So here is the short story. I am new to the Dodge forums. Here is why I am posting. This weekend I picked (towed) home a free 2000 Grand Caravan SE with 143,000 miles on it and bad brakes. It had sat for 6 months. So what I am really looking for is any advise on red flags to look for as I try to get it road worthy again.

Here is the long story:
It was from an extended family member, it was free, they bought it new, drove it until last fall when it started making grinding noises under braking, they took it to the dealer (as always) who told them it needed $1200 worth of brake work. They decided that they had had enough of the old van and wanted something newer, so they bought a new one, parked this one in the yard and were going to donate it. When the donation people blew them off, I got word of it and snatched it up. Especially since I am doing the new house new baby hemorrhaging cash thing, it seemed like a good idea since I really cant pick up a car payment right now, and car seats and Ford Focus' barely get along. It started right up, and drove onto the Uhauler, even not being started for 6 months, I did not have to jump it.

Replacing the brakes is no big deal, If the dealer says $1200 I should be able to do them for 1/3 of that. I will do an oil change, its whining like it needs power steering fluid, the ATF looks bright red and does not smell or taste burnt, so thats always a good sign. It sounds like I have a vacuum leak behind the heater control and it does not change settings. Its a bit rusty in spots. My goal is to try to get a year or two out of it. Any kisses of death I gotta worry about?

Hopefully I can get my plates this week and start shaking this rig down.

Thanks
Richard G.
Fixer of things that break &
Hillbilly rocket surgeon.

 

This "dealership only" mentality gets very expensive for some. It's crazy. It's as if dealerships have a monopoly on good mechanics. As we all know, that's a lot o hooey. All the previous owner had to do was take it to a trusted mechanic and get it done for far less as you are. Did I mention it's crazy? Anyway, you got a great deal out of it.

Rusting strut towers is a biggy. Take a close look at the frame area where the front struts attach at the top. They often rust out before anything else. There are kits on the market to repair it. Another problem I'm seeing more posts about is the rear heater tubing rusting out either behind the engine or running down the passenger side of the van to the rear. Some replace it with the same metal tubing and others use rubber hoses.

Unless you can confirm when the last tranny fluid change was I would change it and the filter in spite of it's appearance. Appearance and smell are no longer an indicator with synthetic fluid (ATF+4). Plus this will give you a chance to catch any sign of an impending detonation early. Debrie in the pan is a big red flag. Your PS whine could be low fluid or the screen in the reservoir is clogged. Works best just to change the reservoir. They aren't that expensive.

 

I have a stack of recipts from the dealer that I have not even had a chance to look through yet. I will keep an eye out for anything tranmission related. And I am going to check the strut towers when I get home.
Thanks
Richard

 

the trans fluid doesnt taste burnt? lol you didnt seriously tatse it did you?

hows it for rust on the top of the strut towers?

 

If the fluid level is full, then you may have the same problem I did and you need to flush the old fluid out and change the reservior - my engine is the 3.8L (3.3L is basically the same setup). The reservoir and 3 quarts of ATF-4 is about $55. I just updated the post where I did this back a few months ago, and now almost 35K miles later, it still does not have any issues.

All the vent controls are vacuum based and if you find and fix the leak, it will correct this issue. Get a good vacuum checker.



The only kiss of death I have seen so far on lots of Dodge Caravans is the tranny suddenly going into "limp mode" and requiring a $3200 replacement. Limp mode is when the tranny stays in second gear ALL the time. It will make leaving stop signs/red lights a chore, take forever to get to 40mph, and never shift into a higher (or lower) gear. It is designed to get you to a repair shop and not leave you on the side of the road. Nice, but if this happens to you, ditch it.

 

Here's the thread BG is talking about. Several contributors post about whinning and changing the reservoir. https://dodgeforum.com/forum/dodge-c...ing-noise.html

Hey BG. HVAC controls have been all electronic via a HVAC control module in the control panel since at least 96. No vacuum.

 

Got my plates today, even got the right form so I could dodge MA sales tax as it was a gift. I just got back from the first spin around the block. The front brakes are definitely without a doubt completely and totally trashed. Not sure about the rears yet. I have a cracked pcv breather hose, no big deal, the strut towers are solid. The HVAC controls started working after it warmed up. It feels like the A/c works. I think have a power steering leak, which I will have to track down. I think the drivers door light switch is flakey. And its way way to easy to accidentally turn the key past lock to ACC and run the battery down. Not to mention you can pull the key out whenever you want. But it shifts well and runs amazingly well for having 7 month old gas in it. Overall I am optimistic about it. Though I am going to have to dig though the attic and see if i can find some old tapes. Its been a very long time since I have had a rig with a tapedeck. 80's metal here we come.

 

Well, when they said the brakes were bad they weren't kidding. The rear drums seem fine so far and the E-brake works. Total carnage on the front was pads, rotors, and the passenger side caliper. Also note the 40,000 mile air filter in the background, that is what it looked like after I shook it out. I also found a plastic shopping bag had been sucked into the airbox and was covering half the filter. No wonder it felt like the rig had no get up and go. Looks like tierods have been done, I have one balljoint that is solid but the boot is torn, I greased the bejesus out of it and will get to it later.

Cheers
Richard G