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

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

> wrote in message
ups.com...
>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

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

> 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.

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.

>
> 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,...

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 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.

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.

>
> Current problems are as follows...
>
> My service engine soon light is on, was before replacing the belt, and
> stays on consistantly now.

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.


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

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.

>
> *** (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.

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.

>
> 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.

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

>
> 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.

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.


>
> 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.

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.

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

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

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.
>
> 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

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.

>
>
> Thanks for any advice,
> Juliet
>

On Tue, 10 Oct 2006 01:09:32 GMT, "Bob Shuman"
> wrote:

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

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?

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

SQUEALING

Bob Shuman wrote:
> 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).
>


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

....the squeaking wheal gets the greese

DeserTBoB wrote:
> On Tue, 10 Oct 2006 01:09:32 GMT, "Bob Shuman"
> > wrote:
>
> >They are BRAKES not BREAKS (unless of course they are broken). <snip>
>
> 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?
>
> >> We have replaced the belt to a gator belt, due to belt squeeling. <snip>
>
> SQUEALING

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!

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

I love ya Bob for trying to correct the world


wrote:
> DeserTBoB wrote:
> > On Tue, 10 Oct 2006 01:09:32 GMT, "Bob Shuman"
> > > wrote:
> >
> > >They are BRAKES not BREAKS (unless of course they are broken). <snip>
> >
> > 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?
> >
> > >> We have replaced the belt to a gator belt, due to belt squeeling. <snip>
> >
> > SQUEALING
>
> 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!

I love ya Bob for trying to correct the world


wrote:
> DeserTBoB wrote:
> > On Tue, 10 Oct 2006 01:09:32 GMT, "Bob Shuman"
> > > wrote:
> >
> > >They are BRAKES not BREAKS (unless of course they are broken). <snip>
> >
> > 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?
> >
> > >> We have replaced the belt to a gator belt, due to belt squeeling. <snip>
> >
> > SQUEALING
>
> 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!

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

> wrote in message
ups.com...
> 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
>

>>>>They are BRAKES not BREAKS (unless of course they are broken). <snip>
>>>
>>>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?
>>>

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.