Chrysler vans got to be one of the easiest brake jobs around. Had a garage do the rear drums since I don't know much about drum brakes with all those springs going all over the place. I had him put my store bought Bendix drums on.
Most belt chirping is from (just about to go out) belt tensioner. If your belt all of a sudden is chewed up, or jumps the pullies. Belt tentioner could be the most probable cause. We are on our second one. One of the guys here said he went under the van, removed the undebody cover to replace the belt. This is not necessary. You can replace the belt from above. As soon as I changed my chewed up/separated belt, something was not right. the belt did not seem seating correctly over belt tensioner pulley. I took it to the garage that did the tensioner, and he said it needs another tensioner.
Changing the fuel filter is very easy. Make sure battery is disconnected and engine/exhaust are cool. Wrap a rag around the fuel supply connection at fuel filter and pinch plastic quick connect locking tab, and pull the fuel line out. New filter assembly comes with new fuel line retainer locking tab. I just replaced the fuel filter and plugs at 102K. There was no way for me to reach the rear plugs, so had a mechanic with floor hoist raise the van and reach the plugs with van above him. I do not believe it can be done at home with floor jack. The fuel line pressure is about 40PSI, it is not like fuel is going to spray all over the place.
Dodge Caravans have their nagging problems, but our problems have not been as frustrating as some posted here. The van has an excellent highway manners. It is quite, smooth, and has a decent gas mileage. Its functional and comfotable interior layout is better than any van out there. including Honda Oddessy. I like Hondas. But when it comes to minivans, I will go with Chrysler again.
Would really appreciate if I can get some feedbackon the post #1348. I bought this van ten days ago and am wondering whether I made the right decision ???
Your pointers would be really helpful.
Thanks ...
I just paid $1800 to replace a head assy, rocker shaft, plugs, wires, head set etc.
The head rocker arm shaft boss broke off and caused damage. Now I'm not very knowledgeable regarding repairs to engines but the piece that broke was cast metal and a non moving part. The mechanic said he'd never seen it in a passenger car..only in a race car. My van was never in an accident.. not even a fender bumper.
I was wondering if there was anyway to approach the dealer or Dodge to get reimbursed or what seems like a engine defect? Thanks!
of course with your deal, you can afford to buy one yourself with your savings (I personally wouldn't, but you could...).
Steve
Host
SUVs, Vans and Aftermarket & Accessories Message Boards
Touch-up paint on exterior
new floormats
tune up or something else (only gets 14 mpg in city)
I don't get where people come from. Why is it such a crime to enjoy a minivan?
About a month ago, we noticed that, on a couple of occasions, the van would "shudder" or shake when we put it into reverse. There was also an accompanying burning "automotive fluid" smell on some of those occasions. We thought maybe oil was involved. Only seemed to happen in reverse. Thought it was therefore transmission-related.
About a week later, we noticed that it was shuddering while in forward. Again, just sporadically. Sometimes while engaging from P to Drive, sometimes while driving down the road. Burning smell not as evident, probably because we were not backing up into the exhaust.
Problem became more evident, more frequent.
Took it to a transmission shop. Hooked their scanner to it. Couldn't find anything, and the problem didn't occur in the time they test-drove. Occurred that night, while reversing, and "Service Engine Soon" indicator went on. Went to different independent auto repair place than usual, since regular independent neighbourhood friendly guy was on holidays. Their scanner indicated problem with fuel injector #3. They were too busy to pull engine apart, so replaced air filter and added a fuel conditioner to see if that "cleaned things out" until regular guy re-opened shop.
Thought van was going to die. Shuddered, coughed, sputtered, misfired, lost power and speed quite frequently last weekend. Lots of smoky exhaust, and "burning automotive fluid" smell. Didn't know if I'd make it home Saturday night. Started checking paper for van ads.
Regular repair shop a little reluctant to hop into engine and replace fuel injector components. Guys are quite trustworthy. Dealt with them for over 15 years, like them very much. They are going on the theory that, if a fuel injector doesn't work properly, it just dies, and does't keep alternating between working and not working.
Thus, they are going through a process of elimination currently. First, they changed the spark plugs. Said that they were quite worn, quite burnt. Also replaced fuel filter. Van idled nicely for them in shop thereafter. Almost died on way home that night, so that didn't solve the problem. They felt that bad gas may have been obtained, or that the gas tank may have something in it. Removed tank, but found to be quite clean. To them, the smell of the smoke, now quite prominant around their shop, had them question whether or not coolant was leaking into the engine. Coolant level was also quite low. Replaced head gasket, which had no major evidence of cracks or leaks. Added sealant to coolant. Still having loss of power, and misfires, and burning smell. Drove much better on the highway, but rough around the city. Rough shuddering when in reverse, each time, every time.
Getting fed up, and scared of potential size of repair bill. Don't want to deal van and replace it when it is having problems, but also don't want to live with a van with more problems.
Anybody out there have any ideas, or any similar problems with their van?
I trust my mechanics - real good people. But since we're so used to having any problems fixed in less than 24 hours, it is really bothering us that we are still dealing with this problem after 3 weeks. And the Jetta is not suitable for shuttling around my wife and 4 young daughters.
Any assistance would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you.
I called several local Chrysler and Dodge dealers/service centers. They had no suggestions and refused to modify my seats to resolve the issue. They said that no 1995 models have headrests on the bench seats. I called several junkyards and they confirmed this report.
My current idea to resolve this issue is to replace only the seat back with a later model seat back that has a headrest. I will get the late model seat back from a used parts dealer. I measured the width of the seat at the connection point, it is the same - 44.5". The two seats are connected in the same manner. The seat has a pivot bolt and a guide bolt that slides through and 1/4 arc. The two bolts are the same distance apart, 2-3/8". The width of the arc is the same, about 1/2". One difference is the size of the bolts. The bolts on the later model seats are larger. But, the guide bolt appears to still fit on the guide channel as the guides channels are the same size. However, I will need to make the hole for the pivot bolt larger.
Does anyone have experience with this type of change? Any suggestions? Any concerns?
I would like to confirm this change is safe. Who can verify this for me?
FYI, the later model seats (1996-2002) do not attach to the van floor in the same manner as the 1995 van.
I think it unlikely that anyone has ever crash-tested this configuration, or if they have, that there is any public information on it. The fact that your dealer was unwilling to help you should give you some clue--they don't want to be liable if there is a problem.
Given your concern about protecting your children from whiplash injury, your best bet might be to trade up to a van with factory headrests. I did that a few years back, went from a '91 Caravan to a '99 GCS, although I must admit that whiplash protection was not at the top of my list of reasons. But all but one of my kids had outgrown their booster seats by then, so in hindsight it's a good thing I did dump the old van.
Does anyone know what the problem is? Is there a separate fuse or relay for each of the power locks?
We just purchased our first minivan 2 months ago, its a 2002 Dodge Grand Caraven SE. It has been pulling to the right since we drove it off the lot. They had it in the shop for 3 days about a week after we got it for that and acouple other minor adjustments (all the other things were due to the fact they never prepped the vehicle). They blamed the pulling to it not having any air in the tires since it wasn't prepped. It was still pulling so they had it in acouple weeks ago again and did an alignment and did find the alignment was off alittle. Well that really did not help at all its as bad as ever. The mechanic wrote on his paper work that it was still doing it but "acceptable". He said they all do it and its because of where the transmission is and something like that. So does anyone have a 2002 Grand Caravan that pulls to the right? This happens on any road at any speed. I'm worried the tires are going to start wearing unevenly. Any ideas or suggestions would be appreciated!
Jodi
Anyone else with a similar problem and were you able to get it fixed?
Currently I have 3 concerns and wondering if anyone can help me:
1) In the last month I noticed some small drops of transmission fluid on our garage floor (van is only vehicle parked there). There's maybe 2-3 drops/day. When local garage changed our oil & checked fluids they mentioned they had to add about 1/2 quart (?) to transmission fluid but said that's "nothing" and to not worry about it. But I am. We had the transmission serviced by local Dodge dealer about a year ago and everything appeared fine then. Before I get down there to see where the leak is coming from does anyone have any ideas? Is there any acceptable "gunk" I can put in that fluid reservoir to plug up the leak for the next two years!?!?
2) Our local garage also told me we need to replace the front sway bar links. The van makes some odd clunky noises when hitting bumps and the said that's the problem. They said it would be about $150-$180 to replace both. A) Does that cost sound reasonable (we're in Southeast MI) and
3) I think our serpentine belt needs to be replaced. It hasn't been replaced...ever I think. I noticed that the last time I had my Ford Taurus in for a quickie oil change the guys there changed it in about 5 minutes. Is THIS something I can do on my own? Any recommended sites that would explain how to do it?
Thanks,
Rob
Be aware that there is a bolt or nut that might spin unless you use a torx bit in the opposite side. You'll see it on the new parts, which might run $80 for both -- double check.
--rolfe.
2. Belt replacement It can be done from the top of the engine. You will need a long thin open end wrench and a pipe or some other leverage item to release the tension from the belt tensioner, Move the belt to the inside of the tensioner, toward the right when the tension is removed. A coat hanger will help you reposition the new belt over all the pulleys, the diagram is on the radiator brace. dont forget to start the new belt on the inside of the tensioner. Apply the leverage and slip the belt on the tensioner pulley. Did both on my 96 ES
We've a '95 dodge mini van, about 95K miles now, which had major trany work in '98. Earlier this year it had engine head worked. Recently the trany has this problem:
The van couldn't move back while on its reverse gear from time to time. Sometimes, it would take a second or 2 before the reverse gear is engaged.
What specific things is wrong with it? Any thing we can do (like adjusting with simple tools or ... )?
Thx.
PS Enough trany fluid is observed
iamcooking@friend.ly.net
and THANKS!
Ex-American-Made-Car support
Seems to me that the noise is coming from the throttle. Sounds like some parts would not be properly fixed ("rattling").
Any thoughts appreciated.
1) leaky transmission fluid. The leak sometime comes from around the pan silicone gasket, and then stops. We have the same problem with our 97 3.3L GC LE that has 109K miles. Sometimes a few drops, then it is dry for months. When I take the van to coin carwash, sometimes I take a can of engine degreaser and spray some around the leak area, and rinse it. The reason for that is, I want to know where it is coming from, then I don't see anything for months. One time the leak was persistant, and the Dodge dealer said it was the($370)selenoid pack.
2) Serpentine belt is replaced from top. You don't have to get under the van or take any parts off, except a nylon vapor hose that crosses engine to right fender area. We our on our third belt since the second belt was chewed up by bad belt tensioner.
We have had our share of nagging problems, but no transmission or electrical problems. In fact, we really like our van. One time, I drove it about 430 miles in 6 hours without stopping.
Chrysler can easily outdo Honda Oddessey, if it concentrates on its reliability. I have driven Oddessy for 20-30 miles, and have a hard time saying it drives or feels better than Our 5 years old Dodge van.
I did not have to detach any hoses on my '96 with the 3.3 engine when replacing the serpentine belt.
The Tire Pressure Monitor System is giving a message saying "Service Tire System soon". I called two different dealerships, and they say they don't know much about the TPM system, and said to bring it in. I have had it in 3 times now, and they have ordered the "wrong" part 2 times now (waiting now for more parts). I have been trying to read about this system, but can't find much about it. I also wonder what happens when I rotate tires. Will the system know where I moved which tire? What about the spare? I also think the digital thermometer is very inaccurate. It is always 10-15 degrees hotter then any of the regular bank signs that I see.
Any thoughts on these two problems???
thanks
Knoxville, TN
I would assume that the Caravan uses the indirect kind and if so, I would have to wonder what kind of parts they are ordering since what the system uses is part of the ABS system that undergoes a self check when the car is started.
$100.00 dedutable even though I have 69k and the warranty had expired.
Anyone have any knowledge/history on this one?
Thanks