96 GRAND CARAVAN: ABS QUESTION

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- William Falconer
  
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posted
20 years ago

Tue, Aug 12, 2003 9:58 AM

In the last week or so I have noticed that the front brakes get pretty hot while driving in town but not so bad on the highway. When I stop and then go to start off again it feels as though the front brakes are not releasing immediately when I remove my foot from the brake peddle. I am wondering if the ABS brake module may have something to do with this. I thought I had a bad calliper on the front and replaced it but that didn't resolve the problem. Has anyone had trouble with their ABS that sounds something like this problem?

Regards Bill

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- David Allen
  
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posted
20 years ago

Tue, Aug 12, 2003 3:15 PM

Overheating brakes is a chronic problem with these vans. I've never heard of the ABS system being the culprit. The brakes are underdesigned for the size/weight of this van. It's made worse if you drive a lot of stop and go, drive in hilly areas, the rear brakes aren't adjusted properly and/or one's driving habits are hard on brakes, e.g., fast, last second stops. Also, the piston on the calipers is made of a composite non-metal material. This is not a good thing. When they overheat, they tend to stick.

I'm helping a friend ('99 G. Caravan) this weekend who's brakes overheated so much they caused the bearings to fail. We're replacing the hub/bearing assemblies, the rotors, the pads, the calipers (probably do a rebuild if we can find metal pistons).

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- William Falconer
  
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posted
20 years ago

Wed, Aug 13, 2003 12:38 AM

Thanks for the input Len. I was asking around today and got the same response from another person so I'm hoping that is it. I was told that one way to test to see if the line is collapsed is to open the bleed c*ck on the calliper and then take the top off the brake fluid reservoir. Fluid should seep out the bleed nut on the calliper, if not she's plugged. I'll give this a try and let you know the outcome.

Regards Bill