Dodge - Grandcaravan :: 1999 - Front Suspension Is Noisy
May 13, 2012
In cold weather, front suspension is very noisy. I've replaced stabilizer bar bushings, stabilizer bar links, control arms (complete with new bushings and ball joints). A few months prior, I replaced struts with Monroe quick struts. Noise appears when I hit a pot hole or go over a speed bump. Not really a creaking, almost like a slapping sound. I've taken a look at motor mounts and they look OK. Now that the weather is warm there's no noise. Rack and pinion were replaced about a year ago so engine cradle was removed. I removed it and reinstalled. Also installed new tie rod ends and lubed the inner tie rod joints.
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I had my car power steering lush at a repair shop! Unfortunately, power steering is too noisy (lot of air trapped). The mechanic fixed right away at the time I picked up my vehicle but still had some noisy, he suggested I drove for few days to get the air out. After a week driving and the air still trapped. I brought my vehicle back to the shop and had the mechanic fixed again! and this time I got power steering leak when I drove home! I returned to the shop and he said he replaced both bad power steering hoses. Noise was gone (engine was at operating temperature).
My power steering is still noisy at a touch of turning steering wheel (not even turn the vehicle), it's noisy when engine first started regardless the temperature outside. I drive my car for few blocks and the noise goes away. I won't bring my car back to the shop anymore, they may make it worse. Logical thinking, I think either the air still trapped deep inside the steering system or the O-rings at hose ends are defective. When engine is cold O-ring is cold and shrink, it does not seal properly and when it reaches operating temperature, O-ring expands and seals properly. That's my thinking, of course, I can be easily wrong. There's no power steering leak to the floor!
Will those after market power steering seal additives like Lucas 10008 and other fix my vehicle power steering issue? is there something I can do at home to fix this?
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One tech wanted to replace both rotors and sanding down the pads to re-use (he said my brake pads can last up to one year). The guy in auto part said the surface of brake pads having hard spots could cause the pulsation, replace the pads. Of course, replace both rotors and pads is recommended but I have tight budget! What options do I have? can I just machine the rotors?
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Sounds like an old police car siren but only about 10 % of my driving time and usually late evening hours...
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Today I noticed a knocking sound coming from what sounds like the front left (drivers side). When I accelerate and when I brake the sound stops. The sound also stops when I am going around a bend in the road as well as when I change lanes. When I am turning a corner I do not hear the sound.
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I have a 1993 Dodge Grand Caravan with about 160,000 miles on it. The front end has been deteriorating steadily for some time now. I have no power brakes or power steering, but I do not think that this is related to my REAL problem: My driver side CV joint (or axle or whatever) failed last week. Upon inspection, my mechanic commented on how he was surprised that it held on long enough for me to get to his shop. It was replaced by a mechanic with a new (not re-manufactured) piece.Yesterday I was driving a friend to the airport about 150 miles away, and 20 miles out of town, my van began wobbling in the front, and then shaking violently - consistent with my previous CV failure.
After dropping my friend off at the airport, I proceeded to the nearest mechanic, who again commented on how he was surprised that I was able to make it to his shop. He said something about the last CV joint being too long or something against a tulip joint (or something, I should have written it down).Initially it drove smoothly, as it did after the first fix, but on the way home I noticed a slight wobble that is connected to acceleration (that is, when I take my foot off of the gas, the wobble disappears). I am concerned that the CV is going to fail again. What would be causing this? Are the mechanics at fault, or is there another problem that propagates in the CV?
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I just had my van inspected and tires rotated...van sits for a few days then travels 20 miles and am now smelling something burning and smoke is coming out from front right tire. Other discussions say calipers/pads and that's ok BUT my question is since my van only has @24,000 on it, did the mechanic do something when he rotated my tires? I am a senior citizen and only use my van once a week.
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Short Version. 2000 Dodge Grand Caravan, I two weeks ago I replaced the front brakes (rotors, calipers, and pads both sides) I drove the van 100 miles Saturday night with no problems. Sunday afternoon, whilst driving home from a restaurant with 5 people in the van (driving super gingerly because they were my inlaws) the right front brake stuck on and smoked on the drive home. The calipers are new, and I have not had any other problems since I replaced the brakes that were trashed when I got it.
Long version, So heres the deal, I am the proud owner of a 2000 Dodge Grand Caravan, its got about 140,000 miles on it, its a little rusty, but I got it for free. A family member was getting rid of it, as it was 11 years old, and they wanted something newer, and it needed brakes and a few other things. They were going to donate it, but it sat all winter waiting for the donation company to pick it up. Being a consummate grease monkey elite shade tree mechanic tinkerer type, and being in the new family, new house cash flow situation, I swooped in and towed it home in hopes that I could make a decent enough ride that I could fit two adults, a car seat and a dog into.
Now when I got the van I knew it had some problems. That's the reason it was free. But it is/was all fixable stuff. Typical of age and mileage It had a whiny power steering pump, it needed an oil change, the power steering lines leaked, the transmission cooler lines needed to be replaced. It needed a serpentine belt. It has a motor mount that needs replacing. The front suspension clunked because of worn out swaybar bushings and end link Its a bunch of work and few weekends and a few hundred in parts, but when the van was free, and you do the work yourself it costs a lot less.
The front brakes were completely trashed when I got the van, that is one of the reasons that the previous owner had parked it. And it was obvious that the right front caliper had seized, I could not push the piston back in. And that was the one that seized on, and had the most damages so I replaced it, along with the left front, as it was also the original one, and well they were both the same age, and have the stuff to bleed the brakes out. So what causes disk brake calipers to randomly stick on when they are used gently? Because when I drive it angry, such as now, they seem fine.
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I have elantra 2012 with approx mileage of 47,000 kms. I started to fell that the front suspension becoming noisy while driving slowely on the bumps and rough roads. This noise feels even on steering wheel that this has some connection to steering rod in somewhere.
I had took the car to local dealership here in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia where the kept the car for about a weak and return it say that the car is fixed, but the noise was there or came back in days only.
Second time, the same thing happened, approached the dealership they took and hand over the car, removing some air from all 4 tires a (which i have noticed). but the problem remains the same.
I have noticed as well that the car is not so stable on the roads while driving at different speeds.
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1999 grand caravan 3.0L approx 250,000 Kilometers / 155,000 miles
Yesterday morning I was on my way to work, highway mainly. We have some cold weather here lately, say this morning low -20c range with a light wind. I was about 15 minutes ( 1/2 way & running fine ) while into my drive when i stopped at a light ( vehicle at operating temp )... light goes green, then i accelerated i felt a slight lurch/hesitation, almost a miss but it kept going and then it seemed to be slightly over revving / under powered to get up to the typical highway speed of 80 KMH / 50 MPH in that area.
It felt a bit low on power and a bit louder than normal, i chalk that up to the fact that after the "lurch" it felt like the trans was, I don't want to say slipping but kind of. It would settle into its final high gear a tad later than normal.
I will say it seems like it is reacting like when you accelerate on a slippery or icy road and the speedometer would/should swing up but you would be creeping or not moving as fast as the speed indicated, but the traction is fine, and the speedo just indicates the actual speed traveling while my foot is in it and it should really be spinning its wheels. It does get up to speed but is lagging...
Ran poorly when i cold started it after the 5 hours at work but made it home with all the same conditions. It smoothed out some as it warmed up
When I am parked the idle seems to hunt in a high low high scenario that repeats itself every few seconds, No codes stored, no CEL, no codes while idling, or under forced load IE running in gear with foot on brake and loading engine. scanned it when i got home.
All fluids are up, the trans fluid is just above the add mark but clean. I did a water pump, timing belt and tensioner a couple months ago...the pump was a weeper, hated that job. New air filter and plugs,cap, rotor wires installed then, say early NOV.Cleaned the throttle body then as well. No fluids on the ground since then. all wires are properly inserted in the cap. I had a cyl misfire code just after the new wires were installed 2 months ago cyls 1,3,5 but that was the cap end terminals were just slightly loose. a push back on and no codes no miss after that, till yesterday? full tank of gas two days ago and have about 100 kmh/60 miles on that tank.
all of these conditions are slight, like they are definitely noticeable but none are extremely worse. I'm thinking sensor? I can snap the throttle when it is running in park and it revs but seems like its not as crisp. I know my dad had trans issues with his 89 GC 3.0L but other than this water pump of late , this thing has treated us very very well. I'm not leaning towards trans, especially since the idle seems wonky/erratic.Previously it wouldn't snap your neck ,but it would downshift and pass or get up and go when you asked, now, not so much...
UPDATE ....THIS MORNING I took it out for a small drive this morning after the school bus came, ran really rough on the cold start, didn't stall but was a RUH - RUH - RUH labored running before engine warmed up. Down the road waiting at the bus stop it stall once while waiting for the bus to arrive. started right back up no issue.
still have a rough ruh ruh ruh ruh kind of sensation like one beat per second timing, very strong when cold, smoothed out to about 90% gone when warmed up but still noticeable. can get it to spin the tires on the icy roads but doesn't seem to accept the acceleration applied to the pedal like it should. i have my foot in it it should either downshift and charge or spin and swing the speedo up... but if i did get the wheels spinningthey would just climb up slower than normal like 30 mph 40 kmh and climbing when it should be climbing and reading the wheelspin at a much faster rate like 40-50 mph and . no codes active or stored ... my OBD tool has an emission " guage " on it likea stoplight, green yellow and red. it does work when i had the misfire after the new wires ( see water pump re&re listed above ) the light was yellow, I refit the wires in the cap and cleared the miss fire code and it read green. figured that tidbitwas worth mentioning.
basically it feels like the engine is being held back, like a heavy , heavy spring would on a carburated vehicle. it still works but has a wet blanket on it.
also will mention in the past week or two I'd say i may have noticed a slightly lower idle speed when stopped at a light but like i mentioned the heater fan and lights aregetting used more often at higher frequency as it has been cold and the sun sets at about 4 pm this time of year
temp here this morning -25c / -13f
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while driving my 1999 dodge grand caravan w/ 133,500+ miles on it the dashboard lit brighter and the seat belt reminder light came on then went off and the dashboard returned to its usual glow. What could this be?
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My front suspension has been making some noise for a while now, and lately has been getting worse. So I want to replace whatever the problem is, but having trouble figuring it out. Everything looks ok, and the methods I researched aren't giving any clues. The one question I Have is, should I be able to move any of the parts by hand? There are two that I can wiggle back and forth pretty easily, but I don't know if this is normal or not. One is a thin vertical piece parallel to the strut, the other is behind the wheel and low in the back (a tie rod?). Don't know the part names, have worked on my vehicles for a long time but never the suspension.
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My 2008 rear suspension creaks and squeaks and groans when I move my horse trailer. Truck has 32k miles, has done since purchase last year, squirted wd 40 and that works. At ford place now, they say it is because I added the ride rite air bags. Told them it made same sound before I installed. What to tell them (tech service bulletins ?) or give up and keep spraying and looking for dry joint?
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I drive a 1999 Explorer XLT AWD with the 5.0. Here lately the front end has started getting sloppy and noisy. When driving slowly in town it makes a clunking sound on the front passenger hub area any time I hit a bump. It cleans up a little at highway speed. Does this sound a bearing issue, an AWD issue, or a CV issue? Also, if it is a bearing issue can I rebuild my own hubs or will I have to by an assembly?
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I have a 2004 Grand Caravan 3.8 engine. For the last 2 months the oil light has been coming on when car is first started. If I stop engine and start again the light will be off. I don't think its actual oil pressure because the car runs fine with light on or off. I'm thinking a bad pressure sensor?
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Sometimes when I start my 2006 Dodge Grand Caravan, 3.3 liter engine, the oil light comes on and stays on, even if I rev engine up. Engine sounds normal, does not sound like oil pressure is low. If I turn engine off and the immediately back on, light goes out and stays out. I replaced the oil pressure sending unit - didn't work. I hooked up a gauge - engine has 60 psi oil pressure at idle - plenty! I'm guessing an electrical problem in the circuit.
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I have a 2005 Grand Caravan, this winter has been a cold one. The GC has always started without problem but after I back out of my parking spot, it sits outside, I put it into Drive and it will not move and after I give it a little gas it would still not move. None of the gears seem to work, but if I wait a little bit and the Van warms a little more it will go into gear and all is good. This does not happen all the time and when it does go into gear and I drive I do not have anymore problems until the next time it will "act up" on me again. Is this a problem or is it a cold problem and not a transmission problem?
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My 2000 Dodge Grand caravan loses its gauges every so often. engine light comes on as well as ABS...
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I got a great deal on this van, and I love it, with one exception. On hot days (73 degrees and hotter) the van will not start if it has been parked in the sun; until the temperature returns down to around 61 degrees (usually overnight, but I have waited it out in the parking lot at work a few times).
When this happens, the lights and radio work fine; the starter motor will not engage. No click, no chugga-chugga vroom-vroom. Sad Curto.
Note: October through about May in North Carolina, this car is fine.
I have replaced the steering column (after replacing the clock spring); I have replaced the Power Distribution Center.
When the problem first surfaced two years ago, I had a mechanic install a wire directly from the starter motor relay to the solenoid. That was an expensive lesson. I'm not sure what the lesson is, so it was REALLY expensive.
So, I thought maybe the Auto Shutdown Relay. Nope... pull that out, and the starter still turns, so that is not my problem. Now I am starting to thing Powertrain Control Module, or something else that could have a temperature-sensitive component.
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I have a 2004 Dodge Grand Caravan with 120,000 miles. Starting at about 45mph the car has a really bad shimmy when accelerating. The shimmy fades starting at about 55 mph. There is no shimmy when not accelerating. Gently applying the breaks has no effect on the shimmy. I've put on new tires, Change the steering rack and struts and the engine and tranny mounts. what could be causing this?
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I have a '09 Dodge caravan. The ABS, ESP, TCS, and Brake lights are on. As we drive along the brakes apply, probably on only wheel. After we stop, we can drive on for a short way and it happens again. A mechanic told us that the steering sensor was telling the computer that the steering wheel was turned all the way to the left. I wonder if I pulled the fuse for the ABS pump and ABS valve if it would be safe to drive, at least until we can get it to the dealer for repair. I am cheap and like to get by as cheaply as I can/. I am not fond of ABS, or TCS any way?
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