Brake/Front end problems with 99 Dodge Grand Caravan

99 DGC, 3.3L

5 months ago I had new shocks and struts put on and got the alignment done
as well as brand new tires. Shortly there after, I had a creaking/popping
noise start coming from the front end. I also started having other problems
with the front end. The van developed a shake on the front end while braking
from roughly 50mph or greater. I thought I had brake problems and/or rotor
issues. I had new pads and rotors put on. Things were great for a day or two
then they started squeaking again. Then the shaking started again. I don't
do much highway driving and getting up to higher speeds does not happen much
so I was not worried about the shaking issue. I still had good braking with
no fade so I thought maybe I was getting unusually high amounts of brake
dust on the front end. Since that initial change out, I have had 3 more sets
of pads and another set of rotors. The old set up rotors were setup on a
lathe to check for warping and there was only the tiniest bit there. I took
the van in again a couple of weeks ago for another alignment, wheel
balancing, and a new tire. I was told that I had a bad outer tie rod on the
driver's side. I went home and replaced this and came back the next day.
They did the alignment, put on the new tire (that wasn't in stock the day
before), and balanced all the wheels again. The tire was replaced because
the tie rod was bad and the tire was wearing really bad. The shop told me
that my shaking problems were probably coming from the bad tie rod. They
were wrong. They told me that they went through the whole front end and
could not find anything else wrong with the van. So I go to my mechanic, and
basically beg for help at this point. Ten minutes after my arrival the van
is on the rack and 1 minute later I learn that I have a bad motor mount in
the front-center. We order the part, but it is the wrong piece when it
arrives. On a side note, they delivered the tranny mount and when we were
comparing them, we discovered a nice crack in that one as well. However, all
of the material is still present, so it is not anywhere close to what the
front motor mount is.

I have been told by the shop that did my tires and stuff that I probably
have bad brake lines, caliper's, and possibly the master cylinder as well.
They also mentioned that a guy from a driveline specialists shop has said
that they encounter unbalanced axles (half-shafts) in the DGC's.
Specifically, my model year.

Being as this is a transverse mounted motor, couldn't my shaking issues and
such be caused by the motor mount problem? And as for the brakes, why do I
got through a set of pads every 45 days or so?

In complete exasperation,
Don Manning

"2.3Sleeper" <spamdmanning.RemoveThis@mwcmustangs.com> wrote in message
news:11_Ge.2990$IH2.1179@newssvr27.news.prodigy.net...
> 99 DGC, 3.3L
>
> 5 months ago I had new shocks and struts put on and got the alignment done
> as well as brand new tires. Shortly there after, I had a creaking/popping
> noise start coming from the front end. I also started having other
problems
> with the front end. The van developed a shake on the front end while
braking
> from roughly 50mph or greater. I thought I had brake problems and/or rotor
> issues. I had new pads and rotors put on. Things were great for a day or
two
> then they started squeaking again. Then the shaking started again. I don't
> do much highway driving and getting up to higher speeds does not happen
much
> so I was not worried about the shaking issue. I still had good braking
with
> no fade so I thought maybe I was getting unusually high amounts of brake
> dust on the front end. Since that initial change out, I have had 3 more
sets
> of pads and another set of rotors. The old set up rotors were setup on a
> lathe to check for warping and there was only the tiniest bit there. I
took
> the van in again a couple of weeks ago for another alignment, wheel
> balancing, and a new tire. I was told that I had a bad outer tie rod on
the
> driver's side. I went home and replaced this and came back the next day.
> They did the alignment, put on the new tire (that wasn't in stock the day
> before), and balanced all the wheels again. The tire was replaced because
> the tie rod was bad and the tire was wearing really bad. The shop told me
> that my shaking problems were probably coming from the bad tie rod. They
> were wrong. They told me that they went through the whole front end and
> could not find anything else wrong with the van. So I go to my mechanic,
and
> basically beg for help at this point. Ten minutes after my arrival the van
> is on the rack and 1 minute later I learn that I have a bad motor mount in
> the front-center. We order the part, but it is the wrong piece when it
> arrives. On a side note, they delivered the tranny mount and when we were
> comparing them, we discovered a nice crack in that one as well. However,
all
> of the material is still present, so it is not anywhere close to what the
> front motor mount is.
>
> I have been told by the shop that did my tires and stuff that I probably
> have bad brake lines, caliper's, and possibly the master cylinder as well.
> They also mentioned that a guy from a driveline specialists shop has said
> that they encounter unbalanced axles (half-shafts) in the DGC's.
> Specifically, my model year.
>
> Being as this is a transverse mounted motor, couldn't my shaking issues
and
> such be caused by the motor mount problem? And as for the brakes, why do I
> got through a set of pads every 45 days or so?
>
> In complete exasperation,
> Don Manning
>
>

If you are going thru a set of pads in 45 days you had better find out why
the calipers/master cyl is hanging up.. or find out what contaminated the
brake system causing seal swelling... which would cause a shake!!
You dont state what the mileage is on the vehicle, but if the inner CV
joint is worn out, (and normally on the passenger side the vehicle will have
a bad shake when you try to accelerate from a stop and go away as you cruise
out. ( a broken cord in a tire will do the same thing) rotate to diagnois.

Glenn Beasley
Chrysler Tech