Need insight on purchase
 

Hey guys,

Looking at purchasing a 02 Grand Caravan EX. 80k on her.

Just looking for any info/advice when I go to checkout the vehicle.

Any common pattern failures or other issues that I should keep and eye out for?

Any help is appreciate.

Thanks

Fuel injector wire harnesses melting and shorting because of poor routing near the exhaust; transmission issues with multiple causes; front suspension noises caused by worn sway bar bushings, sway bar end links, strut mounts and control arm bushings; erratic instruments cased by corrosion at the fuse box (IPM) connections or chassis grounds; multiple fail modes on power sliding doors. Make sure the dozen or so recalls have been corrected.

i have owned 3 grand caravans any model like the 2001/2002 style is pretty good i had no issues.2008 and newer have alot of problems with brakes a few other items i forget but my 2008 was in the dealer garage 7 times in the first year i owned it.about every 5 to 10k km's the brake calipers sieze and burn out the rotors and pads.Dodge told me i had to pay to get the brakes cleaned up every 5 k or they would keep siezing.I am not happy at all don't buy any of the newer models.my friend bought a 2012 and within 5 k km's his brakes siezed up.I will never buy another dodge.i have also had friends with the journey with same brake issues.buying a older van you will risk having problems anyway.12 yrs old alot is going to have been replaced or need replacing soon.

If you're in an area of salt usage on the roads, check the hood, rocker panels and rear wheel arches as these are very common areas for rust to appear. If you have access to a code reader that will show pending codes or ones that have been cleared, check for those in case someone is trying to pull a fast one.
I would certainly ask to see any and all service records.

my 2001 is almost exactly the same as what you're looking at. It has been tortured and beaten but operates reliably with 220k mi on original engine and tranny. If I had a choice, I would shoot for a 2005 and up with full stow and go. The 3.8l motor is far more torque and enjoyable than the gutless 3.3 and both get about the same gas mileage.


The weak spots I've seen involve body rust on rocker panels and hood. The emergency brake cable system will rust out in my climate and it's tough to fix. Rear wheel bearings will go every 100k or so. Choose premium Timken or similar name brand to get max life. The radiators are subject to failure of plastic tank assembly. I had good luck with a $60 new radiator off ebay which has lasted about 140k mi. I have not had trouble with the engine harness yet, knock on wood. No other big weak spots.


I'd check for service engine codes with a $25 tool and remove radiator cap to check for traces of goo on the rubber gasket. If the cap internals have any greasy goo/crud stuck to it the van soon needs a $1K head gasket job. Without exception, a healthy motor will have a shiny, clean radiator cap spring, stainless washer valve and gasket. Another symptom of head gasket trouble is low coolant level. The head gaskets fail when the radiator blows and the vehicle is run for a few miles overheating with no coolant. The heads tend to warp which adds $500 to the repair. Avoid vans with evidence of head gasket trouble. The overflow bottle should have some fluid in it and the radiator should be full to the top.


Check the tranny dipstick to see if the fluid is burnt or red and clean. If you flush the tranny fluid every 30k-50k it will last 250k mi instead of running it to failure with neglected tranny fluid at 125k mi. A aftermarket tranny pan with drain plug built in costs $25 and its well worth it. Run $6/qt ATF+4 only, not universal fluid. Castrol and Valvoline make it and it's sold at most stores.

Here is a LINK to records on most of the things done on my 02.