FYI to all Look closely at the e-brake return spring on the caliper this man is working on. It is stretched. This indicates the e-brake is not properly releasing, due to corrosion in the e-brake cables. This is, in my opinion, the #1 cause for premature rear brake pad wear. It is also why it is difficult to remove the caliper and pads from the rotor. His brakes are probably hot after driving around, because they are not releasing properly. Also, if your new pads are very tight going into the caliper, DO NOT hammer them in! The caliper requires a good cleaning using a power wire brush. I have owned a 2009 Caravan since brand new. I have A LOT OF EXPERIENCE dealing with these rear brake problems. Correct torque as per the owners manual is 95 ft/lbs, not 100
Good Video, gives me an idea of what I'm in for with my 2015, soon. A couple of things I didn't catch, maybe I missed them, but it's a good idea to wire brush the hub face before installing the new rotor, just to give you peace of mind in case you have run out problems, you don't have to second guess yourself. Also I missed the important part of indexing the slots in the piston to fit the stub on the back of the inner pad. (Slots at 6 and 12 o'clock).I think it is important also to show how to get the parking brake back to its normal setting, which can take a lot of parking brake actuations. Kudos on taking the stress off of the hydraulic hose.Something to consider, if it was me, especially with the 2012 having light duty brakes, I always release the bleeder during piston push back. These brakes get brutally hot and the fluid gets pretty degraded over time. I'd also be flushing the brake fluid since I'd have to bleed the back brakes anyway.
Thanks for watching and all good comments! Yes, I'd also recommend using a wire brush to brush the hub face to clear off any old rust. And you could also flush the brake fluid. For this video I just wanted to show the basics in what I did for replacing the brake pad/rotors.
Good video, however, if you install the new pads into the bracket before reinstalling it over the rotor, it is much easier than trying to install the pads after the bracket is installed. The assembly with new pads installed will easily slide over the rotor, potentially saving some time and aggravation. Also, don't know if this guy mentioned this, but dodge uses different size rotors and pads, depending on the model (R/Ts use 330mm rotors, I think most others use 305mm). Regardless, measure the diameter of the rotors before buying new ones, and you could save yourself another headache.
Very informative video. Many thanks. Do you think it would be possible to change the pads without completly removing the caliper? Like just loosening its nuts only.
you can set it, but release it before trying to remove the caliper... it would've been way easier for him. The parking break engages the rear wheels only, so setting it when the rear of vehicle will be off the ground is pointless.
I have used that multi-tool to return the caliper to it's starting point, and it works a lot better when you want it to work. Of course, had I purchased a fancy doohickey tool, I might have been clumsy with it too.
After tip that was missing in this video is to open your brake cap brake reservoir before you turn the caliper piston back in. Not doing so can create air pockets or damage brake seals.
So the piston has to be screwed back? I used a simple tool from advanced auto parts but the plastic handle is loosed. I bought a C clamp from auto zone, but I still couldn’t put it back in. I spent a whole afternoon, but didn’t resolve the problem. I will buy the one you used to give it a try
Thank you for your reply. I did a little bit further search and I found my caliper actually is bad since one side pad worn badly and other side of the rotor only worn half. I just ordered a new Caliper and I am waiting for it. Thank you
No, I didn’t need to disconnect the parking brake, the parking /emergency brake system is separate from the main brakes. I did engage the parking brake before jacking the car up to ensure it wouldn’t go anywhere. Thanks for watching!
Jesus this guy is too detailed ! If someone doesn't know the physics behind adding a foot long piece of pipe for torsional addition then removing the bar after the bolt is broke loose. He spend 10 mins talking about the pipe!!!! If u don't know how to use a torsion bar then you have no biz working on a car!
@@mikelander1454 I liked the use of a 4x4 which he calls a 2x2, then he uses a rubber mallet? One kick, no, hit it with the wood! On one side then the other. Plus he talks about a star pattern, but he might actually demonstrate the pattern instead of going willy-nilly all over the star!
Great video, however some advice from a pro... never use an ordinary socket ratchet to loosen tight bolts, reason is that the swinging notch inside the ratchet is not made to cope with heavy rusty bolts and if the notch breaks inside you will then probably tear your knuckles while your weight is then falling rapidly due to the break. Always use a solid plain breaker bar first to break the turn of the bolt, then revert to the ratchet so you can use it to and fro up and down to remove the bolt fully. Yes I know we can use the ratchet for small nuts and bolt removal, but you would be surprised how many times I have broken a ratchet using it to loosen too large a bolt or nut, and then scrapping it in the bin, not to mention my broken knuckles. Also while you had the caliper off it might be a good idea to take out the slider bolts that have the rubber boot over them, clean out the holes, wire brush the bolts, then grease them up with plenty of heat resistant copper lube, its vital that the whole caliper can slide freely that 2 inch to give equal pressure on the 2 disc sides, if not you will get only one pad working more then the other.
You didn't mention that the bolts should be torqued, caliper guide bolts 18 ft lbs caliper mounting bolts 125 ft lbs. Where the rotor attached should be cleaned before rotor installed. Great vido !
Hey Ron, good point. Earlier this year I had that caliper replaced. In talking to auto parts stores and mechanics they all mentioned to me that the dodge caravan rear calipers were notorious for needing replacement work.
I saw a tip from ETCG regarding this. Before turning the piston back in take a very small screwdriver with a little silicone grease on it and work the grease around the perimeter of the piston under the rubber seal. Then the piston will spin and won't damage the seal.
Cleaning and greasing the slide pins is very important in preventing a sticking caliper. Also you should wire brush/clean the grooves in bracket that the pads slide in.
Did you jack up both sides of the car at the same time when you started? If so the emergency brake doesn't help you as they only actuate the rear brakes and they would be off of the ground. Three things here & that I've noticed to be lacking in some of the other videos, one of which that I didn't catch initially while working on my own brakes: 1) (The one I didn't catch and have not seen mentioned on ANY video that I've watched.) The shiny steel replacement slide plates that the pads mount on were oddly shaped if you look from the end profile. I wondered about the shape, & got to looking at the new pads. On one side of each mounting ear I noticed that the ear looked like the squareness of the corner had been cut off at a (perhaps) 45 degree angle. Looking at the slide plates, sure enough, that odd profile was conforming to that "nipped" off corner on each tab of the pad. Therefore, it is intended-I don't know why-for those slide plates to be positioned properly to accommodate the correct corner of the pad. In short the slide plates can be put into the wrong slots on the mounting bracket. Amongst the (4) slide plates-if you look carefully-(2) are shaped one way and the other (2) are opposite. If they are installed incorrectly, they would actually hinder the movement of the pads! If you don't have new slide plates with your new pads (I did) you may not want to assume that the old ones were installed correctly. 2) I didn't catch you mentioning that if using the old slide plates-they should be well cleaned and new brake caliper lube applied to each of them. If one has the new slide plates, they are not lubed and should be. 3) The slide pins for the calipers should always be pulled out and inspected for adequate lubrication. I personally always remove, clean and relube them-also with appropriate caliper grease.A good comment from Michael McLernon about lining up the slots with the pins on the back of the pads. I wasn't aware of it and haven't noticed it mentioned in any videos.
In fact setting the parking brake was not helpful. I started whacking on it with a hammer like he did... Then I released the parking brake and it came right off...
I followed these steps on a 2011 yesterday. After doing the front brakes I pumped the brake pedal a few times and it firmed right up like it is suppose to. After doing the back brake pads however, it will not get firm. I have pumped and pump and pumped, and nothing. Even cycled the parking brake close to 100 times like another video described and still nothing. Going to attempt to bleed the brakes this evening, but I dont know why I would need to. There wasn't an issue with air in the brakes before I changed the pads, and I never opened the bleeders so there shouldn't be an issue now. Do you happen to know what order I should go in to bleed the brakes?
If the back caliper cylinders are not tight against the pads in the reinstall. your break peddle will sponge down to the floor. Because its a screw type cylinder if pushed in to far there be a gap and emegency break wont work properly and cylinder will bottom out befor hitting pads just a heads up so you dont be spending lots of money on replacing parts that already work .always go less expenisve and work your way up .
@@TinkerForward I've done countless brake jobs over the years, sometimes I've cleaned and lubed the pins, other times I didn't, and I never had a caliper fail. That said, I recommend not being lazy like me and pulling each pin, clean with very very fine steel wool, regreasing and reinstalling. Can't hurt and takes minimal effort.
depends on the rotor size. Dodge GCs uses different size rotors depending on the model. Measuring the rotors before buying could save you a trip to the autoparts store. Rotor size also dictates the type of pads used.
single piston in the front you do that for the back. double piston in front you buy pads and rotors for double piston for rear. They are different so pay attention.
I'm sorry but that's incorrect the purple brake grease is for the slide caliber pens you should not be using any seeds on the brake parts it'll just collect us and cause issues later on that's why they created special Greece . you use the grey anti seize on the lug nuts
Thanks for watching! No i didn’t. But when i was compressing the piston before installing the new brakes i opened the hood and kept an eye on the brake fluid in the reservoir to make sure it didn’t overflow. I show this in more detail in my dodge front brake video.
Never use a torque wrench to remove your lug nuts or any other nuts for that matter unless you plan on getting it recalibrated before you use it to torque anything important like, oh say, your lug nuts .
Rear brakes might last 5 even 10 times longer than the fronts, so they are often skipped for too long. Plus, rears were drum brakes for a very long time, and they are not as easy, thus we have adapted to change them less.
You can compressor the whole thing before you take it off c clamp from back of caliper to front pad compress then comes right of others will go back and no need to compress caliper again
You can not compress these brakes with a c clamp. They have an internal screw that would be extremely hard to compress, and it would then be broken. Front ones yes, but not the rear.
the dust boot on the piston is clearly ripped. you would need a new caliper or rebuild the caliper you can not disregard this issue the piston will leak and fail prematurely.
You lost me when you pulled the caliper bolts without first prying back the pads. Use a half inch drive long throw ratchet to remove the bolts. Kick the tire to break a stubborn one free.
And yet again no one ever shows putting in the brake pads they skip through that part they spent all the time showing us the lubricants I could care less about the lubricants!!
Good video, brutal music
Great tutorial. The Wisconsin force is strong with this one.
Thank you! Thanks for watching!
Awesome bro! You just saved me $800 literally
Great step-by-step video! Will be changing these tonight.
Glad I could be of help! Thanks for watching!
The video looks great. Will be attempting this on my 2008 Grand caravan. Thank you for the Video.
FYI to all
Look closely at the e-brake return spring on the caliper this man is working on. It is stretched. This indicates the e-brake is not properly releasing, due to corrosion in the e-brake cables. This is, in my opinion, the #1 cause for premature rear brake pad wear. It is also why it is difficult to remove the caliper and pads from the rotor. His brakes are probably hot after driving around, because they are not releasing properly. Also, if your new pads are very tight going into the caliper, DO NOT hammer them in! The caliper requires a good cleaning using a power wire brush. I have owned a 2009 Caravan since brand new. I have A LOT OF EXPERIENCE dealing with these rear brake problems.
Correct torque as per the owners manual is 95 ft/lbs, not 100
5ftlb's doesnt make much difference, there is a tollerence, but you are right
Good Video, gives me an idea of what I'm in for with my 2015, soon. A couple of things I didn't catch, maybe I missed them, but it's a good idea to wire brush the hub face before installing the new rotor, just to give you peace of mind in case you have run out problems, you don't have to second guess yourself. Also I missed the important part of indexing the slots in the piston to fit the stub on the back of the inner pad. (Slots at 6 and 12 o'clock).I think it is important also to show how to get the parking brake back to its normal setting, which can take a lot of parking brake actuations. Kudos on taking the stress off of the hydraulic hose.Something to consider, if it was me, especially with the 2012 having light duty brakes, I always release the bleeder during piston push back. These brakes get brutally hot and the fluid gets pretty degraded over time. I'd also be flushing the brake fluid since I'd have to bleed the back brakes anyway.
Thanks for watching and all good comments! Yes, I'd also recommend using a wire brush to brush the hub face to clear off any old rust. And you could also flush the brake fluid. For this video I just wanted to show the basics in what I did for replacing the brake pad/rotors.
Great video Explained it and showed it very well
Glad you liked it! Thanks for watching and commenting!
Good video, however, if you install the new pads into the bracket before reinstalling it over the rotor, it is much easier than trying to install the pads after the bracket is installed. The assembly with new pads installed will easily slide over the rotor, potentially saving some time and aggravation. Also, don't know if this guy mentioned this, but dodge uses different size rotors and pads, depending on the model (R/Ts use 330mm rotors, I think most others use 305mm). Regardless, measure the diameter of the rotors before buying new ones, and you could save yourself another headache.
gracias amigo muy buen video .great video tranks for explain
I had never done it and it went great. Thanks!
Great to hear! Thanks for watching!
One question. Do i have to use the compression kit that you got or is there another way to compress it eithout having that kit or the cube??
thanks for sharing
Great video. It helped me a lot on compressing the piston.
Great to hear! Thanks so much for watching!
What about if your caliper is stuck, were you hear grinding and screeching?
Very informative video. Many thanks. Do you think it would be possible to change the pads without completly removing the caliper? Like just loosening its nuts only.
Very good clear information
Glad to hear it was useful! Thanks for watching!
is everything the same on chrysler town and country 2013?
When doing the rear breaks, do you set the parking break?
The parking break cable does not need to be detached?
why ?
you can set it, but release it before trying to remove the caliper... it would've been way easier for him. The parking break engages the rear wheels only, so setting it when the rear of vehicle will be off the ground is pointless.
Thank you.
good advice on the wind back kit, actually you make a good vid, liked and subbed
I have used that multi-tool to return the caliper to it's starting point, and it works a lot better when you want it to work. Of course, had I purchased a fancy doohickey tool, I might have been clumsy with it too.
Nicely done video, one thing you gotta grease the slide pins. The pad bracket needs to move smoothly back an forth as brakes are applied.
I would use a breaker bar and a socket, not a rachet, you'll put too much strain on the rachet and likly to break it
but a good video
yeah. that ratchet is garbage. don't use that. use a wrench or breaker bar
After tip that was missing in this video is to open your brake cap brake reservoir before you turn the caliper piston back in. Not doing so can create air pockets or damage brake seals.
So the piston has to be screwed back? I used a simple tool from advanced auto parts but the plastic handle is loosed. I bought a C clamp from auto zone, but I still couldn’t put it back in. I spent a whole afternoon, but didn’t resolve the problem. I will buy the one you used to give it a try
Yep, you’ll need a windback kit or a key cube with a socket wrench to wind the piston back. Good luck!
Thank you for your reply. I did a little bit further search and I found my caliper actually is bad since one side pad worn badly and other side of the rotor only worn half. I just ordered a new Caliper and I am waiting for it. Thank you
Not once did you check the little rubber slides, to see if they are stuck ! Thats what causes brakes pads to wear just on one side.
Thanks for the video, did you not need to disconnect the parking brake or did I miss that in the video?
No, I didn’t need to disconnect the parking brake, the parking /emergency brake system is separate from the main brakes.
I did engage the parking brake before jacking the car up to ensure it wouldn’t go anywhere. Thanks for watching!
Jesus this guy is too detailed ! If someone doesn't know the physics behind adding a foot long piece of pipe for torsional addition then removing the bar after the bolt is broke loose. He spend 10 mins talking about the pipe!!!! If u don't know how to use a torsion bar then you have no biz working on a car!
@@mikelander1454 All too often, people are vague and don't give enough details.
@@mikelander1454 I liked the use of a 4x4 which he calls a 2x2, then he uses a rubber mallet? One kick, no, hit it with the wood! On one side then the other. Plus he talks about a star pattern, but he might actually demonstrate the pattern instead of going willy-nilly all over the star!
Great video, however some advice from a pro... never use an ordinary socket ratchet to loosen tight bolts, reason is that the swinging notch inside the ratchet is not made to cope with heavy rusty bolts and if the notch breaks inside you will then probably tear your knuckles while your weight is then falling rapidly due to the break. Always use a solid plain breaker bar first to break the turn of the bolt, then revert to the ratchet so you can use it to and fro up and down to remove the bolt fully. Yes I know we can use the ratchet for small nuts and bolt removal, but you would be surprised how many times I have broken a ratchet using it to loosen too large a bolt or nut, and then scrapping it in the bin, not to mention my broken knuckles. Also while you had the caliper off it might be a good idea to take out the slider bolts that have the rubber boot over them, clean out the holes, wire brush the bolts, then grease them up with plenty of heat resistant copper lube, its vital that the whole caliper can slide freely that 2 inch to give equal pressure on the 2 disc sides, if not you will get only one pad working more then the other.
You didn't mention that the bolts should be torqued, caliper guide bolts 18 ft lbs caliper mounting bolts 125 ft lbs. Where the rotor attached should be cleaned before rotor installed. Great vido !
Hey Doug, yes, I don't mention that in the video. Thanks for letting others know the great information! Thanks for watching!
I am pretty sure it's not 125 ft lbs I think i do mine at 75 ft lbs and 25 ft lbs for caliper
Nice video. Thank you
You should torque your guide pin bolts 25 ft pounds
the dust seal on the piston was bent out of shape and turning with the piston, i would be concerned that it may be damaged
Hey Ron, good point. Earlier this year I had that caliper replaced. In talking to auto parts stores and mechanics they all mentioned to me that the dodge caravan rear calipers were notorious for needing replacement work.
I saw a tip from ETCG regarding this. Before turning the piston back in take a very small screwdriver with a little silicone grease on it and work the grease around the perimeter of the piston under the rubber seal. Then the piston will spin and won't damage the seal.
Which direction is the piston supposed to be reset, clockwise or counter clockwise?? Thank you. Kevin Smith.
Hi Kevin, you want to turn it clockwise to reset it. Thanks for watching!
Cleaning and greasing the slide pins is very important in preventing a sticking caliper. Also you should wire brush/clean the grooves in bracket that the pads slide in.
What about if the calipers are already stuck
Very helpful thank you
Did you jack up both sides of the car
at the same time when you started? If so the emergency brake doesn't
help you as they only actuate the rear brakes and they would be off
of the ground. Three things here & that I've noticed to be lacking in some
of the other videos, one of which that I didn't catch initially
while working on my own brakes: 1) (The one I didn't catch and have
not seen mentioned on ANY video that I've watched.) The shiny steel
replacement slide plates that the pads mount on were oddly shaped if you look from
the end profile. I wondered about the shape, & got to looking at
the new pads. On one side of each mounting ear I noticed that the ear
looked like the squareness of the corner had been cut off at a
(perhaps) 45 degree angle. Looking at the slide plates, sure enough,
that odd profile was conforming to that "nipped"
off corner on each tab of the pad. Therefore, it is intended-I don't
know why-for those slide plates to be positioned properly to
accommodate the correct corner of the pad. In short the slide plates
can be put into the wrong slots on the mounting bracket. Amongst the
(4) slide plates-if you look carefully-(2) are shaped one way and the
other (2) are opposite. If they are installed incorrectly, they would
actually hinder the movement of the pads! If you don't have new slide
plates with your new pads (I did) you may not want to assume that the
old ones were installed correctly. 2) I didn't catch you
mentioning that if using the old slide plates-they should be well
cleaned and new brake caliper lube applied to each of them. If one
has the new slide plates, they are not lubed and should be. 3)
The slide pins for the calipers should always be pulled out and
inspected for adequate lubrication. I personally always remove, clean
and relube them-also with appropriate caliper grease.A good comment from Michael McLernon about lining up the slots with the pins on the back of the pads. I wasn't aware of it and haven't noticed it mentioned in any videos.
if you put lube there, it will get clogged with brake dust tho
In fact setting the parking brake was not helpful. I started whacking on it with a hammer like he did... Then I released the parking brake and it came right off...
Good video, well presented.
Thanks Jeff! I appreciate you watching!
I followed these steps on a 2011 yesterday. After doing the front brakes I pumped the brake pedal a few times and it firmed right up like it is suppose to. After doing the back brake pads however, it will not get firm. I have pumped and pump and pumped, and nothing. Even cycled the parking brake close to 100 times like another video described and still nothing. Going to attempt to bleed the brakes this evening, but I dont know why I would need to. There wasn't an issue with air in the brakes before I changed the pads, and I never opened the bleeders so there shouldn't be an issue now. Do you happen to know what order I should go in to bleed the brakes?
make sure there's no large gap between pad and rotor
Good. I didn't see you lube the caliper guide pins. This is the reason the pads were worn uneven. Otherwise good video.
If the back caliper cylinders are not tight against the pads in the reinstall. your break peddle will sponge down to the floor. Because its a screw type cylinder if pushed in to far there be a gap and emegency break wont work properly and cylinder will bottom out befor hitting pads just a heads up so you dont be spending lots of money on replacing parts that already work .always go less expenisve and work your way up .
Do you ever take out the caliper slide pins to clean and put new lube on them? I always do but maybe I’m wasting time.
Hey Rodney, i haven’t but by cleaning the caliper pins you are most likely extending the life of the calipers.
@@TinkerForward I've done countless brake jobs over the years, sometimes I've cleaned and lubed the pins, other times I didn't, and I never had a caliper fail. That said, I recommend not being lazy like me and pulling each pin, clean with very very fine steel wool, regreasing and reinstalling. Can't hurt and takes minimal effort.
How do you know, if you need Heavy pads or regular pads, engine size haha??? I have a 3.6 l
depends on the rotor size. Dodge GCs uses different size rotors depending on the model. Measuring the rotors before buying could save you a trip to the autoparts store. Rotor size also dictates the type of pads used.
single piston in the front you do that for the back. double piston in front you buy pads and rotors for double piston for rear. They are different so pay attention.
I'm sorry but that's incorrect the purple brake grease is for the slide caliber pens you should not be using any seeds on the brake parts it'll just collect us and cause issues later on that's why they created special Greece . you use the grey anti seize on the lug nuts
I use my tire as a jack stand.
Great!
Thanks so much for watching!
Did you open the bleeder valve ?
Thanks for watching! No i didn’t. But when i was compressing the piston before installing the new brakes i opened the hood and kept an eye on the brake fluid in the reservoir to make sure it didn’t overflow. I show this in more detail in my dodge front brake video.
i just kick the tire off lol and that's a 4x4 but good video
Never use a torque wrench to remove your lug nuts or any other nuts for that matter unless you plan on getting it recalibrated before you use it to torque anything important like, oh say, your lug nuts .
Jesus man you were at steel on steel.
Rear brakes might last 5 even 10 times longer than the fronts, so they are often skipped for too long. Plus, rears were drum brakes for a very long time, and they are not as easy, thus we have adapted to change them less.
Funny, I really never knew where the lube grease went; on the back of the pad!
Thanks for watching! I'm glad you found this video helpful!
This was new to me too, great tip. Perhaps some maintenance of the slide that the pads move in would have been cool too.
You can compressor the whole thing before you take it off c clamp from back of caliper to front pad compress then comes right of others will go back and no need to compress caliper again
You can not compress these brakes with a c clamp. They have an internal screw that would be extremely hard to compress, and it would then be broken. Front ones yes, but not the rear.
the dust boot on the piston is clearly ripped. you would need a new caliper or rebuild the caliper you can not disregard this issue the piston will leak and fail prematurely.
Hi Gary,
Yep, good point, I had the caliper replaced not long after making this video. Thanks for watching!
Appreciate the attention to detail. Im gonna be doin this job soon and think i might he lookin at calipers as well
did the caliper fail from the torn boot or were you being pre-emptive? Did you replace the calipwer yourself?
video starts at 3:50
Put the parking brake on in the front?lol so basically make sure its in park
You lost me when you pulled the caliper bolts without first prying back the pads.
Use a half inch drive long throw ratchet to remove the bolts.
Kick the tire to break a stubborn one free.
Can’t pry back pads in rear they need to be turned in and pushed at same time
Piston boot is torn.
Grease the sliders dude!!
So watching to many ads
And yet again no one ever shows putting in the brake pads they skip through that part they spent all the time showing us the lubricants I could care less about the lubricants!!
Cheater pipe should never be used, good way to toast you ratchet and your knuckles.
Dont go to the store and buy a 4×4 lol just kick the tire
that very seldom works if it is very stuck, rabber mallet to the tire never fgails