98 Dodge Grand Caravan

I just bought a used 1998 Dodge Grand Caravan 107000mi, and we love how comfy it is inside... but the only thing is since we bought it we have had some trouble with a lot of things. When we first test drove the car, it worked great accept for some weak breaks which my husband has repaired,.. there were no belt noises, no smell of oil leaking, etc.. he is a DIY.

After we brought the car home, within the first week,.. we realized there was a small oil burning smell when we would get out of it. He said he saw a drip while working under the car, but has no clue as to where it is leaking from.

We have replaced the belt to a gator belt, due to belt squeeling.

Then my husband fixed the breaks. We bled them, and they seem to be working well accept they squeek a lot now only when stopping. My husband says the fluid looks black, and he showed me what it is supposed to look like. Not cool,...

I wonder how much maintenance was kept up on the vehicle, (it's oil changes, lubes, tires etc.) as we found when replacing the breaks, they still had the OEM pads, etc. The rotors were eaten alive and we have replaced those as well.

Current problems are as follows...

My service engine soon light is on, was before replacing the belt, and stays on consistantly now.

My breaks squeek more than I think they should when stopping.

*** (my biggest dillemma now) There is a slight vibration at the front of the car when stopping, or using the break, turning etc. and when at lower speeds seems to vibrate more in lower gear and lose some pick up until it reaches maybe second gear. We almost thought this was the belt still slipping, but realize now that's not it.

We are about to change the trans. fluid out with the reccommended fluid, not a power flush, but we assume maybe the guy who sold it to us, may have used the wrong fluid and replaced it before actually giving us the car? Hence the problem after the test drive.

We are also anticipating giving it a tune up, but I hear the spark plugs (rear) are hard to get at. It is not an easy job compared to my Saturn, there is more of a tight fit to get at things in this one.

The engine runs hot, although you wouldn't be able to tell by the needle on the dash. But when I pop the hood and use the stick that holds up the hood,.. I can burn myself easy, it's so hot.

It's a V6, but I was wondering if it were normal that it uses so much gas?,.. seems excessive.

I'm wishing we researched this model more before buying it.

I just left an over 10 year old Saturn that we invested a lot of work into. I'm sort of disappointed with the new used Dodge since my husband hasn't had a weekend off since we brought it home :(

Thanks for any advice, Juliet

Reply to
jmcoggins
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Juliet,

We own a 1999 Town & Country van which is pretty much identical in most aspects to your 1998 grand caravan. My comments are below.

Bob

They are BRAKES not BREAKS (unless of course they are broken).

Typical leaks are the valve covers, the main bearing seal, and the oil pan, but if it is dripping on the exhaust manifold to be burned, it is likely the valve covers leaking.

If you properly bled the brakes till you got clean clear fluid and used the correct type, then you've done all you can for now. My guess is that it was original fluid in there hence the color.

I can guarantee that at 107K miles, they most certainly were not the original rotors or front disc pads either. My 1999 T&C goes through the best ceramic front pads every 22K miles. Our van is used exclusively around town so gets worst case brake wear since there are few to no highway miles.

This most likely has nothing to do with the belt replacement assuming you did things properly. You need to have the code read to determine the reason the check engine light is on. Autozone will read it for free if you have one there close by.

Brakes squeeking is either normal break in for the new pads and rotors, or could be caused by not using the correct pads. The pads for this vehicle should be cut at an angle on the edges. It sounds like they only squeek when you stop so it does not sound like a sticking caliper or lack of grease on the slides/pins.

This could be due to a number of things, but from your explanation, I'd guess that this could be due to improper transmission fluid in the vehcile. This van requires ATF+4 or ATF+3 if that is not available. Accept no additives or other fluids. Period.

Yes, this could be the issue. Change the filter and clean out the bottom of the pan when you are in there too.

Two of the three rear plugs are difficult to access, but not impossible to get at from under the vehicle. Use the right plugs and don't worry for another 100K miles. make sure that you change the plug wires at the same time as they are long overdue. I have a Saturn SL in the family as one of our 5 vehicles. I can say that NOTHING is as easy to work on as the 4 cylinder Saturn. You will learn that is the case regardless of what ever vehicle you bought. The 4 plugs and wires took me a total of 5 minutes on my son's vehicle. The 6 plugs and wires took about 3 hours on the van.

I can't tell from your description if this is normal, but I can pull my dipstick and check oil after a long drive. I'd encourage you to thoroughly flush and refill the radiator. Also change out the thermostat as well.

Our van only gets about 14 MPG around town in summer and slightly worse in winter. We can get 26+ on the open road at 60MPH, but this decrreases with higher speeds. .

You bought a pretty good vehicle. Your research should also include the previous owner maintenance records and history since this has a lot to do with the experience you will have down the road.

Our Saturn hasd been extremely low cost to own and easy to maintain. The Dodge will cost more, but you got a lot more vehicle. The engine (assuming you have the 3.8L) is rock solid... a real workhorse. In my opinion, the transmission, air conditioning, front brakes, sway bar links, and starter solenoid are weak points, but don't detract from the overall quality.

Reply to
Bob Shuman

What the hell is wrong with people these days? "Sell" for sale, "breaks" for brakes, "your" for you're...has the country become THAT illiterate in a scant 20 years?

SQUEALING

Reply to
DeserTBoB

...the squeaking wheal gets the greese

Reply to
cavedweller

I don't appreciate being called illiterate. I may have spelled a few words wrong because I was rushing,... but more importantly "ignorance" is worse than being "illiterate" as you did not offer any valuable information to my situation!

Reply to
jmcoggins

Thanks... Bob Shuman :) Here is what the guy down the road told me,...

Has P1494 LDP failure, not to be concerned with at this time. Has a P0305 cyl #5 misfire code. Transmission doesn't shift out of first. Max is 30mph. Misfire might need a tune up on it, but might also be valve issues that dictate new cylinder heads. Has timing belt been done?

Juliet

Reply to
jmcoggins

I love ya Bob for trying to correct the world :)

snipped-for-privacy@comcast.net wrote:

Reply to
jmcoggins

I love ya Bob for trying to correct the world :)

snipped-for-privacy@comcast.net wrote:

Reply to
jmcoggins

Juliet,

Remove and replace the plugs with the correct OEM recommended (I like Champions) plug. Check the old plugs for carbon build up or oil fouling. I suspect they are original so need to be replaced. If not, then oil fouling may signify some other issues. The old plugs and wires could well be the cause of your misfire and check engine light. Make sure that you replace the plug wires at the same time. Also throw a bottle of good fuel injector cleaner into the tank too to clean the injectors. (I use Techron.)

If you have the 3.3 or 3.8L engine, then there is no timing belt and the engine uses a chain. If you have a 3.0L, then yes, it has a belt, but I did not think that engine came in the grand version. If it is a 3.3 or 3.8L, then the guy you spoke with does not know Chrysler products very well so find someone else to service the vehicle.

On the transmission not shifting correctly, drain the old fluid, clean the pan completely and change the filter if there is any chance whatsoever that someone used anything other than Chrysler approved ATF+3 or ATF+4. Try that first as it is fairly simple and cheap. If that does not improve the situation, then you'll need to have the trans scanned at a reputable service center that has experience with Chrysler electronic transmissions. It could have a sensor or solenoid problem. If changing the fluid helps some, but there are still some residual symptoms, then repeat the process or get the power flush to replace all the fluid (dropping the pan and changing gets about half since half stays in the lines, torque converter, etc.)

Good luck.

Bob

Reply to
Bob Shuman

Apparently so. Its gotten to the point that I can hardly understand some newsgroup posts these days. Its a silly text-messaging devote-half-a-brain-to-it mentality that can't take the time to be precise, and then gets all bent out of shape when you can't answer the ill-constructed and impenetrable questions.

Reply to
Steve

This goes beyond text messaging. For about 15 years or so, even before the era of "txting," I've seen the previously mentioned mistakes more and more, especially from certain areas of the country. "Sell" instead of "sale" is now very prevalent in the deep South, as is "set" for sat or even the present tense "sit" which have been around for a long, long time. However, "your" for you're is becoming almost universal, especially if the author has a high school education or less.

Another common gaffe with these people: I'mproper use of contractions, such as "Rage'n" for "raging" and others. There's actually a line of pricey motorhomes how with "Race'n" plastered all over the back. Incredible! People who spell/misuse like this should have NO comment about other such weaknesses as "ebonics." Both are equally bad.

Reply to
DeserTBoB

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