We kicked our asses with the move lol. Appreciate you Kenny!!

Bad Proportioning Valve! Been there done that. Drove me nuts trying to figure it out. Guess what, it was a Dodge......................lol

When I used to do brakes, a really god tip is to back off the bleed a bit nipple, and THEN pull the calliper back to push the piston in, then lock off the bleed nipple. Not just because it is easier. But when you see the colour of the brake fluid that is expelled. you will be happier you did that. The fluid comes out black, it is cooked by heat from the calliper and has all the detritus, gunk, moisture , and brake dust just sits there. You do notice a BIG difference with your brake pedal when you do this.

@ginog5037

4 ай бұрын

Absolutely and changing the fluid every 2 years helps.

First reaction would be whether there is something inhibiting rear brake action. Some older vehicles had drums on the back, and the automatic star wheel adjustment mechanism was clunky and prone to rust, so they required frequent readjustment in the dealers manual. You've got a southern work flow on those abutment clips. Here in the north, rust jacking happens from behind, so the clips get antiseize or grease behind the clips. That's good advice about the squealers, where the leading edge wears first. My Dodge truck is the same. Manufacturers prefer to make parts that aren't 'handed', for inventory control. So they cut a corner to make one part fit both sides.

2022 Buick Enclave , 40k miles. Never any warranty work. 18 city. 30hwy. Love it 😍

Check the brake bias and consider changing the brake proportioning valve.

@michaelmartin2276

9 ай бұрын

My thoughts exactly. The rear brakes are likely not performing their duties !

@michaelbolton2741

9 ай бұрын

Agreed. One division of a former employer of mine many moons ago, made brake valves for the Big Three automakers. Quite a few were shipped for after-sale replacement.

@spelunkerd

9 ай бұрын

He has ABS, so that device is internal to the ABS unit.

As a mechanic myself my truck is like an old country song... every light in the dash is on, the speedo as bright as the crack of dawn... and I fix everyone else's and always tell them not to ignore service lights, brake squeals, suspension rattles, ect. But I wouldn't put anyone in my truck in fear of judging my abilities by my own ride. I had a costumer tell me one time "just treat it like you would your car" I laughed and quickly told him I promise you don't want that!

A Caravan with a trailer brake controller... Ballsy! :)

Chrysler dodge has a problem with the proportion valves, probably the issue with the brakes wearing prematurely.

This is a long one, Ken. Sorry, but I do hope you find it of value to read. I am at times accused of being a little long winded in my various analytical posts. But, it is just because I do not want to be misunderstood. Please bear with me and read this post. I am glad you received so many suggestions and comments on this thread. I read the first 25 or so, then decided to add my two cents. It is possible you have read this from someone else already, or had considered it previously. No matter, here is what I am thinking, especially with both from brakes (left and right) wearing so quickly, but one side in the front is a bit more worn than the other side up front. I am thinking that somewhere along the way there may be a Residual Pressure Check Valve (RPCV) in the Master Cylinder (MC) that is incorrectly in place for one of the output ports intended to send fluid pressure to a front caliper. For those folks ready this post, the RPCV is a small "flapper valve" located under the brass seat used for fluid output in the Master Cylinder. For drum brake and wheel cylinders the RPCV is important to prevent air from leaking into the hydraulic system through wheel cylinder cup seals when the brake system (and fluid) cools while the fluid contracts while cooling. You never want a RPCV on a disc brake system as it will cause the affected front pads will under continual pressure applied to the pads, hence also the rotors. The symptoms include a reduction in vehicle performance, lower than normal fuel mileage, overheating disc pads, excessive pad and/or rotor wear, warped rotors, etc. Before charging forward and tearing off the MC… You mentioned how the dual master cylinder sends pressure on one MC outlet port to diagonal wheels and brake components, as opposed to being sent to either the front or rear braking components. That being the case you do not want a RPCV under EITHER of the outlet ports of the MC, as RPCV pressure meant for drums only ends up being applied to the front caliper for either or both sides of the diagonally located brake components. Thus, it is very likely the RPCV is not originally designed to be installed under an outlet port, but rather is designed to be somewhere in the front brake hydraulic system, external to the MC - a fairly unusual configuration compared to the far more typical dual braking systems that sends half the fluid pressure to the rear, and half to the front of a braking system. If the MC were replaced, and a unit intended for all drum brakes has the RPCV installed under both outlet ports, you would certainly end up with pressure being applied to the fluid feeding the front calipers. If the MC to only have one RPCV under an outlet port brass seat (for the front calipers only), you would have an RPCV affecting only one of the front calipers, but while causing excess wear on one of the front brake components, it is possible the imbalance in braking would require a behavior that ends up impacting the other front brake components resulting in more rapid wear than normal. Ken, I may be dead wrong. But, I feel this is worth checking out. For me, being curious and wanting to know what is going on with the braking system, I would likely cut into both front hydraulic steel lines, and install a T block so you can put a hydraulic pressure gauge on both the left and right hydraulic lines. After bleeding the brake lines. press the brake pedal and note the pressure while the pedal is applied. Then release the brake pedal and make sure the pressure on both the left front and right front brake lines drops to 0 PSI. If either is retaining pressure you found the cause as most likely being an improperly present RPCV (it could also be a kinked, or bad rubber, hydraulic hose with the internal rubber coating having failed and blocking return fluid when the pedal is released). At worst you will end up having to replace (or repair) the cut steel front hydraulic brake lines. But, at least you may end up finding the reason for the problem of excessive front brake system wear. If it turns out there is a RPSC in place you can retest the hydraulic pressure after removing the improperly installed RPCV and make certain you are returning to 0 PSI when the brake pedal is released. If you prefer to repair the front steel brake lines as opposed to replacing them, I would not be fretting over that kind of decision. But personally, I would want to replace the steel lines, just because. I know this means a lot more time being burned on a car than usual while chasing down a persistent problem. But just imagine how good it will feel if you find out this is what has been perplexing you all these years...

I once owned a Chevrolet Malibu that ate brakes just like your van does! Every 15 -18K miles I would have to replace pads and rotors with no exception. Expensive or economy pads made no difference. They wore out at the same rate regardless of the cost or quality. I use a short piece of copper water pipe (copper nipple) as a spacer under the lug nut to secure the rotor when replacing the brakes. And like you . . . "I got used to it." LOL

Welcome back brother Kenny! Thank you for the video! Even veterans of doing brake rotor and pad replacement can occasionally use a refresher.

I just did a brake job on my 2007 Aveo. The right rear brake hose was clogged with rust. I blew in it and no air flowed through. Don’t let the little details slip under you.

Well you know what they say, the mechanics vehicle is always the last one to get fixed.

All the cars that my wife has driven have the same problem of rapid pad wear. In her case it's due to late braking. Whenever I'm in the car with her it's never clear if she'll stop in time, though she's never been in any accident. You must have a similar driving style as she does.

You are one of the best techs on KZread you and Eric O are tops on the list I enjoy all your vids and knowledge thank you

Kenny, I own a 2009 Grand Caravan. Ive had the same issues wlth my front brakes. Simple maintenance like you've shown here usually gets rid of all the noises.

Went MIA to grow a beard I see.. hope you had a good time with family. I know you enjoyed yourself on the radio. Hustle on sir!! Kind of excited for "Playing in traffic"

Another common Grand Caravan front brake issue is poorly made aftermarket pads. Sometimes, the pad is too long by several millimeters, and is extremely tight when inserting into the caliper. I have had to use a grinder and grind the tips down, to allow rhe pads to loosely fit into the caliper. If this wasn't done, the pads would wear down in months.

Back in 1989 my ex wife talked me into buying a brand new 1989 Ford Tempo, because her two sisters and mother worked for Ford, well that was the worst car I ever owned! Had it for two months the head gasket blew out, it was repaired under warranty, but within the first year I had to have new pads and rotors all around and then it was like every six months replacing all the pads and rotors again! Anyway after the car was paid off in 1993 I traded it in on a brand new 1994 Toyota Camry, which is now owned by my grandson with 210,000 miles and still running perfectly fine

@JG-kv4oi

9 ай бұрын

Hey I never owned a Tempo but I loved them. Alot of them ate a muffler every year and kept me quite busy at my muffler shop 😊

I also bought a screwdriver set on Black Friday from Costco some seven years ago and they are still in great shape. It’s used daily, too.

Brake use depends heavily on drive style. Drive like you have a carton of eggs balancing on a small pole and not falling over they last forever. But drive in traffic hard, and the wear is going to be severe. Heavy front of the vehicle and it will wear anyway. Did mine this last weekend, of course it is "as per sample", so go get the less common rotor diameter, and matching pads, and then take old off, clean caliper, support, hub and backing plate, and apply a thin film of rubber grease on the touch parts, and the hub and bolts, so that they have a little film to keep the rust from making them one. Pads I got are Ferodo, so guaranteed to last 100 000km, though the rotor will be destroyed by the time they wear out. Did put the little screw back in place, but only hand tight on the torx driver, not even a socket handle on it, as it will not fall out with the wheel in place. Reason for replacing was I felt a slight shudder when slowing down from high speed, and then looked, and saw that, while there is half the pad still left, the rotors have worn a nice set of ridges, and thus the shudder. So off to the spares place, and get what they have, not ATE, which I wanted for pads and rotors, but off brand rotors and Ferodo pads, so I know that in 50 000km I will replace the rotors and the pads again, with the pads again showing no real wear. Old pads were OEM from GM/Isuzu, no idea which local supplier they use, but likely the OEM, looking at the construction, was Ferodo, as they, Girlock and ATE have the local market OEM part supply pretty much sewn up. Filters I use GUD or Fram, as they now are the same company, and I never had issues with the filters from them, but the others I have had issues with leaking and such.

The calipers in my ford escape could not backup because the brake hoses were coming apart inside. I could not even put new brake pads in it . The hoses were clogged with debris . Hoses were changed everything is good now.

My 2011 Town and Country does the same thing!

My wife has a 2007 Town and Country van and it eats front brakes the same way! Personally I think it’s a design flaw with the rotor’s being too small for the weight of the van and creating excessive heat! My neighbors have a Carivan and they also have the same issue!

1985 on a driving trip to Scotland in my friends car every 50 miles on the back roads he had to blead the brake's since the car started to slow down ;-)) My guess was water contamination in the oil and the use of the brakes causing heat and expansion making the problem worse.

Hello Mr Kenny hope you had a good trip,glad you're back missed ya😊 lol

Great video Kenny! Have you tried looking into Drag reduction clips for the front brake pads? If so, maybe install 1 set on the driver side and leave the passenger side as “normal” and see if they help with extending the life of the brake pad?

I finished doing the brakes on my Honda Pilot last weekend. The only issue was that about a week before, 😢 noticed that the fluid was low and filled it up. When I did the brakes and pushed the caliper pisons in, guess where all that brake fluid went. Yup, on my driveway. Thanks for the tips and definitely pump the brakes before you go for a ride. They go way down that first time. I live on a hill, so if I didn't, it would have been a thrill ride.

Are the rear not carrying their weight for some reason?

30 years in the messenger business had over 12 dodge caravan, in 2008 the brake pads are smaller than all other years but the van weighs more than other years . The only brake pads I’ve have ever used that have lasted more than 25,000 miles is Wagner thermo quiet. They are very hard to find they discontinued these pads but are still available at Rockauto.

@jensenwilliam5434

9 ай бұрын

Thank you for the information !!!

@kenmoore800

9 ай бұрын

My thoughts exactly, under sized brakes.

We have seen this before on Chrysler. Get clippers with metal pistons.

Wow back in 1988 purchase a new dodge ram 50 pickup 5 speed stick had it 14 year and only change brake once before i sold it did a lot of down shifting when coming to a stop.

I have a 2014 journey, I've owned it since it had 24,000 mi. It's still on it's original brake pads on all four corners and while I've checked them several times they probably will last till 2024, by the way it has 210,000 miles on it.

I had the same problem years ago. I changed everything including the inner and outer wheel bearings and it solved the problem. It was the bearings.

My brother bought a new Ford Aerostar van back in the 80s (90?). By 20,000 miles, he had to replace the front break pads. Not having driven a van like this before, he figured it was normal. After 20,000 more miles, again he had to replace the front pads. He figured at 40,000 miles, he'd better check the brakes on the back wheels. They were drum brakes and were not adjusted, They were completely backed off!!! ...and the shoes had full linings! No wonder, the front brake pads were doing all the braking.

i always pump each side when finished because sometimes if the fluid is just high enough will spill over and make a mess and then only one side has to fill if you forget

I'm a moderatly aggtessive driver, but because I havecdriven stick all my life (I'm 73) I coast 6:02 up to lights and dont have to full stop most if the time. I gert between 50 and 70 K miles between brakes. OEM rotors, Akebono pads.

Hey Kenny could it be the proportioning valve I know that it's supposed to be 6040 breaking to the front if the proportioning valve is bad it could be putting more pressure to the front than the rear

From 2011, or newer Chrysler and Dodge vans there are 2 grades of brakes they offer. I found this out the hard way by ordering the wrong parts from Rockauto for a friend. I have a 2013 Dodge Caravan Crew with the heavy duty brakes. They have larger rotors and calipers on the Front and Back. The front feature dual piston calipers with the heavy duty option, this is where the mistake was made ordering. They last longer naturally. The friend mentioned just had the standard brake package on his 2012 van.

We rarely ever have to do brake work on our cars. 2006 Jetta we sold a couple years ago just died at around 200,000 miles and never had brake work! 70,000 on 2015Ford Edge. Just needed rear brake pads and rotors. Fronts were ok. 2019 Jetta 56,000. Needs nothing. 2000 Ford Excursion 297,000 miles had had brakes done twice and does a lot of camper towing. I always look ahead at traffic and traffic lights and anticipate slow downs so I don't have to use the brakes much at all. Back roads by myself the car is usually cooking thru turns. Not driven easily but coming to stops it's being anticipated ahead of time. We also live in fairly flat terrain with almost zero salt usage on the road and that is brine, not actual salt.

I wonder if the new pads start out at different thicknesses.

sounds like rubber lines are swelling inside it wont let pressure out fast makes em ware quick

Might caution to observe brake fluid level when compressing the pistons into the calipers. That fluid looks much better in the reservoir than on the floor!

Always clean behind the shims - shims are stainless but behind that the caliper bracket rusts then you get sticking shoes.

@niallseddon8657

9 ай бұрын

yep essential usual cause of the pads binding

My 97 Caravan went through front pads very fast too.

The lathe is working.

My 1981 Volvo GL had the same issue, the secondard disc brake got eneven wip out on bote rear wheel. I brought OEM ATE brake pad and still an issue. I finally got rid of my Volvo due to unstopped problem and high cost of maintiance that done evey 3 months.

My father had an older car that used to eat bottom ball joints and front wheel bearings, usually around every 18 months. He didn’t do too many miles in it and he didn’t drive it hard. Turns out it was a known fault and was claimed to be that it was ‘front end heavy’. A 2 litre, front wheel drive, all cast iron engine tilted forwards and solid bar suspension linkages. No wonder the front end was taking punishment.

Check possible front brakes doing all the stopping

My '93 Caravan went through front brakes every 25,000 miles like clock work. The pads looked small for a car that size. But it would stop the van great. that squealer would go off , and I would change them with in a couple of days. I would just change the pads one time, then the rotors and pads the next. I did it for 12 years !!

My 08 Town and Country would go about 30,000 miles between front brakes. The upgraded brakes offered in 2011(I believe) required 17" wheels so I have never made the switch.

While youre in there, remove slide pins, clean it all. And clean around piston too, there will be crap under the boot by now. This will or should fix the issue

Noticed the outside of the first rotor is drastically worn thinner than the inside. I don't think that just started the one day he told you. Lots of material removed!

Load proportioning valve?

Have you changed the struts?

plain simple the the rotors are under sized for the size of the vehicle. sample issue with my 2010 town and country, in my research they switched mid year 2013 to bigger rotors and dual piston calipers. you should be able install like 2014 parts but my need bigger wheels.

I had an '08 GC as well and didn't have the brake issue. Odd.

Have you looked at the rear brakes?

For some odd reason i found that on chrysler products when you change the fronts and dont change the rears it always eats the fronts out. I usually also change rear pads and adjust when changing the fronts

Some cars just eat ‘em up. My Saturn eats pads up front but shoes last forever.

Hi,when will the raido pod show air ?

Master cly pressure valve. its not releasing or flexible line from frame to caliper.

How much daylight between rim and caliper ? Could dodge put bigger rotors on it or did they cheap out

Check load compensation as it could be poor breaking effort at the rear ?

Have you ever tried the Green or Red Stuff brake pads?

Are the rear brakes working properly?

Great "how to" video Kenny. I'm thinking if you would have showed the other side you could have worked right-handed?

Kenny, could being in the north eastern part of the country, have something to do with your breaks ?

Worn out rear disks / pads - front still ok ??? We are still on the same tyres at nearly 30,000 miles UK 2017 Honda Jazz 1.3L . My guess is the rear pads and disks are worn because of the "Hill Start Assist" feature it is not that hilly where we live but you can feel them drag as you set off, also we have a lot of stop start due to crowded traffic. 30,000 on same tyres - still have 3mm on the front and 4mm on the back, we do drive quite gently. Same car as a Honda Fit

Your'e swedish? That was a shocker, could never have guessed that. Hälsningar från Lidköping (f.d. skåning). One question, is that "Harbor freight" like "Biltema" in Sweden?

Hello: Kennny this is just an idea could it be a load senor valve issue not letting the rear do more braking and making the front do all the work? this happen to me living in Ma. my truck had the level rod rust and stick with minimal rear brake function.

you're from sweden? wow had never guessed that 0.0 you do not have that Swedish accent (i am Swedish too) i helped a friend change brakes... well change 3/4 pads back and put 1 extra in... he complained about grinding sound the outer left side was metal against metal and the outer one on the right side was not just metal against metal the pad was gone it was caliper against disc there so i did say too him yeah it was time to change pads in a couple of months ago and he did say "wow i just come home from a 20Mil (124mile) roadtrip"

@WrenchingWithKenny

2 ай бұрын

ja jag är från Göteborg. If he only went 124 miles on the brake pads, they must have been faulty. Thanks for watching & keep wrenching 🔧

How many front brakes do you through before you need rear brakes?

Watched the video have you ever concitered that the hubs could be the problem

If the outer pad is wearing faster then you need to clean the sliding pins and lube them. If rusted badly then replace the pins. You could have rust at the beginning of the pins which will stop the pins from sliding. I also lube the brake pad clips. Even though the pins could move when you push them in I still remove them, clean them and lube them. Like mentioned PUMP THE BRAKES after a brake job because the piston will be all the way in the caliper.

@mikeburchett-bs3qw

9 ай бұрын

remove hardware remove any rust under the hardware to prevent rust jacking . along with removing slide pins

Geez Kenny, the IKEA screwdriver story is kinda the lead here. You probably have a sticky situation with the calipers.

Brake is worn at just 12,000 miles? Maybe the bulk of the weight when braking is going towards the front and not the rear. How long do the rear brakes last? The front and rear should wear out evenly.

Apportion valve, check it ??????

Yeah, there is something inherently wrong with those brakes. My buddy has one and he's constantly changing the pads and rotors. He can't change them himself, so his mechanic makes him also change calipers each time. He drives very aggressively which is why I don't get involved. I drive the same hills with my old Chevy and I don't have any problems.

Master calendar issue.?

I've worked on a 2009 Town and Country that's been in the family since new and it's always went through front brakes and warped rotors quite often. Even one side of the rear brakes seem to not release fully, even after replacing the caliper and hose. The brakes on these van are undersized for the weight of the van. The upgrade is to use the later model larger 2 piston calipers, brackets and backing plates. Then you must get 17" rims for clearance. Poor engineering from Diamler Chrysler. It is a known problem on these vehicles.

Best way to fix brake wear is drive a manual that way you can use the gearbox & motor to slow the vehicle (called compression braking)🤣

You have the 1st. year body curse of an American car . I buy 3rd. year body styles of USA makes

The old 5 Series BMW's (E 28) used to eat front Brake Pads and front Shock Absorbers Don't know why.

What are you gonna do ! I think I remember years ago , Aerostar vans would eat front brakes like crazy.. I think it has something to do with the weight of the vehicle and the size of the pads . But who knows , what are you gonna do !😂

Had a 2002 Sable after 80 thousand miles did front pads and rotors. Like yours ever 10 to 15 thousand miles had to replace pads and rotor. Don't know why. Tried cheap and take out a loan parts and nothing worked. After 300000 miles I sold the car, and still don't know why this happened.

I have done a lot of brakes over 30 years. i did not like synthetic grease. that grease makes the pads stick.

So I guess that 3.6 motor can last

My 2009 Chrysler minivan needs front pads every 20,000 miles. I think it’s because it’s so heavy in the front and no weight anywhere else

You met Rainman Ray?!

I've never seen an Ikea screwdriver, but I sure as hell have seen my fair share of Ikea allen wrenches 😂

A rear brake issue with these Grand Caravans is eating thru REAR brakes. My 2009 was eating them within 3 years in 2012. The Dealer said it was 'normal'. Well, its not normal. I use my Parking Brake all the time. I discovered the parking brake cables were seizing up, so the rear brake pads were not releasing properly. When I asked my Dealer in 2012, the mechanics thanked me for bringing the issue to their attention. And finally, do not install aftermarket cables. Pure junk. Stick to the OEM from Dodge.

driving habits are a big contributor to brake wear. In some cases the brake pads are not engineered to spec. I have an old Toyota Minivan and it has very small pads for the vehicle of its size

Who put the screwdriver handle on that pry bar!!!!!!

Brake pressure bias valve..?...Usually, the front brakes have considerably more hydraulic pressure than the rears...Does the vehicle have the correct bias valve fitted..?...Or a big ass van with underside rotors and pads..?...by design...🤔😳😏🇬🇧

Two foot driving?

ALWAYS ,ALWAYS,ALWAYS clean your caliper pins and relube them with synthetic caliper grease,,,and use quality brake pads not cheap ass ones,,,, akebono pads off amazon are the best pads that are MADE in the USA and are what most OEMS out on your vehickle and when purchased off amazon are a great price as well

Knowing Chrysler trying to save money, it would appear that vehicle should have been engineered with bigger front brakes.

If the pads are semi metallic, they will wear faster. Asbestos was ideal.