2008 Dodge grand caravan, must have spent over $2500 on brake issues in last 2 years, including new , pads, rortors, calipers all round less than 10,000 kms ago.

So it starts again, i got the parking brake warning light on (which it isnt) and constant grating noise (when brakes not applied) from drivers rear wheel. I never use the parking brake, but a friend of mine did apply it around a week ago, just before noises started. Attempted to get the wheel off last night for a quick look and even after knocking seven bells out of the wheel I could not get it off....

No additional noise when brakes applied but just wondering what it might be? I am taking it into the shop tomorrow for oil change and brake inspection but I like to have an idea before I leave it with the garage, just so I can give them some indication of where to start and so they dont bend me over a barrel (again...)

Also getting some coolant on my driveway from rear passenger corner of vehicle, I realise that I have no coolant in that area and tht it must running along the underside of the van from somewhere at the front, but any clue where to start? I had the leaking Y valve issue last year and made a home made fix from plumbing fixtures, checked that and no leakage there

Any assistance would be appreciated

 

You might want to start separate threads to discuss separate technical subjects.

About the brakes:

Since you experienced brake system issues shortly after somebody tried to use the e-brake, I can't understand why you are dismissing the e-brake warning light being on. E-brake systems are very susceptible to rust and sticking. The only way to prevent the system from sticking from rust is to use it on a regular basis. The worst thing you can do is never use the system then have a guest driver use it once. The rusted, unused cables will invariably fail to retract to the full reset position. This will result in chronic brake drag which destroys rotor and pads. If you don't want sticking e-brakes, you need to replace the cables with new and use the e-brake regularly so the rust is continually worn smooth and managed. The cheaper workaround is to get a shop to use mechanical force to reset the rusted cables to the full reset condition then cut the e-brake pedal off with a hacksaw so nobody can use it. That probably isn't legal lol.

I'm not clear what you mean about the wheel not coming off. If the wheel is rusted to the flange and won't come off after lug nut are removed, there is a simple trick to deal with that. This also tells me you are living in a rust zone which explains the e-brake issue.

To remove a rusted-on & stuck factory wheel with factory lugnuts, simply reinstall the lug nuts snugly. Now loosen all 5 lug nuts on the stuck wheel about 2 turns each, never more than that. The wheel will not fall off because the factory lugnuts require at least 8 turns to install. Accelerate quickly forward on pavement or asphalt surface no more than 25 feet and suddenly stomp hard on the brakes. Do the same in reverse. Jack the car up, and voila, the wheel will no longer be stuck. Do not drive more than 50 feet total with the lug nuts loose or the wheel may fall off or be damaged and/or you could wreck. You can beat on your wheel and tire all day with a sledge and wood....this shop trick works better.

 

To prevent the rim from sticking once you have it off put some copper anti-seize in the middle of the rotor, not touching the part the pads touch and it will not be stuck again.

 

Thanks for the replies guys, I guess what I meant when I said the ebrake is not on is that the pedal is not engaged, I had a feeling that the incidents were connected. How tough is it to mechanically force the ebrake out of its 'stuck on' state and is this worth trying myself or let the shop handle it? I am no mechanical genius but managed to change the front calipers, pads and rotors myself last time without incident.

 

More than likely the mechanical linkage, at the parking brake, for ebrake is seized. This linkage is located at the top of the parking brake assembly and is connected to the parking brake cable. More often that not this linkage never gets lubricated, even when the rear rotors are changed.

The easiest way of removing the rear disc is by backing off the parking brake. What you have is a drum brake (parking brake) inside a disc brake rotor and no amount of brute force and ignorance can get the rear disc off without damaging the rear rotor without backing off the parking brake. The parking is a conventional drum brake and uses a conventional drum brake adjuster for adjustment. The adjuster hole is located at the bottom of the brake backing plate like a regular drum brake.

Hope this helps.

 

That was how rear disc brakes worked on Caravans until the 2007 MY. The 2008-2013 Grand Caravans now have the parking brake cable actuate the rear calipers through a spring mechanism. No more disc/drum hybrid setup.

OP, I am still not exactly sure what you were having trouble removing. Wheel, rotor, caliper, ...?

As for your coolant issue, if you have a rear climate control system, the components for the rear system are located near the rear right wheel, and refrigerant and coolant lines run from the engine bay to this area. It's normal for water to drip from this area if you have been running the rear A/C. If you're sure it's coolant then you have a leak somewhere in the lines or the rear heater core, and there's no way for anyone on this forum to diagnose it without getting under the car and looking for the source of the leak. If the coolant lines or rear heater core are leaking you may need to have any repairs done by a shop, as the A/C refrigerant needs to be discharged in order to remove some of the rear climate control components. Additionally the interior panels aft of the passenger sliding door need to be removed to access those components, and if you don't know what you're doing you can do some cosmetic damage there.