Keith thank you for another helpful video. My rear spring mounts are so rusted I was shocked and ordered new parts. Your down to earth but detailed video gives me a lot of confidence.
Hey Mark I know this comment is 5 years old and somehow I missed seeing it. Just wanted to say thank you. It's much appreciated. The 02 Caravan was the best traveling van for our family until it hit around 200K miles then it seemed I had to fix it every week end. I called it my "Fix it again Caravan". How's yours holding up?
Good Job.....I own my 03 dodge grand caravan since O3. It's still alive but like you said need some work here and there. I love my van...been taking care of the family very well. Oil change on timing is our priority. Just love the comfort ride it had to offer when all suspension taking care off. Next is this bushing you pointing out. Plan to keep it forever.
I need to do this job soon and your timing with this video is great! Thanks for taking the time to record this project. I'm curious why you didn't replace the upper bushings on the mount?
Great video. My 2000 Grand Caravan was making a rattling noise. At first I thought it was me not installing my rear seat in correctly. But then I realized that it was in and my bushings on the leaf spring are rotted. I'll be changing these out when the weather gets warmer. Thanks again!
Thanks I appreciate the kind comment. Don't forget to read the Description in the About More tab above. Especially the UPDATE notes as I think if you lower both sides at once you may not even need the scissors jack. I think that would be far easier and not as dangerous. Don't for get to read the comments, as there may be some good information in them as well. Let me know how it goes. Above all BE SAFE, cars are heavy! Best Wishes n Blessings Keith
Thanks! This video was very helpful. For anyone wondering, the part numbers for the large upper bushings are 0743008AA or 92201k. Those are the part numbers off the original bushing in my 03 caravan. But I cannot find them anywhere. Closest thing is Dorman 722-081.
4743040AA is the part number for the bushings on a 2001 Town and Country and the upper mount takes the same bushing. 5006089AA is the part number for the leaf spring hanger that bolts to the frame. www.moparpartsgiant.com/parts-list/2001-chrysler-town_country/rear_suspension/suspension_rear.html?diagram=00i47849 The hanger and bushing are figures 6 and 7 using the previous link.
Thanks for the video. Had to remove my trailer hitch to get the upper mounting plates off. My inner sleeves were rusted out so bad had to pound them out with a socket. They don't just sell the sleeves nor do they come with aftermarket Dorman shackles. Went to HD and improvised with 1/2" x 4" sleeve anchors and cut them to size. Slightly smaller ID but I think they just help protect the bushings. PIA job to say the least. Oh, and my 05 had the shackle bolts factory installed with the nuts to the outside like you changed yours to.
Glad I could help. The job is not for the faint of heart for sure. This is one of the jobs that I've done that I was concerned on doing because of the way I did it. That's why I made the disclaimer so prevalent in the description. I did find a safer way to do it so I put it in the description. Thanks for watching. Best Wishes n Blessings. Keith Noneya
Yep live down here in southern Louisiana just north of NAWLINS, where we have Swamp People, the Louisiana Yard Dog is an Alligator who eats all trespassing dogs, cats, and humans LOL. We also eat Crawdads that we call Crawfish or mud bugs. Thanks for watching. Best Wishes & Blessings. Keith Noneya
While doing rear driver side brake work, (2007 t/c) I notice leaf spring had collapsed and ordered a new spring from rockauto. For 5 years now, the front right side of the van, was higher than the front left side, and I didn't know why. I thought the two new struts I installed was higher than the other. After getting an alignment, the steering wheel was straight, but the van always pulled to the left while driving. After installing new rightside leaf spring (over 309,000 miles) the van leveled off. The front looks even, the rear left side is now jacked up, and the steering doesn't pull to the left, everything looks and feels even. The van looks healthier.
I just ordered the bushing on ebay for about $9 instead of paying $30 at my local store. Will let you know how it goes. I'm somewhat tempted to replace that upper bracket/shackle while I'm at it since it seems to have rubber components of its own.
Glad it helped. I've often thought of taking this one down because I was afraid some less experienced guy wouldn't heed my safety warnings and get hurt. However I leave it up for entertainment purposes, and tell folks the dangers of doing this job the way I did it. Also I left tips on how to do it safer, so I left it up. Be safe and glad it worked good for you. Best Wishes & Blessings. Keith Noneya
You should go to harbor freight and get a set of truck jack stands. I have a 2002 Grand Caravan that has the same color paint and hubcaps as yours. The frame rails are so high on these vehicles that you need the extra lift. I also have the same hydraulic jack you have and it is barely adequate for lifting the van onto regular jack stands much less truck stands. But you can use the blocks of wood to lift the car higher. I just wouldn't feel comfortable working under a car sitting of blocks of wood. What if they shift? The higher jack stands will keep your nose out of the grease when you are working on a creeper.
Hi Michael, yep I did that on future jobs. Wow that's quite a coincidence. I also put in the description that if I had removed both tires and released both sides at once that the need for the blocks of wood and scissors jack wouldn't have been needed. I had also blocked the front tires as well. As for the shifting that would pretty much be impossible without some serious side movement. That would require the van to lift up high enough to push both jack stands over their sideways balance points. Based on my 30 plus years of working on vehicles I couldn't imagine that would happen very easily. I also, if you noticed, placed the removed tires under the vehicle as well, something my dad, a professional Mechanic, taught me.Thanks for the comment and safety tips, i'm always in for those. Best Wishes n Blessings. Keith Noneya
I carry a hi-lift floor jack in my caravan.I doubt if Spiderman could jack a tire high enough to change with the stock jack.It's great for working on things also.
Glad the video should help, that's why I did it. I couldn't find anything like it when I went to do mine. Don't forget to read the Description in the About More tab above. Especially the UPDATE notes as I think if you lower both sides at once you may not even need the scissors jack. Let me know how it goes. Best Wishes n Blessings Keith
I watched the video with my neighbor who is a retired mechanic. He said if you would have jacked up the car from the side of the car instead of the rear axle.... There would have been no tension on the leaf spring and you would have not need the car jack to pull the spring down.
@@idanny76 Just saw your comment. I wish YT would notify me when I get them, but they don't always do, even though I have notification set. Yep your friend is absolutely correct. Right after I did the bushings I made an UPDATE in the comments that says pretty much the same thing. Only I used the axle so the spring tension would raise the van higher, then use the jack to lower the axle. My problem was I didn't release BOTH sides before lowering the axle, which is party why I had tension on each side. Thanks for the great comment. Best Wishes n Blessings. Keith Noneya
A fine young man. He joined the military after graduating and is doing just great now. Thanks for the nice comment. Best Wishes & Blessings. Keith Noneya
So nice to see detailed videos like this. A gem for sure. Questions:1) Using axle grease or all purpose grease, wouldn't that swell the rubber rather than silicone grease? 2) I read your update and notes. Lowering the leaf springs together "sounds like" a goo idea. Would removing the bumper cover not also help in the process? I totally get the safety thing and I so appreciate your honesty about your concerns and the additional caution you spoke of. Well done.
Hey thanks Gerry. You know I don't know about the grease option but if I had silicone grease I think that would be better for the reasons you mentioned. The bumper was not to big a deal because of the wrenches I used, also the bumper is a little flexible so that helped too. On the safety concerns I'm a little concerned that some "Can Do" person might jump in there and try to be Super Man and get hurt. I like to help folks but I was always taught by my dad and the Navy to always play it safe. My dad is and has been a full time mechanic, so he taught me a lot. Very grateful to him for that. I did push the boundaries on this job for sure. LOL! You can replace a car but not a limb or a life. I want folks who watch these videos to know there is real life threatening dangers here if you don't know what you're doing. I would also like folks to always use the safest method possible. I say it's for entertainment purposes for my safety. Some poor folks who really can't afford a mechanic who really need their car should have the best advice I can give them in a video. I guess those are the reasons I make them so detailed and long. I get upset watching "Scotty Kilmers" automotive videos and some others like him. They leave some important steps out and often they are the once that could get someone killed or hurt. He's a great mechanic, love his attitude and personality but he's not safe for a beginner to learn from. He reminds me of a happy gun owner who forgets to tell his students not to point the gun at themselves when it's loaded. I do visit his pages from time to time when I need to learn something that I have some experience in but need just a little more info. Even i'm not a professional and sometimes i'm sure I leave things out, but I try to show folks the safe way to do the job. I've had cars drop, seen cars drop, so i'm very safety minded. I usually use a jack stand and leave the hydraulic jack under the car. I never crawl under a car if I don't have to without a jack stand. I often place a tire under the car if I've taken one off as well. Anyways this is getting long. I always appreciate your insight Gerry, keep em coming. Best Wishes n Blessings. Keith
We have the same model Dodge Grand Caravan- ours is the " Sport" but still the same, just had new shocks & struts installed, kept hearing a rattling coming from the rear, leaf spring bushings were worn out- we have new ones just watched your video, our son n law did struts & shocks but was too nervous to try these bushings, don't blame him, after what you said, we have several mechanics in our town in Ga, just curious to the labor cost, you can message me back if you want to, we also have a few more things to do to our van- mostly now minor things- ours is 2002 & has 190,000 miles on it- which isn't bad for 18 yr old van. Just replaced Radiator 2 weeks ago it blew out, & new radiator cap too.
Hi Alice, yep those do rattle when they wear out. Just make sure you read the comments. The way I did it in the video was kind of dangerous. I left it up so folks could see it. I did make recommendations on how to do it safely by taking BOTH wheels off and dropping both side at once. You'll need some tall jack stands to to the job. That way the axle can drop far enough to do both sides at once and neither spring is loaded. Other than that suggestion, it's the same. It's not to hard of a job to do either. BE SAFE! Best Wishes & Blessings. Keith Noneya
Thank you Adolfo, I try hard to use tools and techniques the average person has or can use. The only time I use special tools is if they're required to do the job and you can't get around it without wasting a lot of time and money. About the only special tool I use is a Torque Wrench to keep yall safe, an electric drill or an Electric Ratchet just to speed things up a bit. Thanks for the thanks. Fell free to contact me anytime. Best Wishes & Blessings. Keith Noneya
great video, I thank you, will make my job easier, now that I have to do the same job,,,sorry if I missed it, but why did you have to drop the whole bracket, is it cause the bolts are welded to the one side??
Hi Angel, you're correct I had to drop the bracket because of the welded on studs. If you noticed I turned them around so the next person wouldn't have to pull the whole bracket. Thanks for watching. Don't forget to read the comments, I mention a safer way to do it. Best Wishes n Blessings. Keith Noneya
So did you end up putting NivoMate Self leveling rear shocks. My can has those and they have 250,000 on them. I was surprised that they are $500-$1000 each.
Wow not kidding! That's a huge cost if you're just cruising around in you van. I suppose if you were using the van in a professional setting that might be worth it. Thanks for sharing. Best Wishes & Blessings. Keith Noneya
Word of caution for those owners with earlier model T&C's, Caravans, and Voyagers... the leaf spring shackles are different than those depicted in this video. The common failure of these earlier shackles in the welded-on bushing jacket on the top spindle shaft of the shackle itself. The steel jacket covering the bushing rusts completely through which leads to loose leaf spring assemblies with noise. The fix is not difficult, but will cost you a trip to the hardware store for a piece of steel electrical conduit pipe that the new bushings fit into fairly well. Take the shackle with you to a welding shop after you cut the pipe the proper lengths to jacket the bushings and protrude through to the securing bolt. Use a hacksaw and round file to get the old rusted jacket out and smooth it until the piece you cut can slide through the one larger hole. A welding shop can tack the new steel piece on both side of the shackle to keep it from turning. Then you can insert the new bushing on both spindles and re-attach to complete the job. Chysler had realized the part would fail as two different metal gauges were used in fabricating the shackle and corrected the poor design beginning in the 2002 MY with a 6 bolt shackle base instead of the 4 bolt used in earlier MYs.
You're welcome brother. I have helped over 135K Chrysler mini-van owners on Fixit.com I was looking for info here, when I didn't find it, I had to sort it myself for a 1998 Plymouth Gran Voyager. Shackle and shackle brackets (base plate) for the 2002+ MY are available from Dorman via JC Whitney, et al... Only bushings are available for the earlier series of Chrysler mini-vans;
That's pretty cool, 135K huh, that must have taken years to do that. I have quite a few videos of the repairs I've done on my 2002 Grand Caravan. Some of them may be helpful to you in helping others. Here's the link to the playlist: ruclips.net/p/PLVLXGvrQp0OsNcwRxmtCkZaF5cjnffAdW Best Wishes n Blessings. Keith
I have the 2000 grand voyager and it has a clunk on the front end every time I leave my driveway, I'm thinking it's a control arm bushing. I will go ahead and replace the lower ball joints and wheel hub too. It still drives smooth on the highway .
Here's a few things it could be. 1. The sway bar drag links. 2. The sway bar bushings to the firewall. 3. The lower ball joints. 4. The Tie rod end, outer or inner. 5. Motor/Transmission mounts. 6. Lower Control Arms. 7. Strut assemblies. Those are the most common. Most mechanic shops with give you a free estimate. Some other items may be the rear leaf spring bushings too. Let us know what you find out. Best Wishes n Blessings. Keith
Thanks for the nice comment. Please read the Description of the video. The way I did it was the hard way and to it made me very nervous, as the warning show. In the description I mention to jack both wheels off the ground then lower the whole axle on both sides. I feel this way is a lot safer than the way I did it in the video. Be careful and safe, if those springs slip they can crush your hand. Best Wishes & Blessings. Keith Noneya
I used a Galaxy S5 for the video. I just use a mild soap and water and a paper towel to clean the glass. Thanks for the kind words. Best Wishes & Blessings. Keith Noneya
Muchas gracias Daniel. Tenga cuidado si realiza el trabajo con este método, es un poco peligroso. Busque en la descripción una forma más segura de hacerlo. Los mejores deseos y bendiciones para usted y su familia. keith noneya Thank you very much Daniel. Be careful if you perform the work using this method, it's a little dangerous. Look in the description for a safer way to do it. Best Wishes & Blessings to you and your family. Keith Noneya
That's a really good idea, had I thought of that I may have done that to make the job a little easier. Thanks for the input for other. Best Wishes & Blessings. Keith Noneya
So many wrongs in the video I don't know were to start. I will say you should have replaced all the bushing hardware, as of today Oct. 4, 2019, there $119 at Rockauto.com + shipping. Here are the parts numbers, Dorman 722080, 905545, 722081. Chrysler no longer has a parts supplier for these parts, they are made by the aftermarket and labeled under Mopar for contractural reasons, so save some money get Dorman. If one side is bad, the other side is bad. You made it way harder on yourself doing only one side. Disconnect the lower, not upper shock mount, disconnect the track bar, disconnect the sway bar links, then lower the jack and let the whole rear assembly drop, spring tension at the front will prevent pulling the brake hoses to taught, change out the spring hangers and rear shackles as an assembly, bolt them back up but do not tighten any nut until the weight of the vehicle is supported by the tires. You do not want to load(tighten) any bushing up until it is fully supporting the weight of the vehicle(loaded), here is why, with the bushings tightened to specs unloaded and then they are loaded, it places a strain on the bushings the whole time, if the bushings ever return to unloaded, you just jumped a curb. It will wear out the bushings in short order. After tightening the springs hangers to spec, and snugging the bolts on the rear hanger. Remove the forward spring hanger mount, located under the sliding doors, letting it and the spring come down, replace the bushing inside the assembly by pulling the locking tabs straight, slide out the old bushing and replace with new and using a screwdriver or drift, hammer the locking tabs down, and install is the reverse of assembly. With the weight of the vehicle on all four tires and on level ground tighten all spring hanger nuts to spec and the forward bushing nut to spec and your finished. Still a good video.
Yep I agree with you I did make it A LOT harder that it had to be. I said a lot of what you said in my comments. I do disagree on leaving the tires on. If I had to do the job again I would Remove the tires and just jack the vehicle higher and let BOTH back sides down at once with the hydraulic jack under the center of the axle. Then you have full access to both sides at once and the other side spring tension won't fight the other side. Do just the back also allows the front brackets to hold the front in place so nothing moves except up and down. The bushings are designed to swivel as they have a metal pin in them with the mounting bolt inside the metal pin. Hind site it always 20-20. I learned a lot about the rear assembly with the video. I left it up with all it's imperfections on purpose. I mention what to do differently in the comments. The Caravan was so UNRELIABLE that I finally had to sell it. The guy I purchased it from sold it to me for the same reason. Being a back yard mechanic for 30+ years I thought I could whip it into shape. Yeah it whipped me into shape into NEVER buying another MOPAR product made after 1975. I still have a TON of videos for working on it that I haven't even posted or edited. I will give the Caravan one good thing, it had the most comfortable interior and ride of any car I've owned, except my dads 1967 Cadillac Eldorado. Funny thing is the guy I sold it to says it's reliable for him, oh well I guess I fixed all the major stuff before I sold it. I sold it for the price of a rebuilt transmission I put in it. Thanks for the comment though I agree with most of what you said. One thing I've learned over the last 30+ years is no two mechanics do the job the same way or agree on how to do it, LOL. The best way to do it is the one that gets the job done on time, safely and reliably. Best Wishes & Blessings. Keith Noneya
Thanks Sparky, Yeah I was a little nervous doing it. I later figured out a better way to do it. I put the info in the remarks. Thanks for watching. Best Wishes & Blessings. Keith Noneya
Great question. I don't really know, I never had any problems with it so do it the way you feel best. I would tighten it down so the preloading doesn't put the bushing out a little before it's tightened. Also the bolt goes through pipe for slippage so I don't think you have to preload it. Hope the video helped. Read the Description in the SHOW MORE tab below the video. There is some important safety and update information there. Best Wishes & Blessings. Keith Noneya
I didn't do them and I ended up selling the van to a friend who needed it. Just be careful doing the job and if I had to do it again I think I would do it like I mentioned in the comments. Thanks for watching and I hope the video helped you. Best Wishes & Blessings. Keith Noneya
Yeah mine were making all kinds of racket. If you decide to do this it's easier and safer to drop both sides at once. If you read the description I add some more info I learned after doing it the hard way. Hope all works out for you, be safe and remember those springs will smash every bone in your hand or any part that gets smacked if it slips off the jack or whatever you use to spread them. Best Wishes & Blessings. Keith
Hi Would you get a knocking noise at the back the exhaust ok new shockers and all drop links bushings done sill geting the noise is it the same as you thanks. Jeff
Yeah I was getting some noise when I hit bumps in the rear. The main indicator is I saw the bushings were split and coming out. The other things that go bad and are often missed is the swaybar bushings or sway bar links. Feel free to ask more questions as needed. Best Wishes n Blessings. Keith Noneya
Thanks Jeff my wife tells me that all the time. I just tell her it's just some reading and a little common sense applied. I tell my self if someone can put it together i'm sure I can figure how to take it apart and put it back together with a book and some research. Thanks for watching. Best Wishes n Blessings. Keith
To help the parts go together easier. With the heat at over 90 degrees in the summer it will mush and either run out or evaporate out over time. I've done it that way on many vehicles and have never had a problem with it. Thanks for the question, at least folks are taking note. I do hope the rest of the video was helpful though. Also I figured out a safer way to do it after I put it up. Read the description for that method, be safe and hope all goes well for you. Thanks for watching. Best Wishes & Blessings. Keith Noneya
@@MB-dz912 That is a great tip, after 35 years of working on cars I still have good folks teach me some new tricks. Now if I could just find my glasses so I could read this...... Oh crap they're on my nose! Thanks for sharing MB I'll put that tip in as a keeper. Best Wishes & Blessings. Keith Noneya
Thanks Mr. Bell, I didn't do them because they were fine and it was my turn to drive in car pool in the morning and the guys hate the truck, it's very bouncy on southern Louisiana roads down here. The question is a good one and if I had the time I probably would have done them. Make sure to read the comments in the SHOW MORE above. I think I figured a better way to do them and I put that info in the comments. I appreciate you watching and the thumbs up. Best Wishes n Blessings Keith
Hanger bushings don't appear to be sold separately, and are $81 from the dealer (for stow and go models, at least). I'm not sure what the interchange difference is with stow 'n go, but the Dorman aftermarket part specifically lists w/o Stow 'n Go, and is about $27 apiece from RockAuto.
Thanks Robert. Don't forget to check out the comments (SHOW MORE) tab above as I give some extra hints and recommend a better way to do it. I have a Caravan Playlist as well. You can find it here: ruclips.net/video/0qeBdYD_LDs/видео.html Thanks for the comment and Thumbs up. Best Wishes n Blessings. Keith
I agree, but it would probably cost more, I jsut wish they had installed it from the other side to make it easier to take out. Definitely read the description and the Cautions. This was my 1st time doing this on a Caravan and looking back now this was pretty sketchy the way I did it, so I put some information on how to do it safer in the description. Thanks for watching. I hope you did find the video useful. Be Safe bud. Best Wishes & Blessings. Keith Noneya
Puse los tornillos hacia atrás para que el siguiente mecánico pueda repararse más fácilmente la próxima vez que se reemplace el buje. Gracias por el comentario. Usé el traductor de google para mi respuesta. Mis mejores deseos y bendiciones. Keith Noneya I put the screws in backwards for the next mechanic to have an easier repair the next time the bushing was replaced. Thank you for the comment. I used google translate for my reply. Best Wishes and Blessings. Keith Noneya
I take donations! LOL I actually do have air tools, but I do the repairs without air tools for folks who don't have them. Air tools definitely make the job go faster. Thanks for watching. Best Wishes & Blessings. Keith Noneya
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Keith thank you for another helpful video. My rear spring mounts are so rusted I was shocked and ordered new parts. Your down to earth but detailed video gives me a lot of confidence.
Hey Mark I know this comment is 5 years old and somehow I missed seeing it. Just wanted to say thank you. It's much appreciated. The 02 Caravan was the best traveling van for our family until it hit around 200K miles then it seemed I had to fix it every week end. I called it my "Fix it again Caravan". How's yours holding up?
Good Job.....I own my 03 dodge grand caravan since O3. It's still alive but like you said need some work here and there. I love my van...been taking care of the family very well. Oil change on timing is our priority. Just love the comfort ride it had to offer when all suspension taking care off. Next is this bushing you pointing out. Plan to keep it forever.
Thanks Sortster, I appreciate the nice comment. PS Nice ride LOL. Best Wishes & Blessings. Keith Noneya
I need to do this job soon and your timing with this video is great! Thanks for taking the time to record this project.
I'm curious why you didn't replace the upper bushings on the mount?
Great video. My 2000 Grand Caravan was making a rattling noise. At first I thought it was me not installing my rear seat in correctly. But then I realized that it was in and my bushings on the leaf spring are rotted. I'll be changing these out when the weather gets warmer. Thanks again!
Thanks I appreciate the kind comment. Don't forget to read the Description in the About More tab above. Especially the UPDATE notes as I think if you lower both sides at once you may not even need the scissors jack. I think that would be far easier and not as dangerous. Don't for get to read the comments, as there may be some good information in them as well. Let me know how it goes. Above all BE SAFE, cars are heavy!
Best Wishes n Blessings Keith
Thanks! This video was very helpful. For anyone wondering, the part numbers for the large upper bushings are 0743008AA or 92201k. Those are the part numbers off the original bushing in my 03 caravan. But I cannot find them anywhere. Closest thing is Dorman 722-081.
Thanks Moreno. That's really helpful. Thanks for watching. Best Wishes n Blessings. Keith Noneya
4743040AA is the part number for the bushings on a 2001 Town and Country and the upper mount takes the same bushing.
5006089AA is the part number for the leaf spring hanger that bolts to the frame.
www.moparpartsgiant.com/parts-list/2001-chrysler-town_country/rear_suspension/suspension_rear.html?diagram=00i47849
The hanger and bushing are figures 6 and 7 using the previous link.
Thanks for the video. Had to remove my trailer hitch to get the upper mounting plates off. My inner sleeves were rusted out so bad had to pound them out with a socket. They don't just sell the sleeves nor do they come with aftermarket Dorman shackles. Went to HD and improvised with 1/2" x 4" sleeve anchors and cut them to size. Slightly smaller ID but I think they just help protect the bushings. PIA job to say the least. Oh, and my 05 had the shackle bolts factory installed with the nuts to the outside like you changed yours to.
Glad I could help. The job is not for the faint of heart for sure. This is one of the jobs that I've done that I was concerned on doing because of the way I did it. That's why I made the disclaimer so prevalent in the description. I did find a safer way to do it so I put it in the description. Thanks for watching. Best Wishes n Blessings. Keith Noneya
Great video detail. You must be in the south because here in Ohio we have plenty of underbody rust. Tks
Yep live down here in southern Louisiana just north of NAWLINS, where we have Swamp People, the Louisiana Yard Dog is an Alligator who eats all trespassing dogs, cats, and humans LOL. We also eat Crawdads that we call Crawfish or mud bugs. Thanks for watching. Best Wishes & Blessings. Keith Noneya
While doing rear driver side brake work, (2007 t/c) I notice leaf spring had collapsed and ordered a new spring from rockauto. For 5 years now, the front right side of the van, was higher than the front left side, and I didn't know why. I thought the two new struts I installed was higher than the other.
After getting an alignment, the steering wheel was straight, but the van always pulled to the left while driving.
After installing new rightside leaf spring (over 309,000 miles) the van leveled off. The front looks even, the rear left side is now jacked up, and the steering doesn't pull to the left, everything looks and feels even. The van looks healthier.
I just ordered the bushing on ebay for about $9 instead of paying $30 at my local store. Will let you know how it goes. I'm somewhat tempted to replace that upper bracket/shackle while I'm at it since it seems to have rubber components of its own.
Thanks for the video, everything turned out as you explained it.
Glad it helped. I've often thought of taking this one down because I was afraid some less experienced guy wouldn't heed my safety warnings and get hurt. However I leave it up for entertainment purposes, and tell folks the dangers of doing this job the way I did it. Also I left tips on how to do it safer, so I left it up. Be safe and glad it worked good for you. Best Wishes & Blessings. Keith Noneya
You should go to harbor freight and get a set of truck jack stands. I have a 2002 Grand Caravan that has the same color paint and hubcaps as yours. The frame rails are so high on these vehicles that you need the extra lift. I also have the same hydraulic jack you have and it is barely adequate for lifting the van onto regular jack stands much less truck stands. But you can use the blocks of wood to lift the car higher. I just wouldn't feel comfortable working under a car sitting of blocks of wood. What if they shift? The higher jack stands will keep your nose out of the grease when you are working on a creeper.
Hi Michael, yep I did that on future jobs. Wow that's quite a coincidence. I also put in the description that if I had removed both tires and released both sides at once that the need for the blocks of wood and scissors jack wouldn't have been needed. I had also blocked the front tires as well. As for the shifting that would pretty much be impossible without some serious side movement. That would require the van to lift up high enough to push both jack stands over their sideways balance points. Based on my 30 plus years of working on vehicles I couldn't imagine that would happen very easily. I also, if you noticed, placed the removed tires under the vehicle as well, something my dad, a professional Mechanic, taught me.Thanks for the comment and safety tips, i'm always in for those. Best Wishes n Blessings. Keith Noneya
I carry a hi-lift floor jack in my caravan.I doubt if Spiderman could jack a tire high enough to change with the stock jack.It's great for working on things also.
Glad the video should help, that's why I did it. I couldn't find anything like it when I went to do mine. Don't forget to read the Description in the About More tab above. Especially the UPDATE notes as I think if you lower both sides at once you may not even need the scissors jack. Let me know how it goes. Best Wishes n Blessings Keith
I watched the video with my neighbor who is a retired mechanic. He said if you would have jacked up the car from the side of the car instead of the rear axle.... There would have been no tension on the leaf spring and you would have not need the car jack to pull the spring down.
@@idanny76 Just saw your comment. I wish YT would notify me when I get them, but they don't always do, even though I have notification set. Yep your friend is absolutely correct. Right after I did the bushings I made an UPDATE in the comments that says pretty much the same thing. Only I used the axle so the spring tension would raise the van higher, then use the jack to lower the axle. My problem was I didn't release BOTH sides before lowering the axle, which is party why I had tension on each side. Thanks for the great comment. Best Wishes n Blessings. Keith Noneya
Good visual lesson and you have a helpful Padawan!
A fine young man. He joined the military after graduating and is doing just great now. Thanks for the nice comment. Best Wishes & Blessings. Keith Noneya
So nice to see detailed videos like this. A gem for sure. Questions:1) Using axle grease or all purpose grease, wouldn't that swell the rubber rather than silicone grease?
2) I read your update and notes. Lowering the leaf springs together "sounds like" a goo idea. Would removing the bumper cover not also help in the process?
I totally get the safety thing and I so appreciate your honesty about your concerns and the additional caution you spoke of.
Well done.
Hey thanks Gerry. You know I don't know about the grease option but if I had silicone grease I think that would be better for the reasons you mentioned. The bumper was not to big a deal because of the wrenches I used, also the bumper is a little flexible so that helped too. On the safety concerns I'm a little concerned that some "Can Do" person might jump in there and try to be Super Man and get hurt. I like to help folks but I was always taught by my dad and the Navy to always play it safe. My dad is and has been a full time mechanic, so he taught me a lot. Very grateful to him for that. I did push the boundaries on this job for sure. LOL! You can replace a car but not a limb or a life. I want folks who watch these videos to know there is real life threatening dangers here if you don't know what you're doing. I would also like folks to always use the safest method possible. I say it's for entertainment purposes for my safety. Some poor folks who really can't afford a mechanic who really need their car should have the best advice I can give them in a video. I guess those are the reasons I make them so detailed and long. I get upset watching "Scotty Kilmers" automotive videos and some others like him. They leave some important steps out and often they are the once that could get someone killed or hurt. He's a great mechanic, love his attitude and personality but he's not safe for a beginner to learn from. He reminds me of a happy gun owner who forgets to tell his students not to point the gun at themselves when it's loaded. I do visit his pages from time to time when I need to learn something that I have some experience in but need just a little more info. Even i'm not a professional and sometimes i'm sure I leave things out, but I try to show folks the safe way to do the job. I've had cars drop, seen cars drop, so i'm very safety minded. I usually use a jack stand and leave the hydraulic jack under the car. I never crawl under a car if I don't have to without a jack stand. I often place a tire under the car if I've taken one off as well. Anyways this is getting long. I always appreciate your insight Gerry, keep em coming. Best Wishes n Blessings. Keith
We have the same model Dodge Grand Caravan- ours is the " Sport" but still the same, just had new shocks & struts installed, kept hearing a rattling coming from the rear, leaf spring bushings were worn out- we have new ones just watched your video, our son n law did struts & shocks but was too nervous to try these bushings, don't blame him, after what you said, we have several mechanics in our town in Ga, just curious to the labor cost, you can message me back if you want to, we also have a few more things to do to our van- mostly now minor things- ours is 2002 & has 190,000 miles on it- which isn't bad for 18 yr old van. Just replaced Radiator 2 weeks ago it blew out, & new radiator cap too.
Hi Alice, yep those do rattle when they wear out. Just make sure you read the comments. The way I did it in the video was kind of dangerous. I left it up so folks could see it. I did make recommendations on how to do it safely by taking BOTH wheels off and dropping both side at once. You'll need some tall jack stands to to the job. That way the axle can drop far enough to do both sides at once and neither spring is loaded. Other than that suggestion, it's the same. It's not to hard of a job to do either. BE SAFE! Best Wishes & Blessings. Keith Noneya
Great display of tools for the simple minded like me
Thank you Adolfo, I try hard to use tools and techniques the average person has or can use. The only time I use special tools is if they're required to do the job and you can't get around it without wasting a lot of time and money. About the only special tool I use is a Torque Wrench to keep yall safe, an electric drill or an Electric Ratchet just to speed things up a bit. Thanks for the thanks. Fell free to contact me anytime. Best Wishes & Blessings. Keith Noneya
Good video, thanks for taking the time.
great video, I thank you, will make my job easier, now that I have to do the same job,,,sorry if I missed it, but why did you have to drop the whole bracket, is it cause the bolts are welded to the one side??
Hi Angel, you're correct I had to drop the bracket because of the welded on studs. If you noticed I turned them around so the next person wouldn't have to pull the whole bracket. Thanks for watching. Don't forget to read the comments, I mention a safer way to do it. Best Wishes n Blessings. Keith Noneya
So did you end up putting NivoMate Self leveling rear shocks. My can has those and they have 250,000 on them. I was surprised that they are $500-$1000 each.
Wow not kidding! That's a huge cost if you're just cruising around in you van. I suppose if you were using the van in a professional setting that might be worth it. Thanks for sharing. Best Wishes & Blessings. Keith Noneya
Word of caution for those owners with earlier model T&C's, Caravans, and Voyagers... the leaf spring shackles are different than those depicted in this video. The common failure of these earlier shackles in the welded-on bushing jacket on the top spindle shaft of the shackle itself. The steel jacket covering the bushing rusts completely through which leads to loose leaf spring assemblies with noise. The fix is not difficult, but will cost you a trip to the hardware store for a piece of steel electrical conduit pipe that the new bushings fit into fairly well. Take the shackle with you to a welding shop after you cut the pipe the proper lengths to jacket the bushings and protrude through to the securing bolt. Use a hacksaw and round file to get the old rusted jacket out and smooth it until the piece you cut can slide through the one larger hole. A welding shop can tack the new steel piece on both side of the shackle to keep it from turning. Then you can insert the new bushing on both spindles and re-attach to complete the job. Chysler had realized the part would fail as two different metal gauges were used in fabricating the shackle and corrected the poor design beginning in the 2002 MY with a 6 bolt shackle base instead of the 4 bolt used in earlier MYs.
Thanks for the great comment. Best Wishes n Blessings. Keith
You're welcome brother. I have helped over 135K Chrysler mini-van owners on Fixit.com I was looking for info here, when I didn't find it, I had to sort it myself for a 1998 Plymouth Gran Voyager. Shackle and shackle brackets (base plate) for the 2002+ MY are available from Dorman via JC Whitney, et al... Only bushings are available for the earlier series of Chrysler mini-vans;
That's pretty cool, 135K huh, that must have taken years to do that. I have quite a few videos of the repairs I've done on my 2002 Grand Caravan. Some of them may be helpful to you in helping others. Here's the link to the playlist: ruclips.net/p/PLVLXGvrQp0OsNcwRxmtCkZaF5cjnffAdW
Best Wishes n Blessings. Keith
I have the 2000 grand voyager and it has a clunk on the front end every time I leave my driveway, I'm thinking it's a control arm bushing. I will go ahead and replace the lower ball joints and wheel hub too. It still drives smooth on the highway .
Here's a few things it could be.
1. The sway bar drag links.
2. The sway bar bushings to the firewall.
3. The lower ball joints.
4. The Tie rod end, outer or inner.
5. Motor/Transmission mounts.
6. Lower Control Arms.
7. Strut assemblies.
Those are the most common. Most mechanic shops with give you a free estimate.
Some other items may be the rear leaf spring bushings too.
Let us know what you find out. Best Wishes n Blessings. Keith
Good video.
Happy Motoring.
OK I have a 06 dodge grand caravan,and I need to do the same.The Salt up here toke a toll on my bushings and brackets thanks for the info
Good luck with it, again don't forget to read the comments for some more tips. Best Wishes n Blessings Keith
Must be in pa.
Good video, I'm going to do mine
Thanks for the nice comment. Please read the Description of the video. The way I did it was the hard way and to it made me very nervous, as the warning show. In the description I mention to jack both wheels off the ground then lower the whole axle on both sides. I feel this way is a lot safer than the way I did it in the video. Be careful and safe, if those springs slip they can crush your hand. Best Wishes & Blessings. Keith Noneya
Your videos are great thanks. how do you keep your camera clean?
I used a Galaxy S5 for the video. I just use a mild soap and water and a paper towel to clean the glass. Thanks for the kind words. Best Wishes & Blessings. Keith Noneya
Muy buen trabajo 👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍🙏🙏felicitaciones
Muchas gracias Daniel. Tenga cuidado si realiza el trabajo con este método, es un poco peligroso. Busque en la descripción una forma más segura de hacerlo. Los mejores deseos y bendiciones para usted y su familia. keith noneya
Thank you very much Daniel. Be careful if you perform the work using this method, it's a little dangerous. Look in the description for a safer way to do it. Best Wishes & Blessings to you and your family. Keith Noneya
I might think out pulling the bumper.
That's a really good idea, had I thought of that I may have done that to make the job a little easier. Thanks for the input for other. Best Wishes & Blessings. Keith Noneya
So many wrongs in the video I don't know were to start. I will say you should have replaced all the bushing hardware, as of today Oct. 4, 2019, there $119 at Rockauto.com + shipping. Here are the parts numbers, Dorman 722080, 905545, 722081. Chrysler no longer has a parts supplier for these parts, they are made by the aftermarket and labeled under Mopar for contractural reasons, so save some money get Dorman. If one side is bad, the other side is bad. You made it way harder on yourself doing only one side. Disconnect the lower, not upper shock mount, disconnect the track bar, disconnect the sway bar links, then lower the jack and let the whole rear assembly drop, spring tension at the front will prevent pulling the brake hoses to taught, change out the spring hangers and rear shackles as an assembly, bolt them back up but do not tighten any nut until the weight of the vehicle is supported by the tires. You do not want to load(tighten) any bushing up until it is fully supporting the weight of the vehicle(loaded), here is why, with the bushings tightened to specs unloaded and then they are loaded, it places a strain on the bushings the whole time, if the bushings ever return to unloaded, you just jumped a curb. It will wear out the bushings in short order. After tightening the springs hangers to spec, and snugging the bolts on the rear hanger. Remove the forward spring hanger mount, located under the sliding doors, letting it and the spring come down, replace the bushing inside the assembly by pulling the locking tabs straight, slide out the old bushing and replace with new and using a screwdriver or drift, hammer the locking tabs down, and install is the reverse of assembly. With the weight of the vehicle on all four tires and on level ground tighten all spring hanger nuts to spec and the forward bushing nut to spec and your finished. Still a good video.
Yep I agree with you I did make it A LOT harder that it had to be. I said a lot of what you said in my comments. I do disagree on leaving the tires on. If I had to do the job again I would Remove the tires and just jack the vehicle higher and let BOTH back sides down at once with the hydraulic jack under the center of the axle. Then you have full access to both sides at once and the other side spring tension won't fight the other side. Do just the back also allows the front brackets to hold the front in place so nothing moves except up and down. The bushings are designed to swivel as they have a metal pin in them with the mounting bolt inside the metal pin. Hind site it always 20-20. I learned a lot about the rear assembly with the video. I left it up with all it's imperfections on purpose. I mention what to do differently in the comments. The Caravan was so UNRELIABLE that I finally had to sell it. The guy I purchased it from sold it to me for the same reason. Being a back yard mechanic for 30+ years I thought I could whip it into shape. Yeah it whipped me into shape into NEVER buying another MOPAR product made after 1975. I still have a TON of videos for working on it that I haven't even posted or edited. I will give the Caravan one good thing, it had the most comfortable interior and ride of any car I've owned, except my dads 1967 Cadillac Eldorado. Funny thing is the guy I sold it to says it's reliable for him, oh well I guess I fixed all the major stuff before I sold it. I sold it for the price of a rebuilt transmission I put in it. Thanks for the comment though I agree with most of what you said. One thing I've learned over the last 30+ years is no two mechanics do the job the same way or agree on how to do it, LOL. The best way to do it is the one that gets the job done on time, safely and reliably. Best Wishes & Blessings. Keith Noneya
Great video. Your blocks of wood are scary though. 2x 12s under the jack would be safer. Or just buying a larger jack 👍
Thanks Sparky, Yeah I was a little nervous doing it. I later figured out a better way to do it. I put the info in the remarks. Thanks for watching. Best Wishes & Blessings. Keith Noneya
Great video. Two questions: does that suspension need preloading before tightening the bushing?
Have you done the front bushing?
Great question. I don't really know, I never had any problems with it so do it the way you feel best. I would tighten it down so the preloading doesn't put the bushing out a little before it's tightened. Also the bolt goes through pipe for slippage so I don't think you have to preload it. Hope the video helped. Read the Description in the SHOW MORE tab below the video. There is some important safety and update information there. Best Wishes & Blessings. Keith Noneya
@@keithnoneya appreciate it brother! I have this job coming up so I like to do my homework though I'm a mechanic myself :)
Have you ever changed the front bushings on the leaf spring?
I didn't do them and I ended up selling the van to a friend who needed it. Just be careful doing the job and if I had to do it again I think I would do it like I mentioned in the comments. Thanks for watching and I hope the video helped you. Best Wishes & Blessings. Keith Noneya
Yep, I just went outside and looked at mine, my leaf springs suck ass. I think front spacers and rear leaf helpers as n I'm good
Yeah mine were making all kinds of racket. If you decide to do this it's easier and safer to drop both sides at once. If you read the description I add some more info I learned after doing it the hard way. Hope all works out for you, be safe and remember those springs will smash every bone in your hand or any part that gets smacked if it slips off the jack or whatever you use to spread them. Best Wishes & Blessings. Keith
Hi Would you get a knocking noise at the back the exhaust ok new shockers and all drop links bushings done sill geting the noise is it the same as you thanks. Jeff
Yeah I was getting some noise when I hit bumps in the rear. The main indicator is I saw the bushings were split and coming out. The other things that go bad and are often missed is the swaybar bushings or sway bar links. Feel free to ask more questions as needed. Best Wishes n Blessings. Keith Noneya
Great job smart guy
Thanks Jeff my wife tells me that all the time. I just tell her it's just some reading and a little common sense applied. I tell my self if someone can put it together i'm sure I can figure how to take it apart and put it back together with a book and some research. Thanks for watching. Best Wishes n Blessings. Keith
Why would you put axle grease on a rubber bushing? That will eat up the rubber.. you will be replacing them again before long.
To help the parts go together easier. With the heat at over 90 degrees in the summer it will mush and either run out or evaporate out over time. I've done it that way on many vehicles and have never had a problem with it. Thanks for the question, at least folks are taking note. I do hope the rest of the video was helpful though. Also I figured out a safer way to do it after I put it up. Read the description for that method, be safe and hope all goes well for you. Thanks for watching. Best Wishes & Blessings. Keith Noneya
Next time use silicone grease.. it won't degrade the rubber.
I do thank you for sharing... it was helpful
@@MB-dz912 That is a great tip, after 35 years of working on cars I still have good folks teach me some new tricks. Now if I could just find my glasses so I could read this...... Oh crap they're on my nose! Thanks for sharing MB I'll put that tip in as a keeper. Best Wishes & Blessings. Keith Noneya
@@keithnoneya 6 decades and I'm still learning myself. Hopefully always will!!
you did a good job why not replace the hanger bushings while it was out
Thanks Mr. Bell, I didn't do them because they were fine and it was my turn to drive in car pool in the morning and the guys hate the truck, it's very bouncy on southern Louisiana roads down here. The question is a good one and if I had the time I probably would have done them. Make sure to read the comments in the SHOW MORE above. I think I figured a better way to do them and I put that info in the comments. I appreciate you watching and the thumbs up.
Best Wishes n Blessings Keith
Hanger bushings don't appear to be sold separately, and are $81 from the dealer (for stow and go models, at least). I'm not sure what the interchange difference is with stow 'n go, but the Dorman aftermarket part specifically lists w/o Stow 'n Go, and is about $27 apiece from RockAuto.
My caravan has no shocks and it has broken leaf springs
Time to head to the wrecking yard and pick those items up. Should be an easy fix. Best Wishes & Blessings. Keith Noneya
good job man .......
Thanks Robert. Don't forget to check out the comments (SHOW MORE) tab above as I give some extra hints and recommend a better way to do it. I have a Caravan Playlist as well. You can find it here:
ruclips.net/video/0qeBdYD_LDs/видео.html
Thanks for the comment and Thumbs up. Best Wishes n Blessings. Keith
Why the heck cant they just put nuts on both sides 🤬
I agree, but it would probably cost more, I jsut wish they had installed it from the other side to make it easier to take out. Definitely read the description and the Cautions. This was my 1st time doing this on a Caravan and looking back now this was pretty sketchy the way I did it, so I put some information on how to do it safer in the description. Thanks for watching. I hope you did find the video useful. Be Safe bud. Best Wishes & Blessings. Keith Noneya
Te complicaste el trabajo un montón y lo has puesto del revés los tornillos
Puse los tornillos hacia atrás para que el siguiente mecánico pueda repararse más fácilmente la próxima vez que se reemplace el buje. Gracias por el comentario. Usé el traductor de google para mi respuesta. Mis mejores deseos y bendiciones. Keith Noneya
I put the screws in backwards for the next mechanic to have an easier repair the next time the bushing was replaced. Thank you for the comment. I used google translate for my reply. Best Wishes and Blessings. Keith Noneya
Air Tools
I take donations! LOL I actually do have air tools, but I do the repairs without air tools for folks who don't have them. Air tools definitely make the job go faster. Thanks for watching. Best Wishes & Blessings. Keith Noneya
Air Tools
Yep they do make the job easier. I do it without air tools as most people don't have them.
Thanks for watching. Best Wishes & Blessings. Keith Noneya